Archive

Tiki Taane Says Nope to Say Nope To Dope

Posted 10:23pm Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Tiki Taane called out Say Nope to Dope NZ, an anti-cannabis legalisation Facebook campaign, when they made a post implying he was against cannabis last week. The post on the Say Nope To Dope Facebook page, which has since been taken down, linked to a 2016 NZ Herald article and claimed that Read more...

Lecturer Deactivates Controversial Quora Account

Posted 10:21pm Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Erin Gourley

Luke Schneider, the University of Canterbury Chemical Engineering lecturer who posted controversial comments on Quora, has deactivated his account. Critic first reported on the story when one of Schneider’s students said that his comments displayed “a lack of empathy” and that Read more...

37 Exams on Election Day

Posted 10:19pm Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Sinead Gill

Otago Uni will not move the 37 exams they have penned down for 17 October, the day of the New Zealand General Election. Out of the 1530 students affected, 18 have exams in both the morning and afternoon of election day. The exam timetable was released on 26 August, nine days after the Government Read more...

Chinese Law Paper Not Online Due to “Sensitive Issues”

Posted 10:18pm Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Erin Gourley

A law paper at Otago is being taught in-person under Level 2 due to discussion of “a number of sensitive issues” related to China. LAWS485, Chinese Law, is taught by Dr Anna High in the Faculty of Law. Humanities Pro-Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tony Ballantyne, confirmed that Read more...

No New CCTV Cameras In “Immediate” Future

Posted 10:16pm Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Erin Gourley

The University has “no immediate plan” to introduce new CCTV cameras around the campus area. Currently the CCTV roll-out plan is at phase two, which is an assessment/evaluation of phase one. “An independent review has been completed and is awaiting consideration by the Read more...

Abbey College Residents Told to Leave in November

Posted 10:14pm Thursday 3rd September 2020 by Erin Gourley

Abbey College residents are being “kicked out” over summer as the University considers a proposal to make the building an undergraduate residential college. The news was “a shock” to residents, said Renata*, a student who lives in Abbey College. “This is not how you Read more...

Otago Uni Has Created A Sustainability Neighbourhood

Posted 4:17pm Sunday 30th August 2020 by Zoe Humprey

Otago Uni has converted three of their UniFlats on Great King Street into a “sustainability neighbourhood” for 20 students in 2021. This “living lab” initiative will allow Otago researchers to study the potential environmental gains when sustainable living is made accessible Read more...

Sweeping Changes to the International Student Sector Receives Mixed Response from Students

Posted 4:14pm Sunday 30th August 2020 by Charlie O’Mannin

A government proposal to overhaul the regulations around international students in the wake of Covid-19 has had a mixed reception from student leaders. While changing the emphasis from quantity to quality was praised, changes to make it harder for international students to get work visas were Read more...

Students Fighting Cap on Māori and Pasifika Entry to Med

Posted 4:11pm Sunday 30th August 2020 by Sinead Gill

Student representatives are fighting a proposal to cap the number of Māori and Pasifika entrants to med school. Radio New Zealand have reported that the proposal includes capping Māori student entrants to Professional Health Sciences programmes (such as Medicine and Dentistry) at 56. Read more...

Skip Days Too Trashy, Recycling Is New Best Friend – Uni and OUSA

Posted 9:35pm Thursday 27th August 2020 by Jamie Mactaggart

Otago Uni and OUSA are proposing an alternative way of disposing waste rather than the designated skip days we currently have.  The proposal is still being reviewed, but aims to give students more options to recycle and dispose of general waste any time of the year, or on specific dates, Read more...

OPINION: Cover Your Damn Face

Posted 9:33pm Thursday 27th August 2020 by Naomii Seah

People fucking suck at physical distancing. Honestly, tell me right now, can you accurately estimate what one or two metres looks like? If you see someone coming towards you on the footpath, can you safely physically distance? How many times have you passed someone just slightly too close at the Read more...

Students Disappointed at Loss of Dietitian Programme

Posted 9:28pm Thursday 27th August 2020 by Naomii Seah

Students affected by the University of Otago’s loss of the Masters of Dietetics programme (MDiet) were disappointed by the lack of communication by the Human Nutrition Department. Rose, the President of the Human Nutrition Students Association, said that students were not given much advance Read more...

Uni’s Shovel Ready Projects Get the Axe

Posted 9:22pm Thursday 27th August 2020 by Oscar Paul

Roughly $300 Million worth of government funding may be deferred from Otago Uni, potentially stalling the five shovel-ready projects the University had planned for years to come. The five projects include a new building for the Te Rangi Hiroa residential college ($90 million), earthquake-proofing Read more...

No Skeletons in the Closet

Posted 9:20pm Thursday 27th August 2020 by Fox Meyer

Although they’re careful not to advertise it, Otago Uni’s Anatomy Department curates a fascinating and rare collection of human cadavers. The collection is an invaluable teaching tool for the medical professionals of tomorrow, and what began as an investigation into a purportedly Read more...

​OPINION: Infiltrating Open Day Is Hard

Posted 10:19pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

My frequent inability to grow meaningful facial hair played into my favour last Monday, as I joined the hordes of naive high schoolers venturing onto the University campus in order to see how much Open Day had changed since I was a wee lad. My first port of call would have been the Schools’ Read more...

Youth Political Parties as Members of Your Group Project

Posted 10:17pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Upon arriving at the Link, I realised that all of the youth political parties lined up for Clubs Day were just a bunch of people in an awkward group project. The assignment is to get the youths to vote come September. And, just like in a group project, none of them seemed to know what they’re Read more...

Criminal Charges, Expulsion “Threatened” if Agnew Residents Host Flat Party

Posted 10:16pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Erin Gourley

The Campus Cop told a flat on Agnew Street that they could face criminal charges and be expelled from the University if they hosted a party in their flat. The Campus Constable, John Woodhouse, emailed one of the flatmates on 7 August stating that “the holders of such an event may be liable Read more...

OUSA Advocates For More Gender Identities In Stats NZ

Posted 10:10pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Fox Meyer

In addition to “male” or “female”, OUSA is advocating for Statistics New Zealand (Stats NZ) to include “another gender” and “no gender” when listing genders on census documents. They have submitted these suggestions to the Sex and Gender Identity Read more...

Otago Uni Loses Dietitian Programme Accreditation

Posted 10:08pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Sinead Gill

Otago’s Master of Dietetics (MDiet) programme has suspended new enrolments because they have lost their accreditation. Students who are already enrolled in MDiet will be able to complete this degree.  The NZ Dietitians Board notified Otago Uni that they would lose their accreditation Read more...

Lockdown, Part Two: Isolation Boogaloo

Posted 10:07pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Fox Meyer

At an impromptu announcement at 9:15pm, August 11, Jacinda and Ashley Bloomfield broke the news that Covid-19 has resurfaced in the community. It takes the form of one cluster: four family members. Aotearoa resumes lockdown protocol.  As of publishing, Auckland will be at Level 3 until Read more...

Dumpster Fire Breaks Out in Dunedin News Facebook Page

Posted 10:06pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Fox Meyer

Last week, Dunedin News admin Daryl Taylor convened a heavy Facebook debate on an article about a Dunedin man being acquitted of rape. The article in question named the accused, Michael Fraser, but did not name the two women who accused him of rape. Daryl linked the ODT article with the caption Read more...

Is Your Flat a Piece of Shit? Signs Point to Yes

Posted 8:44pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

In just one day, the Dunedin Tenancy Tribunal ordered $7040 of compensation for two groups of student tenants who had their flats disrupted by construction work. Critic spoke to the two groups about what the process was like. One group of tenants, who flat on Leith Street, took Edinburgh Realty Read more...

“Lack of Empathy”: Lecturer’s Quora Posts Made Students Uncomfortable

Posted 8:38pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Erin Gourley

Content warning: suicide, shootings. Luke Schneider, a Senior Lecturer in Chemical Engineering at the University of Canterbury, implied that beneficiaries should commit suicide, wrote about why he would “shoot to kill” in a riot to protect private property, and suggested that a virus Read more...

Beer Pong Tournament Attracts Brotherhood of Punters

Posted 8:29pm Thursday 13th August 2020 by Oscar Paul

On August 9, the Landers Army - the official fanpage for the Highlanders - hosted the inaugural Beer Pong Masters at Starter Bar. Teams of two played for the rights to be Dunedin’s Best Team, and to head up to Auckland to demolish those northern fuckwits at the best sport ever Read more...

PSYC SOC Targeted by Facebook Scammers

Posted 10:42pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Kaiya Cherrington

The Otago Students’ Psychology Society (PSYC SOC) has been targeted by scammers trying to sell unauthorized Wine and Cheese tickets using fake Facebook accounts.  PSYC SOC advertised their Wine and Cheese night during late July, to be held on Thursday 13 August at IBs. The event Read more...

Man Floor-Sucked Own Piss in the Zoo

Posted 10:40pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Sophia Carter Peters

During the 2 August rugby match at Forsyth Barr, the tragic loss of the Highlanders to the Blues was briefly interrupted with a student literally drinking his own piss.  In the middle of the Zoo, a little before halftime, a breatha unzipped his pants and peed onto the seat in front of him. Read more...

OPINION: Crunchy Peanut Butter is the Best Type of Peanut Butter

Posted 10:39pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

Crunchy peanut butter is the superior type of peanut butter, and if you disagree with that, then you should take a good, hard look at yourself. There are some big issues going on in the world, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for debate about peanut butter. Usually, I Read more...

Landlord “Nit-Picking” to Keep Bonds from Tenants

Posted 10:36pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Erin Gourley

A lost kitchen sink plug, dirty chairs, blown light bulbs, and a missing oven knob were among the reasons a Dunedin landlord claimed her tenants should not get their bond back.  Since August 2016, Karen Brown has appeared in 31 orders from the Tenancy Tribunal and one District Court case Read more...

No Visa Applications For International Students

Posted 10:22pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Sinead Gill

From 10 August, applications for “most visitor, work and student visas” will be suspended for three months. Immigration New Zealand (INZ) announced this change in their 31 July update. The suspension means that tertiary students who have been studying online from their home countries Read more...

OUSA Reviewing Clubs for “Inappropriate Behaviour”

Posted 10:18pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Erin Gourley

OUSA has begun a review aiming to understand and deal with inappropriate behaviour within affiliated clubs. OUSA’s CEO, Debbie Downs, listed several aims for the review. “To understand the extent of inappropriate behaviour within OUSA-affiliated Clubs and Societies,” is the Read more...

Discussion of China Could “Endanger” Auckland Students

Posted 10:16pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by James Joblin

A lecturer advised students taking PHIL105: Critical Thinking at the University of Auckland not to discuss issues that are controversial for the Chinese government, because of a risk of danger from “Chinese governmental agents”. The course is taught on two campuses in mainland China, as Read more...

Putting the “Toxic” in “Intoxication”

Posted 10:11pm Thursday 6th August 2020 by Fox Meyer

Alcohol is a chemical drug, and our bodies are biological machines. When you put too much of that drug into your body, it becomes difficult for the machine to function properly. And even though our bodies process alcohol subconsciously, there are a few decisions you can make to help your Read more...

Discussion of China Could “Endanger” Auckland Students

Posted 5:14pm Wednesday 5th August 2020 by James Joblin

A lecturer advised students taking PHIL105: Critical Thinking at the University of Auckland not to discuss issues that are controversial for the Chinese government, because of a risk of danger from “Chinese governmental agents”. The course is also taught on two campuses in mainland Read more...

OUSA Did “Nothing” About Alleged Sexual Assault in 2009

Posted 1:43pm Sunday 2nd August 2020 by Sinead Gill

Content warning: sexual violence, murder.  The alleged perpetrator of a sexual assault in 2009 continued to work at OUSA for years after the complaint was brought to them. OUSA still does not have a sexual misconduct policy, despite telling the complainant that they were developing a similar Read more...

Vending Machines Breakdown on Campus

Posted 10:21pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Jack Gilmore

Just like Health Scis, the vending machines in the Link have been suffering from multiple breakdowns over the past two weeks. Critic has noticed five vending machine breakdowns over the past two weeks. In a statement, a spokesperson for the University said: “There has been an issue lately Read more...

The Climb: An Investigation into the Most Efficient Way to Get Up the Richardson Building

Posted 10:19pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

The Richardson Building is one of Otago’s most iconic pieces of architecture. It is obscenely tall and radiates an obnoxious amount of big dick energy. However, it’s also one of the most challenging, harrowing and exhausting buildings to climb up. Getting to class in Richardson is Read more...

“Sophia Charter” Signed to Make Student Parties Less Risky

Posted 10:16pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

The University of Otago and Sophia Crestani’s parents hope to see permanent changes in the student community as a result of The Sophia Charter. The Sophia Charter is named after Sophia Crestani, an Otago student who died during a flat party in October last year. The Charter aims to make Read more...

Is Sal’s really the 22nd best pizza in the world?

Posted 10:13pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Phillip Plant

The following is one man’s (who may actually just be a butch lesbian in disguise) account of Critic’s least significant investigation to date. You may be shocked, you may be horrified, you may be disgusted, but no matter what you feel, please keep reading because I worked really hard on Read more...

Student Votes Split Between Labour and Green

Posted 10:06pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

Otago Uni students can’t decide how far left they want to lean. Colmar Brunton sampled only 0.00031% of the eligible voting population for their national poll, so Critic beat their standard by sampling 52 students to get this data, or 0.0029% of students at Otago (almost 10x more Read more...

PSA: On-Campus Food Gets Discounted in the Afternoon

Posted 10:00pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Jackson Burgess

Food available at cafes and restaurants on campus is cheaper towards the end of the day. A Critic reporter was pleasantly surprised to discover that their sandwich cost $2.50 rather than $5.00. Saint David’s cafe, Albany Cafe and other university-owned cafes all offer different deals to Read more...

Students Struggling To Pay International Fees

Posted 9:57pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by James Joblin

International students facing financial hardship feel that Pūtea Tautoko does not address their needs. “I spend more on tuition fees than anything else,” said Syd*. The funds available to help international students provide living costs, but avoid the expensive international Read more...

Rental Properties Alarmingly Expensive

Posted 9:42pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Kaiya Cherrington

Student flats are being advertised on Facebook by private landlords requesting as much as $270 per room for a typical shared flat.  Facebook groups such as Otago Flatting Goods, Otago Buy Sell and Trade, and Dunedin Rentals have had private landlords advertising their properties for students Read more...

OUSA to Adopt Bill and Bill

Posted 9:41pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

The first working day after our beloved Bills returned to the University campus from their alleged ab-duck-tion, OUSA began the process of informally adopting our gay icons.  According to OUSA Welfare and Equity Representative Michaela Waite-Harvey, the Executive are currently Read more...

New OUSA Clubs and Socs Representative Elected

Posted 9:39pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

702 students have elected their new Clubs and Socs representative for OUSA - Dushanka Govender. Dushanka was “kind of” surprised by the win. She told Critic, “everyone who ran was so capable and experienced, anyone would have done a good job in the role”. OUSA elections Read more...

Ransom Paid to 'Attacker' Who Potentially Stole Otago Alumni Information

Posted 12:43pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

A data security breach from May of this year may include information on Otago Alumni. The breach has since been contained following Blackbaud's negotiation and ransom settlement with "the attacker".   According to an email sent to Otago Alumni, Blackbaud (not to be Read more...

Happy 130th birthday OUSA, have a tree

Posted 2:12pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

OUSA celebrated its 130th birthday by doing what any 130-year-old would do: planting a tree. However, in an unexpected and ghastly turn of events, the poor baby was forced to stand naked in Union Lawn for five days, an activity I’ve only ever done by choice. The tree was planted on Wednesday 8 Read more...

First Person to Vomit Inside The Maharajas Speaks Out

Posted 2:10pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Oscar Paul

Popular BYO restaurant The Maharajas have survived their first in-house vomit. The vomit, which occurred at 9:15pm on Friday 17 July, broke The Maharajas’ massive three year streak of puke-less student BYO curry nights. "I had two bongs before I came to dinner and my flatmate pressured Read more...

Below Average Pay for Summer Studentships

Posted 2:09pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Students working summer studentships at the University of Otago felt that they had to choose between fair pay and academic experience. Some students believe that the academic experience earned was worth it. Some students received pay as low as $10 per hour worked in the summer of 2018 and Read more...

Student Safety Policy to be Released in Light of Sophia Crestani’s Death

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

“The Sophia Charter”, a policy named after Sophia Crestani and developed by the University, will be signed into effect this Wednesday.  The Charter is named after Sophia Crestani, the Otago student who died at a flat party in October of last year. “Full details will be Read more...

Dedicated Campus Queer Space Faces Further Delay

Posted 2:06pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Naomii Seah

The University of Otago still doesn’t have a dedicated queer space, despite the promises made about the space by the OUSA Exec back in 2019.  Finding a queer space on campus has been a talking point for the OUSA Executive since late 2018, when then-Welfare Officer Abigail Clark began Read more...

CRITIC TANGENTIALLY TAKES OVER PART OF SALIENT AND MASSIVE MAGAZINES

Posted 2:02pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Planet Media, the advertising department for OUSA, has taken on an 8-month trial run of managing the sales the student magazines for Victoria and Massey Universities, Salient and Massive. The three incredibly dashing young men behind Planet Media help Critic with our ad revenue and are Read more...

OPINION: Fuck Sexual Violence, and Fuck Anyone Who Thinks it is Excusable

Posted 1:57pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Kayli Taylor

Content warning: sexual violence. The University of Otago is 151 years old, and has likely seen 151 years of sexual violence and abuse on campus. The most recent allegations against Josh Smith, former OUSA Clubs and Societies representative and president of the Dunedin Fire and Circus Club, are Read more...

Series of Evacuations on Campus Inconveniences Some Students

Posted 1:55pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

Evacuations on campus caused a slight inconvenience for students, and is potentially karma for their eaerness to be on campus this early in the semester. St Dave’s was evacuated on Friday, then Central Library on Saturday, and Mellor Lab was evacuated on Wednesday, all within the span of a Read more...

Bye Bi Birdie?

Posted 1:52pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

DOC is still to confirm whether Bird Rescue Dunedin (BRD) released the Bills, but it appears that, yes, our darling ducks were relocated to Tomahawk Lagoon. Cue our collective tears. In case you’ve missed it, our resident queer icons recently got in trouble for a brunch date at Kiki Beware. Read more...

Campus-Wide Reports of Sketchy Door-Knockers

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

Two young men have been knocking on North Dunedin doors and asking if any men live in the flat who would like to take part in their religious or University survey. They have reportedly been doing this door-knocking since as early as 6 July.  It’s a bit sus, but might not be anything Read more...

DCC Keeps Promises Like Your High School Boyfriend

Posted 1:42pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

The DCC say they are doing their best, having made six promises and upholding only one. One year ago, the group that represents students (OUSA) delivered a list of issues to the group that represents the city (DCC), and asked them to pledge their commitment to whichever of the causes they wanted Read more...

ClinicalKey Licence Cut By Uni

Posted 1:34pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

The University has decided to cut their subscription to ClinicalKey after the research database reportedly increased their license fee by “well beyond” 6%. ClinicalKey is a research database for Health Science and Science students. According to the library website, it provides Read more...

OUSA By-Election Not-Debate Not-Analysis

Posted 1:28pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Ah. Another year, another OUSA Exec resignation, another by-election. Despite even fewer people attending this debate than ever (Critic couldn’t see any non-OUSA Execcies or staff members in attendance), all three of these candidates seem to be the most qualified for an OUSA position in Read more...

Breathas Were Nice to Bar Staff in Re-O

Posted 1:06pm Sunday 19th July 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

OMG you guys chivalry is not dead, the breathas are nice now! Bartenders report that drunk students tended to be nicer than normal over the Re-O Week. “Well, as a bartender I’m very used to pretty normal amount of verbal abuse from breathas, being cut off and slurs of poorly thought Read more...

Smith “Taking A Step Back” After Complaint of Alleged Sexual Violence

Posted 10:18pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Content warning: sexual violence Former OUSA Clubs and Societies Representative, Josh Smith (a.k.a. Josh Smythe), was accused of sexual violence by a student in 2019. At the time, OUSA was informed of the complaint, and OUSA “understands” that a police statement was made. “A Read more...

Former Clubs and Socs Representative Accuses OUSA President of “Blatant Lie”

Posted 10:13pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

After saying he resigned for personal reasons, Josh Smythe has now alleged that OUSA President Jack Manning gave him an ultimatum in a private meeting.  According to Josh, he wanted to stay on as the Clubs and Societies Representative, but was told: “The only option is if you take a Read more...

Sleepovers Possible at UBS Thanks to the OUSA Exec

Posted 8:20pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Caroline Moratti

The upstairs of University Bookstore on Cumberland Street is set for revolutionary change, with the OUSA Exec voting to adopt the “accommodation option” proposed by their Finance and Expenditure Committee.  Although much of the building’s development is shrouded by the Read more...

Restaurant Boom Over Re-Ori

Posted 8:19pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Jack Gilmore

According to workers in Dunedin restaurants, students turned out in droves during Re-O to support the many eating establishments in our fair city. This might explain the proportion of vomit on the streets of North Dunedin. Many restaurateurs, waiters, and cooks have reported to Critic that they Read more...

More Free Mental Health Appointments for Students from 2021

Posted 8:15pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

More students will be able to access free therapy and treatment for mental health from 2021, thanks to a $25million of funding towards mental health services for tertiary students aged 18 to 25.  The funding, announced on 11 July, will target students who are mildly or moderately distressed Read more...

Cutler Told Tenants to Trash the Trash Rules

Posted 8:14pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Matt Cutler has been advising students to put out low-cost, unmarked rubbish bags for collection, rather than the official DCC rubbish bags.  “[...] With rubbish just put it in low cost bags at night - there’s collection every week day in the city. Just don’t put your mail Read more...

Property Destruction Pretty Lit During Re-O

Posted 8:14pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Kaiya Cherrington

Re-O Week was extra chaotic this year, with couch burning and other property destruction reported in the student area. Students witnessed a notable amount of damage happening throughout the week as parties were held on streets such as Hyde, Leith, Frederick, Queen, and Castle. Couch burning is a Read more...

Otago University has an Underground Beer Pong Society, and it’s Really Fucking Strange

Posted 8:13pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

Turns out, the Otago University Beer Pong Society is real and exactly what you would expect - a bunch of testosterone-fuelled guys who miss their high school sports teams a little too much.  Otago Uni and the student gremlins which inhabit this community have some very odd and highly Read more...

One in Five Chance Your Re-O MDMA Was Bath Salts

Posted 8:11pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Oscar Paul

20% of the drug samples tested by KnowYourStuff during Re-O Week turned out to be synthetic cathinones (a.k.a. bath salts, a.k.a. a bad time). KnowYourStuff detected nine samples of mephedrone and eight samples of a new, unknown cathinone. “This unknown cathinone [detected during Re-O Week] Read more...

Vibe Check: Political Debate Edition

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Sophia Carter Peters

I care about things, but I know very little about politics. So when I was asked to attend and take some notes on the ‘Response to Covid’ debate in Union Hall (organised by DebSoc), I was confused, but intrigued. Honestly, I love a bit of drama and as much as David Seymour annoys me, he Read more...

Opinion: It’s Fucked that Dunedin Clubs Don’t have Cloakrooms

Posted 2:22pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Caroline Moratti

It’s a Saturday night, and you’ve been bobbing to Glitter by Benee for the past three hours in Suburbia. It’s been a good night but you’re ready to call it quits and shelve some kebabs before passing out in your best mate’s bed. The issue is that you have to survive the Read more...

OUSA Sexual Misconduct Policy Two Months Away

Posted 2:20pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

The development of an OUSA sexual misconduct policy began in 2019. Seven months into 2020, club leaders are still waiting. OUSA told Critic that the policy will be “achieved… during second semester” through OUSA’s Affiliated Clubs Council. Last September, Critic covered Read more...

SOCIAL EXPERIMENT: Critic Attempts Crime

Posted 2:02pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Last week, Critic received an anonymous tip from someone claiming to be “member of the student community” about a certain “hack” (crime) that allowed people to get Victorian Bitters (VBs) beers for free from Countdown. A week after exposing this “hack” (crime), Read more...

Results Withheld Due to “Unprecedented Volume” of Academic Misconduct

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Due to an “unprecedented volume” of potential academic misconduct cases across all four divisions of the University of Otago, many exam results have been withheld. The University aims to confirm all results by this Friday, 10 July. Students who show “above-average levels of Read more...

“Abusive and Predatory Behaviour”: Report Claims OUSA-Affiliated Club Had a Culture of Abuse

Posted 1:55pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Content warning: Explicit descriptions of sexual abuse, violent behaviours and emotional manipulation. After a member alleged they were sexually assaulted, the Dunedin Fire and Circus Club published a preliminary report on internal sexual and emotional abuse, and proposed changes within the Read more...

Southernmost Foosball Club Launched and Free to Play

Posted 1:26pm Sunday 12th July 2020 by Sophia Carter Peters

Amidst a global pandemic, a collective social upheaval, and the general decay of the 21st century, there is but one truth: foosball. Otago’s first foosball association, the Dunedin Foosball Association, has finally broken ground. The association, led by Zoology lecturer Paul Szyszka, has Read more...

OUSA Takes Pro-Cannabis Legalisation Stance

Posted 3:04pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Just over a month ago, OUSA asked students whether or not OUSA should take a stance in the upcoming cannabis legalisation referendum. Students said yes. The Exec decided to have a punishingly long discussion about whether or not they should do it, anyway. The Exec had a choice between two Read more...

Residential College Rebate Increases to $200

Posted 3:03pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Students who left their residential colleges for lockdown got $200 per week as a residential fee rebate. This was an increase of $80 from the initial rebate, agreed to after OUSA met with the University to put students’ concerns forward. The original amount the University offered students Read more...

Local Hero Catches Thief Mid-Burglary

Posted 3:01pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

A flat a stone’s throw from the Clocktower would’ve been burglarised last week if it weren’t for the heroic efforts of an upstanding young Kiwi. Thom Harrison (6’7”, 120 kg, single) was surprised to see “this fuckin’ random dude just taking shit outta my Read more...

OUSA Exec Are Confused About Their Own Referendum

Posted 2:55pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

The OUSA Executive asked students some confusing questions about what they should do and now they are confused about what they should do. The annual OUSA Referendum was held online from 25-28 May. When the results came in, the OUSA Exec realised they had fucked up a few of the questions or were Read more...

Pint Night Returns for Semester Two

Posted 2:50pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

The University has confirmed that Pint Night is on for semester two. Despite fearmongering in the student community that Pint Night was not going to go ahead post-lockdown, a University spokesperson confirmed to Critic that Pint Night will in fact recommence on Wednesday, 8 July, during Re-O Read more...

Where to Not Park if You Don’t Want a Ticket

Posted 2:49pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Jack Gilmore

An official information act request has revealed which streets and parking meters near campus produce the most amount of tickets. In the past three years, the University Campus area alone has racked up over 10,000 parking violations.  In 2018 and 2019, the most infamous street for Read more...

Otago Polytech Students Launch Rape Prevention Programme in Dunedin

Posted 2:44pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Sophia Carter Peters

Angel Shot, Ask for Angela, Sophie’s Angels; if you’ve spent any time on social media since 2016, chances are you’re familiar with these campaigns. If not, they offer people a way to leave unsafe or uncomfortable dates. These initiatives provide a code word disguised as a drink Read more...

Non-students Have Paid a Lot of Money at Request of the Proctor

Posted 2:22pm Sunday 5th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Non-students have paid $1480 in what the Proctor describes as “voluntary reparation” on six separate occasions since the start of 2019, according to information released to Critic under the Official Information Act.  Initially, the University denied that non-students had ever Read more...

R.I.P. Re-Creation Officer Josh Smythe

Posted 2:06am Friday 3rd July 2020 by Sinead Gill

On 26 June, the eve of Re-Flo, OUSA Clubs and Societies Representative Josh Smith (a.k.a Smythe) resigned from OUSA. In an email to his colleagues and Critic he cited “personal circumstances”, specifically his “family, businesses, and charitable activities”. Josh said that Read more...

What the Exec Have Been Up to

Posted 2:00am Friday 3rd July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Every quarter, the OUSA Exec try to convince Otago students that they are busy and important people. As you can imagine, their reports are rollercoasters of tense emotion where each exec member tries to justify the amount of student money we give them. So you don’t have to sit through their Read more...

OUSA to Inspect Financial Records of Dunedin Fire and Circus Club

Posted 1:54am Friday 3rd July 2020 by Erin Gourley

The Dunedin Fire and Circus Club (DFCC), perhaps best known for dreadlocked guys with fire who randomly appear at parties on Castle Street, is having its financial records inspected by OUSA. OUSA decided to inspect the Club’s financial records in an emergency OUSA meeting on Thursday 2 Read more...

Students “Felt Ripped Off” by Late Digital Device Offer

Posted 1:50am Friday 3rd July 2020 by Saskia Rushton-Green

Students who took out extra course-related costs to buy devices “felt ripped off” when it was later announced that they could those same devices for free.  On 15 April, the Government announced that students could take out an extra $1000 for course-related costs, bringing the Read more...

The Best and Worst Anonymous Comments From the OUSA Referendum

Posted 4:44pm Thursday 18th June 2020 by Sinead Gill

The OUSA Referendum happened and it was pretty average. The only real contenscious issue that emerged from the results is whether or not students want OUSA to co-host the Agnew Street party like they do with Hyde (it narrowly failed).  The most consensus students had on a referendum question Read more...

OUSA Exec Almost Asked Students A Question That They Don’t Want to Ask in Referendum

Posted 9:50pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Sinead Gill

In a 4:15pm emergency executive meeting last Tuesday, the Executive realised that they had no memory of creating or agreeing to include one of the dozen referendum questions. Weeks before each OUSA referendum, the Executive does a call out for student-submitted referendum questions. These Read more...

The University Knows Which Wifi Router You Are Closest To

Posted 9:12pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Erin Gourley

The University will use the wifi network on campus to contact trace students and staff. Apparently they have always been capable of doing that, but the pandemic has made that capability useful. A University spokeswoman said that “the network [is] one tool among several to meet Government Read more...

Private Residential Colleges Accidentally Made Bank From Wage Subsidy

Posted 9:10pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Erin Gourley

Otago’s private residential colleges claimed a combined total of $789,893 under the Covid-19 wage subsidy. Turns out a chunk of this was surplus to their needs, so some money will be returned.  The wage subsidy is only available if a business can show a 30% reduction in monthly revenue Read more...

Vic’s International Students Petition for 30% Fee Reduction

Posted 9:06pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Erin Gourley

The VUW International Students’ Association (V-ISA) are petitioning their University to get a 30% fee refund for international students who returned home for lockdown. The petition, hosted on ActionStation, was created on 16 May and has 849 signatures at the time of writing.  VUW Read more...

Students Are Considering Leaving Otago Uni Over “Invasive” Exam Software

Posted 9:00pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Sinead Gill

As of publishing, a petition that calls for the removal of ExamSoft software from Otago examinations has raised almost 600 signatures. Students are reportedly so unhappy that they are considering transferring University. Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Academic), Professor Pat Cragg, denies many of the Read more...

Noise Complaints on the Rise Since Lockdown

Posted 8:53pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Erin Gourley

Picture this: you’re having a rave with your ten friends. Yeah, it’s loud, but this is North Dunedin ffs. Not like anyone’s gonna call noise control at 10:30 on a Saturday. But then, as you’re blasting Poi E and dancing alluringly in view of the breathas across the fence, a Read more...

Cops Get Back-up From Aviation Security to Monitor Parties

Posted 8:50pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Erin Gourley

Aviation Security (AvSec) officers have joined Campus Watch and police in foot patrols on the streets of North Dunedin. The AvSec officers, who wear black uniforms without hats and are not trained police officers, do not have the power to enforce Level 2 rules. A police spokesperson confirmed Read more...

University Libraries Reopen

Posted 7:36pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Jack Gilmore

The University of Otago has reopened many libraries across campus with new social distancing measures in place. At the time of writing Central, Science, and Roberston libraries have fully reopened with new social distancing measures. Libraries initially opened with reduced hours, closing at 5pm. Read more...

Restoring Voting Rights to Prisoners: What Students have to Say

Posted 7:31pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Wyatt Ryder

New Zealand’s prisoners have been unable to vote in elections for the last ten years. The law that removed their ability to vote was passed in 2010. At the time, the Ministry of Justice estimated that 27,000 Kiwis lost the right to vote. Since then, the New Zealand’s Human Rights Read more...

Proctorial Justice Stocks Just Vibing in University Storage

Posted 7:27pm Thursday 21st May 2020 by Wyatt Ryder

The University has the Proctorial Justice stocks tucked away in storage, and it looks like that’s where they’re staying. The stocks were removed during the first weeks of 2019, when they were loaned out to the Otago Museum as a feature in their Dare to Be Wise exhibition. The Read more...

Referendum Will Ask Students if NZUSA Is Any Use

Posted 2:22pm Tuesday 19th May 2020 by Erin Gourley

OUSA will propose a theoretical alternative to NZUSA at their upcoming referendum.  Three of the draft OUSA referendum questions relate to NZUSA. The first, which is traditionally included in every OUSA referendum, asks whether students think OUSA should leave NZUSA. According to the Read more...

The Future Is Now: University Implements Examination Software For Upcoming Competitive Exams

Posted 1:01am Friday 15th May 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

Fresh off announcing their long-awaited exam timetable, the University lobbed a curveball at Accounting students and the massive Health Science First Year cohort on Tuesday afternoon by informing them that their exams would be surveilled. Many students are concerned. Yes, you read that right. In Read more...