Archive

Advocacy Groups Have “No Empathy” for Landlords Scrambling to Insulate Properties

Posted 3:17am Friday 19th July 2019 by Esme Hall

Local advocacy groups are disappointed in landlords who left it to the last minute to insulate the underfloor and ceilings of rental homes for the July 1st deadline, which they had three years to meet. Changes to the Residential Tenancies Act mean that from July 1st rental homes must have ceiling Read more...

Who to Vote For in the By-Election

Posted 3:13am Friday 19th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

As per usual for OUSA events the seats in the Main Common Room were vacant for the candidates forum, all bar the current Executive, the candidates’ friends, and depressed Critic reporters. But no worries, we’ve assessed the quality of the candidates for you. For the more discerning voter Read more...

My Editorials: A Review

Posted 1:57am Friday 19th July 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

This is a review issue. We’ve got a bunch of reviews. Here’s a review of my editorials so far:    Editorial #1 Drugs are lame. 2/10   Editorial #2 We still haven’t had an answer from AskOtago. 7/10    Editorial #3 The University Read more...

Archway Shop is Dead and There is Nothing We Can Do About It

Posted 10:01pm Thursday 18th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

Despite having a name that confusingly refers to another building on campus, the Archway Stationery Shop has been a staple of the Link for decades. But as of last Thursday, the University pulled the plug. Campus and Collegiate Life Services Director, James Lindsay, said that this move was to Read more...

DCC VERSUS DCC: WHO WILL WIN?

Posted 9:59pm Thursday 18th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

One bold, annonymous Dunedin local has perfected community outreach by launching a ‘Dunedin City Council - DCC’ Facebook page that people actually engage with. Overnight they became a city-wide hit and quickly superseeded the 1k-follower mark. While unfortunately their posts are just Read more...

Writing About The Executive Reports So They Stop Asking Us To

Posted 12:46am Friday 12th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

If you noticed that we never covered the first quarterly reports of the OUSA Executive back in March, then you are either Will Dreyer or... (no, you’re just Will Dreyer). Now that the second quarterly reports are out, though, Critic can compare what goals and promises they kept first semester, Read more...

The University & The Sexual Misconduct Policy

Posted 12:43am Friday 12th July 2019 by Caroline Moratti

Under the new Sexual Misconduct Policy, which was made public at the end of May this year, the University is obligated to “ensure that students are informed of this policy, related resources, and education programmes,”. However, according to Thursdays in Black Otago, the University has Read more...

Editorial: I Don’t Want to Live in a World Without the Giant Mountain Lobelia

Posted 12:40am Friday 12th July 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Ok, buckos. It’s happened. I’ve snapped. This was the last fucking straw. I was on board, but now I’m jumping off. Don’t count on me no more. We all know that climate change is destroying the planet and that as humans we’ve pretty much proved ourselves to be unworthy Read more...

NZUSA are Preparing to Fight “Tweaks” to the Fees-Free Policy

Posted 11:28pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

Although the National Student Union, NZUSA, started the year at a $74,000 deficit, the entire staff of James Ranstead (President) and Caity Barlow-Groome (Vice-President), with the blessing of the NZUSA National Executive, have decided to invest in a 20-hour staff member for a Read more...

Student Enrolment Numbers Double

Posted 11:27pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by James Joblin

The number of students enrolled to vote in the upcoming local elections is on the rise, with the number of Otago students enrolled doubling so far this year. These numbers still remain a fraction of the total student body. In recent years, the percentage of Otago students enrolled has remained at Read more...

Savoury Scroll “No Longer Worthy” Of Hilarious $4.20 Price Tag

Posted 11:25pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

An anonymous student has accused St. David’s Cafe of shrinking the size of their savoury scrolls. In an interview with Critic, they allege that the portions are “no longer worthy” of the hilarious $4.20 price tag, but that “the real betrayal is that they never even Read more...

Otago University Trades Suicide Prevention Framework For ‘Wellbeing Matrix’

Posted 11:24pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

Despite working on a Suicide Prevention Framework for over a year, the Healthy University Advisory Group (HUAG) have decided to replace it with a ‘Wellbeing Matrix’. A framework is basically a set of ideas and principles about how something should work (so, how suicide could be Read more...

University Set to Start Charging for Cup Libraries

Posted 11:22pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by Caroline Moratti

In your daily update of ceramic news, the University is set to start charging for use of cup libraries, with borrowers paying $1 to get a cup and on returning it will get $1 off their next coffee purchase. You may have seen the colourful, quirky cup libraries around campus, looking like something Read more...

Otago Uni Says Nup to 126,000 Cups

Posted 11:21pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by Nina Minogue

Otago Uni has announced that as of July 15, they will be phasing out disposable cups across all campus cafes. The first three cafes to be affected by this change will be St. Davids, Te Mātiti and Staff Club. While some students already use reusable cups at the campus cafes, the University has Read more...

OPINION: My eQuals is Bullshit

Posted 11:20pm Thursday 11th July 2019 by Erin Gourley

“Pay $30 so that employers can trust that your grades are what you say they are, you lying/untrustworthy/deceitful student.” Underneath it all, that’s the vibe of My eQuals. The system is based on the idea that students want to scam employers by sending them false academic Read more...

OUSA Welfare Officer Will Resign If President Does Not Think She Has “Stepped Up” Her Game

Posted 1:50pm Monday 8th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

Disclaimer: Kerrin has had ongoing health issues that she says affected her ability to communicate her progress on goals. Critic has previously addressed that the Welfare Officer role is fucking massive and it is easy to over-commit: however, this does not mean Exec members should not be held Read more...

OUSA Exec Members Resign Over Mid-Sem Break

Posted 1:43pm Monday 8th July 2019 by Sinead Gill

Three OUSA Exec members resigned from their posts during the mid-semester break. Administration Vice-Prez Porourangi Templeton-Reedy resigned to take a job in Wellington. Post-Graduate Officer Dermot Frengley resigned to focus on his studies, and Campaigns Officer Georgia Mischefski-Gray resigned so Read more...

ORC Oligarchs Condemn East Dundas Residents to Three More Months Behind Wall

Posted 1:38pm Monday 8th July 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Otago Regional Council has confirmed the Dundas Street Bridge construction will be postponed for another three months, opening in October instead of August. This delay is apparently because it is very mysterious “what happens underground and where” and apparently there was no way for Read more...

OPINION: Stop knocking on my front door

Posted 11:38pm Thursday 4th July 2019 by Mary Hawkes

Get off my fucking lawn. I can’t believe I actually have to say that. It’s way too soon to be looking for flats, and I don’t want to talk to you, so the roaming groups of star-eyed undergrads wandering around the inaccessible hilly back ends of nowhere need to stop hammering on Read more...

The Best Anonymous Comments From the OUSA Referendum

Posted 11:36pm Thursday 4th July 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

The latest OUSA referendum was one of the most interesting referendums in recent memory, which is to say it was slightly less interesting than green top milk. Highlights included 88.5% of students agreeing that fucking freshers shouldn't be allowed to go to Hyde, and a tragic minority of Read more...

Sausage with Substance: Fight Night Returns

Posted 11:32pm Thursday 4th July 2019 by Caroline Moratti

Tom “The Tank Engine” Tremewan lives up to his name. An aura of childlike mischievousness cascading through a tight, streamlined body of pure mechanical engineering. Much like his fictional counterpart, his tank wasn’t built overnight, but rather through a labour of love for last Read more...

OUSA will run drug testing again for Re-Ori

Posted 11:31pm Thursday 4th July 2019 by Erin Gourley

OUSA, the New Zealand Drug Foundation and KnowYourStuffNZ are collaborating to make drug testing available to students (again) during Re-Ori. The testing model is very similar to the initiatives run during O-Week and before the Hyde Street Party. According to students who used the tent last Read more...

Guest Editorial: The Exec is Broken

Posted 10:57pm Thursday 4th July 2019 by Esme Hall

The Exec is falling apart. Last week, three of them resigned. Admin VP Porourangi Templeton-Reedy abandoned his post for a job in Wellington, Post-Grad Officer Dermot Frengley was overloaded with study and Campaigns Officer Georgia Mischefski-Gray resigned to run for Admin VP in the upcoming Read more...

Editorial: We Summoned a Ghost to Write This Editorial

Posted 12:21am Friday 24th May 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Welcome to Issue 13, the Occult Issue. Instead of writing an editorial this week we decided to construct a Ouija board and channel the eternal spirit of His Miraculousness Archibald Campbell, the First Critic Editor, may he forever be in our loins. Critic Illustrators Asia and Saskia combined Read more...

Government Will Not Repeal VSM This Term, say Student Lobbyists

Posted 11:49pm Thursday 23rd May 2019 by Sinead Gill

OUSA Exec members Will Dreyer and Bonnie Harrison have said that Finance Minister Grant Robertson and Education Minister Chris Hipkins will not repeal Voluntary Student Membership (VSM) in this term of government. OUSA Finance Officer, Bonnie, said “it seems abundantly clear from Grant Read more...

Critic Breaks Down the OUSA Referendum Questions

Posted 11:15pm Thursday 23rd May 2019 by Esme Hall

In an impressive show of #studentengagement, 38 student submitted questions ended up in the upcoming OUSA Referendum. Admittedly, Critic submitted 21 questions, but most of those were actually submitted to us by students. Critic Editor Charlie O’Mannin is still sad his question to get OUSA to Read more...

University’s ‘Walk Your Wheels’ Campaign Labelled Ableist

Posted 9:39pm Thursday 23rd May 2019 by Oscar Francis

A student with a physical disability is saying that the wheeled transport ban on campus is more than just an inconvenience for skateboarders; it does not consider the needs of students for whom walking around campus is not an option. Disability Services said students will be able to apply for an Read more...

Students Still Waiting For a Sexual Misconduct Policy

Posted 9:36pm Thursday 23rd May 2019 by Sinead Gill

A month after the University approved a Sexual Violence Misconduct policy, students are still waiting to find out what that policy actually entails. In a statement to the media last month, the University explained that the policy would be operational once “a specific team of suitably Read more...

OUSA Executive Give Dying Man Life Membership

Posted 9:34pm Thursday 23rd May 2019 by James Joblin

Last month, the OUSA Executive bestowed the honour of lifetime OUSA membership on Michael Tull. The Exec gave the life membership after seeing a Facebook post by Tull that said he was “nearing the end of [his] days” and had always been disappointed he’d never been granted OUSA Read more...

SOULS to Decline Russell McVeagh’s Money

Posted 2:19pm Tuesday 21st May 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

After consulting its members, the Society of Otago Law Students (SOULS) has decided not to accept sponsorship from law firm Russell McVeagh. SOULS cut ties with the law firm in 2018 when it was accused by multiple students, including one student from Otago, of systematic sexual harassment. In a Read more...

Editorial: The Menstruation Issue One Year Later

Posted 5:26pm Friday 17th May 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

This time last year, Critic made international news. There were Slovak opinion pieces and arguments on French radio. There were stories in Reuters and CNN rung the editor at 2am. That’s right, it’s Issue 12, which makes it the one year anniversary of the Menstruation Issue. This time Read more...

Four Walls still M.I.A.

Posted 10:46pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Nina Minogue

In the wake of Critic’s recent article on Four Walls Property Management, the current tenants of a Leith Street property have come forward with allegations of poor communication in regards to broken appliances and delayed payment for pest extermination. They say action was only taken after Read more...

Auckland Students’ Association President Resigns

Posted 10:44pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Esme Hall

AUSA President Anand Rama has handed in notice of his resignation just nine weeks into his first semester as head of the organisation. In a Facebook post after his resignation, Rama said he was not “in a good headspace” during his tenure and said resigning was “[putting] myself Read more...

“Excessive” Police Presence at Graduation Party Called “Racial Profiling” By Students

Posted 10:41pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Sinead Gill

Māori students are calling the police presence at a graduation party “excessive” and “racial profiling” after 7 police and noise control officers turned up to a 30-40 person event. On Friday 10 May a group of 30 to 40 Māori students gathered at a flat to Read more...

Third Year Pharmacy Students Miss Out on Hospital Placements

Posted 10:39pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Erin Gourley

Changes to the Bachelor of Pharmacy programme mean thirty-two third year students will miss out on placements in hospitals this year. A new Bachelor of Pharmacy curriculum has introduced clinical experiences earlier in third year. Dean of the School of Pharmacy, Professor Carlo Marra, said that Read more...

Critic Office Broken Into Twice

Posted 10:37pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Critic office has been the target of two break-ins over the past month, with two non-students, reportedly highschoolers with links to youth gang the “Vit-Cs”, facing court action over the second break-in. At the first break-in, which happened over a month ago, the thieves stole Read more...

Eight Cases of Flatmate Violence Reported to OUSA Student Support This Year

Posted 10:36pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Esme Hall

OUSA Student Support has dealt with eight cases of flatmate violence reported by students so far this year. Acting Manager of OUSA Student Support Hahna Briggs said that flatmate violence is “basically any behaviour where the purpose is to gain power and control over a flatmate,” and Read more...

Students Sent to Proctor for Hayward College-Themed Meme Pages

Posted 10:35pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Wyatt Ryder

Last week two Facebook meme pages, “Hoyword College Memes” and "Hoyword Confessions, were unpublished from the site and their admins were sent to the Proctor. The admins of the pages were told by Hayward College staff to remove the pages to avoid getting in trouble. The primary Read more...

OUSA Call DCC Parking Proposal “An Absurdity”

Posted 10:33pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Nina Minogue

Last week OUSA made a submission to the DCC, calling the proposed Tertiary Precinct and Jetty to Police Street parking changes, which would see paid-meter parking rolled out to more streets in the student area, “an absurdity”, and recommended it be changed to benefit the student Read more...

The Future of Thursdays in Black in Question

Posted 10:32pm Thursday 16th May 2019 by Sinead Gill

It’s been well over a year since NZUSA lost a $1.4million contract with ACC to fund sexual violence prevention campaigns on university campuses. They were awarded it on the back of the mahi behind a report NZUSA’s Thursdays in Black (TiB) team released called “In Our Own Read more...

Editorial: Boomers Are Upset About Something

Posted 3:00am Friday 10th May 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Buying drinks in a bar is like artificial insemination. It’ll cost more than your entire student loan and you’ll end up being disappointed. Last week the media latched onto OUSA pointing out that buying alcohol in a bar costs too much. The ODT ran the inflammatory headline Read more...

Trapped Between Four Walls

Posted 12:35am Friday 10th May 2019 by Nina Minogue

Students have claimed Four Walls Property Management ignored tenant requests for maintenance in a flat at 61 Grange Street that was deemed “unfit to be occupied”. Interim manager of Four Walls Rob Woodhouse described the company’s situation as a “clusterfuck” and Read more...

Stolen Flat Signs Returned, Others Still Missing

Posted 12:33am Friday 10th May 2019 by Wyatt Ryder

Early last week the stolen sign for The Birdcage flat was returned to their doorstep. One of the residents managed to contact a friend of the thief, who convinced them to return the sign. When The Birdcage residents contacted the suspected thief directly, they denied the allegations and told the Read more...

Caity Frickin B from NZUS-frickin-A

Posted 12:26am Friday 10th May 2019 by Sinead Gill

You’re right in wondering what the heck NZUSA is. NZUSA is the New Zealand Union for Students Associations (the daddy of OUSA, if you will). The idea is that there are issues that all campuses share, so the national team based in Wellington does all the lobbying and schmoozing with Read more...

OUSA Fails to Get Extended Opening Hours for Central Library

Posted 12:25am Friday 10th May 2019 by Erin Gourley

On 2 May, OUSA Education Officer Will Dreyer asked for a one-hour extension to Central Library’s hours in a meeting with University representatives. Instead, he came out of the meeting with a trial one-hour extension to the hours of the Marsh over exams. Over the upcoming exam period the Read more...

OPINION: It’s Too Soon For SOULS to Accept Funding from Russell McVeagh

Posted 12:24am Friday 10th May 2019 by Kelly Stitely

In its ninth issue this year, Critic addressed that the Society of University Law Students (SOULS) is considering accepting money from Russell McVeagh after the sexual assault scandals that broke last year. I don’t think that Critic, in its short interview with two random law students, really Read more...

Students Hit Out at DCC Over Parking Proposals

Posted 12:22am Friday 10th May 2019 by Nina Minogue

A public meeting hosted by student activist group Student Voice last week saw students and the DCC go head to head over a parking proposal. As Critic previously covered, the DCC has recently installed more Pay and Display parking meters around North Dunedin, and have proposed that 185 free Read more...

Harcourts Markets Illegal Boarding House as a Studio Room

Posted 12:20am Friday 10th May 2019 by Sinead Gill

If you are living in a flat with at least five other people, you share common areas, and you are all on individual tenancy agreements: you are possibly living in an illegal boarding house. Bri was one of these students. Just two weeks ago she had to move out of her flat due to accessibility Read more...

Students Struggle To Navigate Lime’s Claims System

Posted 12:19am Friday 10th May 2019 by Sinead Gill

Critic spoke to two students who tried to navigate the Lime claims system and were unhappy with the result. Sam returned from a night out with mates to find his car damaged in three places. The offending Lime scooter was left at the scene. After completing two separate forms, sending Lime photos Read more...

Saving Private Quackers: Otago DebSoc’s Multi-Day Search and Rescue Operation to Save an Injured Duck

Posted 9:13pm Thursday 9th May 2019 by Owen Clarke

Say you’re a duck, right? Say you’re a duck, and your leg is busted up. Classic. Probably got into a fight with an evil goose gang while trying to defend some helpless babies or something. Either way, on most University campuses, you’d probably be out of luck. But not at Otago, Read more...

Editorial: Critic Announces Bold Plan to Make the OUSA Referendum Suck Less, Again

Posted 2:25am Friday 3rd May 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

The OUSA Referendum is always boring as shit and no one ever submits any questions. Mostly because it seems like it takes actual time and effort and requires a passion for student politics that most people simply don’t have. The thing is, it’s not that hard to get stuff added to the Read more...

DCC Already Back on Their Paid-Parking Bullshit

Posted 12:22am Friday 3rd May 2019 by Sinead Gill

Last week we covered the new Pay and Display parking meters that popped up in North Dunedin seemingly “out of nowhere,” according to one resident. These meters were introduced in portions of Dundas, St David and Union streets, as well as further North along the two one-ways. The DCC said Read more...

Cutlers Pulled ‘Exploitative’ Campaign and Apologised Within Two Hours of Media Attention

Posted 10:12pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Sinead Gill

At the start of last week, Cutlers Property Management launched a bidding campaign for the infamous student flat, Debacle. In a Facebook post, the property management company asked groups of students to email them with an offer of rent, with the group that offered to pay the most leasing the Read more...

Yarns With Otago Uni’s #1 Food Trucker

Posted 10:07pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Sinead Gill

Catherine Page is not just the leading lady of the People’s Food Truck, Rising Sun Two, but she is also my new best friend. Our interview was so lovely that we finished with a hug before I had time to realise that probably wasn’t the most professional thing to do. But fuck Read more...

The University is Selling Your Email Account to Evil Corporations That Are Trying to Steal Your Soul and Turn You Into a Corporate Drone

Posted 10:06pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Owen Clarke

Over the course of the year, you may have received emails on your Otago student email account advertising for various postgraduate jobs and entry-level positional vacancies. Or maybe you haven’t, which probably means your degree (like mine, Interpretive Pole Dancing) is so useless that no Read more...

Series of Well-Known Flat Signs Stolen in North Dunedin

Posted 10:04pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Wyatt Ryder

Several North Dunedin flat signs have been stolen throughout April. The thieves are rumoured to be two rival Castle Street flats in a competition to see who can steal the most flat signs. Currently, Critic is aware of at least four stolen signs. The thefts were well planned. One stolen sign, The Read more...

OUSA Pushing for Central to be Open Until Midnight

Posted 10:03pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Erin Gourley

OUSA has met with the University to lobby for Central Library’s opening hours to be extended until 12am. Currently, Central is open from 7am until 11pm, when freaky sirens sound, the lights flash on and off, and students are made to leave the library. Last Thursday, OUSA requested a change Read more...

Cumberland College Replaces Reflective Bathroom Ceiling Tiles After ‘Peeping Tom’ Allegations

Posted 10:02pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Nina Minogue

A male resident at Cumberland College has allegedly used highly reflective bathroom ceilings to watch fellow showering students. “It’s disgusting and taking advantage of an unfortunate design error,” one student told Critic.  Residents at Cumberland College said that they Read more...

‘What I Was Wearing’ Exhibition Shares Personal Stories of Sexual Violence

Posted 10:00pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Nina Minogue

Content Warning: sexual violence, child sexual abuse, rape, intimate partner violence     Thursdays in Black have collaborated with Students Against Sexual Violence (SASV) for Rape Awareness Week, bringing the ‘What I Was Wearing’ exhibition back to campus, Read more...

University Upgrading Wi-Fi Network

Posted 9:59pm Thursday 2nd May 2019 by Esme Hall

The Uni has been upgrading the University Wi-Fi network to cope with increased student and staff demand. The Uni have increased internet bandwidth, whatever that means, and also completed the installation of wireless in all the Residential Colleges in time for the start of semester one, said the Read more...

Cutlers Pulls ‘Exploitative’ Campaign and Apologises

Posted 12:36pm Wednesday 1st May 2019 by Sinead Gill

Earlier today we published a piece on Cutlers Property Management’s recent tender campaign, where instead of students applying for a flat at a fixed price, they must send Cuttlers their “best offer.” The highest offer, and best ‘quality’ of applicant, will Read more...

Students Call Cutler’s Latest Campaign “Exploitation”

Posted 10:49am Wednesday 1st May 2019 by Sinead Gill

On Monday, Cutlers Property Management launched a ‘tender campaign’ of “arguably the most notorious flat on campus,” the ‘Debacle’, on their student Facebook page. This means that instead of students applying for a flat at a fixed price, students must send them Read more...

Editorial: Student General Meetings Are Very Boring and Very Powerful

Posted 1:11am Friday 26th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

In 1999 the Rowing Club’s shed burnt down. It was a little shack on the waterfront with a single shower and space for a couple of kayaks. Jump forward a few years and OUSA had built a giant $1.39 million Aquatic Centre in its place that was, and is, used by only a handful of students. OUSA Read more...

Law Students Considering Accepting Russell McVeagh’s Money Again

Posted 1:10am Friday 26th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Society of Otago University Law Students (SOULS) is polling its members as to whether they should go back to accepting sponsorship from law firm Russell McVeagh after they cut ties in 2018 when the firm was accused by multiple students, including one student from Otago, of systematic sexual Read more...

DCC Paid-Parking Meters Inch Closer to Student-Ville

Posted 10:23pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

The Dunedin City Council has turned three strips of unlimited and limited-time parking into pay and display as a part of a wider set of changes to parking in North and Central Dunedin. In a media release, the DCC explained that this was the result of a survey that indicated a need for improved Read more...

Pasifika Representation Returns to OUSA Executive

Posted 10:11pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

After nearly a decade, Pasifika students will see the return of a representative on the OUSA executive: this time, as an ex-officio position, the same system that Te Roopū Māori, the Māori students’ association, uses. The motion to restore the position passed almost Read more...

Quizzing and Shooting The Shit with Daddy Robertson

Posted 10:04pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

He turned up bang-on 2:30pm with his PR dude and a warm hello. He seemed completely at ease within moments - possibly a mix of the confidence that comes after decades of interviews, and because he felt at home in our office. As a member of parliament since 2008, and also former OUSA President, it Read more...

Finance Minister Talks About Something Very Interesting That You Should Read the Article to Find Out About

Posted 9:51pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

When you flick over this page you’ll find an interview with Grant Robertson, Finance Minister. During this interview, however, Voluntary Student Membership (VSM) managed to dominate the conversation. Because what he had to say was interesting, and also because most people don’t know what Read more...

Drug Testing at Hyde Finds Potentially Dangerous Substance

Posted 9:42pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

OUSA’s second trial of their new drug testing initiative at the Hyde Street Party found a potentially lethal substance that they were able to put out warnings about over social media. The initiative, run in conjunction with KnowYourStuffNZ and the New Zealand Drug Foundation, was used by 81 Read more...

Craccum Magazine to Throw Off the Chains of Democracy

Posted 9:36pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Craccum, the University of Auckland student magazine, has ended the controversial practise of electing its editors, creating new provisions for the editor to be appointed on the basis of merit, like is done at every other student magazine in New Zealand. Craccum Editor Bailley Devon told Critic Read more...

Law Camp 2019 Went Pretty Well

Posted 1:20am Friday 12th April 2019 by Phillip Plant

Despite the tragic events of the Christchurch shootings happening the same day, the 2019 second year Law Camp went smoothly, said students. Camp leaders were informed of the Christchurch shootings when the second years arrived at Starters Bar to be transported to the Wairoa Scout Camp, putting a Read more...

OUSA Finance Officer Will Enrol Anything that Breathes to Vote

Posted 1:18am Friday 12th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

OUSA Finance Officer Bonnie Harrison has proven that she will stop at nothing to get students enrolled to vote in the upcoming Dunedin City Council elections, going so far as to ambush people with voting papers while they’re lining up to get their tickets for Hyde. Desperate to understand Read more...

Editorial: We Created a Nudist Community

Posted 1:14am Friday 12th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Honestly, when we first brainstormed the cover for the Sex Issue, we were thinking of having only five or six people. I thought most of them would have to be people I knew who would be fine getting naked. But I put out the call on Facebook anyway, just in case. My inbox was immediately flooded Read more...

Otago Staff and Students Rally For Postgrad Allowances

Posted 1:14am Friday 12th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

On Thursday, April 11, almost 800 kilometres from Parliament steps, OUSA marched a group of students and staff from the Union Lawn to the Leith steps across from the Clocktower. There, almost fifty people rallied for the return of Student Allowances for postgrads in sync with those who turned up in Read more...

Residents Said Uni Best Practice Not Enough to Prevent or Discipline Sexual Violence at Knox

Posted 1:11am Friday 12th April 2019 by Esme Hall

CONTENT WARNING: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment     Multiple survivors of sexual violence from Knox College reached out to Critic since our last story, and their experiences show the University of Otago’s sexual misconduct procedures were not applied consistently Read more...

Student General Meeting Cracking Up To Be Slightly Interesting

Posted 12:59am Friday 12th April 2019 by Staff Reporter

Last week, Critic speculated what the second floor of the University Book Shop could be developed into now that it is owned by OUSA. This week, someone has answered our prayers. This Wednesday, 17 April, at midday in the Main Common Room, students will be able to vote on whether or not they want Read more...

Random Shit the Uni Spends Money On

Posted 7:18pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Critic

A tonne of milk in Otago Business School: $5,800 per year Have you ever walked past a fridge and decided to take a sneak peek inside? That’s what Critic did in-between lectures in the Business School. To this reporter’s shock it was completely packed with upward of a dozen two-litre Read more...

Opinion: OUSA Exec Meetings Are So Wholesome It’s Cringe

Posted 6:19pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Esme Hall

Are you sitting there wondering why we haven’t reported very much on this year’s OUSA Exec? Yeah, thought not. But, for the three of you who actually care, it’s because they’re being so nice to each other there’s no juicy drama to report. The apparent harmony of the Read more...

Opinion: There Should Be a Pacific Rep on the OUSA Exec

Posted 6:18pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Zayna Lam

Pasifika people are Aotearoa’s fourth largest ethnic population, 66% of whom are born in Aotearoa and over 50% are under 25. This growing population has, and will continue to have, an increasing presence in tertiary institutions. Education for Pasifika people is a priority area of work for the Read more...

Opinion: Knox College: Accepting our Flaws while Loving our Floors

Posted 6:16pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Jack Manning

The last few weeks, our Facebook feeds have been filled with posts from UoO: Meaningful Confessions about the Critic Knox article. We’ve seen people defending the college, apologising on its behalf, and denouncing traditions and managerial problems that would allow sexual assaults to occur and Read more...

Enrolment Numbers Are Slightly Up

Posted 4:21pm Tuesday 9th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

It’s April, baby, and you know what this means: the University can now confirm how many students have enrolled at Otago for 2019. Yeet. Critic may only be reporting on it to beat the ODT to it but pettiness aside, here are some facts. Otago has seen a rise in 166 equivalent-full-time Read more...

What Should OUSA Use the Second Floor of the University Bookshop For?

Posted 2:01am Friday 5th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

Ever wondered what was upstairs from the University Bookshop on Great King Street? Critic can reveal that it is currently a beautiful 500 square metres of untapped potential. We believe that since student fees helped OUSA buy the building a few weeks ago, it should be up to students to decide what Read more...

Tutors Call Out Humanities Human Resources and Geography Department

Posted 1:57am Friday 5th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

A few weeks ago Critic looked into inconsistencies in tutor and demonstrator pay rates, and generally found that those who are getting a bad deal are the exception, not the rule. However, those on the worst end of the spectrum could be missing out on hundreds of dollars each semester. Nadia Read more...

Dental and Oral Health Students Go Head to Head Over Fillings

Posted 1:56am Friday 5th April 2019 by Erin Gourley

A turf war is shaping up among Dental School students over whether oral health therapists should be able to perform fillings, tooth extractions, and crowns (restorative treatment) on adults. If a new Dental Council proposal succeeds, oral health therapists (i.e. hygienists) would be able to do Read more...

Editorial: What is the Least Sexy Part of the Human Body?

Posted 1:54am Friday 5th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Honestly, the human body is so gross. It’s too soft and too hard in the wrong places, it’s often difficult to maneuver, and it involuntarily secretes too much fluid - and that’s just the outside. No one even knows about the horrors lurking beneath the surface (yeah, you heard me, Read more...

Opinion: You Should Give a Fuck about Post Grads Getting Student Allowance

Posted 9:38pm Thursday 4th April 2019 by Dermot Frengley

Being a postgraduate student isn’t easy. The workload is challenging and, to add to the stress, postgraduates aren’t entitled to Student Allowance. This lack of financial security hurts us. I know some real horror stories of postgrads who have had to face challenging and damaging mental Read more...

Spider Infestation Season Hits North Dunedin

Posted 9:36pm Thursday 4th April 2019 by Fox Meyer

“I realised I couldn’t get rid of them so I sorta just let them live here now.” This is the stellar attitude of the self-proclaimed “Spider Queen of North Dunedin.” Many North D flatters have reported an up-swing in the residential arachnid population. This comes at Read more...

Bagpipers Bail on U-Bar

Posted 9:33pm Thursday 4th April 2019 by Owen Clarke

Bagpipers took over Dunedin’s airwaves (and sanity) last weekend. Though they appeared to be very dedicated to their rehearsals and performances, the pipers apparently weren’t as committed to keeping up with their reservations at U-Bar. The Annual Pipe Championships hosted by the Read more...

High-Profile Prisoner and Legal Advocate Arthur Taylor Allegedly Declined From Studying Law at Otago

Posted 10:29pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Oscar Francis

Ex-convict and self-styled jailhouse lawyer Arthur Taylor has told Critic that his plan to study Law at Otago was derailed by the new University of Otago Faculty of Law Dean. He told Critic he is now preparing to continue his studies extramurally at the University of Auckland. Taylor told Critic Read more...

Wheeler Dealers Steal Student Bikes From Campus

Posted 10:27pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Nina Minogue

Several students told Critic that they felt they had misplaced their faith in Campus Watch and the CCTV rollout after their bikes were stolen from campus, despite being locked at bike sheds. Two students Critic spoke to said their bikes were stolen in the last three months. They were both stolen Read more...

Is Good One a Shit One?

Posted 10:04pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

Between the sunset of Flo-Week and the dawn of O-Week, a familiar black and yellow poster quietly returned to the OUSA bollards: the “Good One” campaign. “Good One” is a party register campaign run by a squad of OUSA, the Police, and the Proctor’s Office, and is Read more...

OPINION: It’s Disappointing Knox Hasn’t Changed

Posted 10:02pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Georgi Hampton

The report of Critic’s Knox investigation was a difficult read for me. I was a resident of Knox College from 2007 to 2008. I have good memories of my time there, and met some wonderful individuals I still consider friends today. However, the collective culture of Knox when I lived there was Read more...

Boozed-Up Breathers Breathe in Law Lecture, Campus Watch Called

Posted 9:58pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by James Joblin

Campus Watch were called to the 4pm LAWS101 lecture three Thursdays ago after a group of inebriated students heckled Professor Ceri Warnock mid-lecture. The boys were observed sitting at the back of Castle One drinking Billy Mavs and brew-filled Pump bottles and calling out, clapping, and Read more...

Two Muslim Chaplains Added to Chaplaincy Team

Posted 9:55pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Esme Hall

The University Chaplaincy Services are welcoming two part-time volunteer Muslim chaplains, one man and one woman, onto their team as of Monday 1st April. University Chaplain Reverend Greg Hughson said that the role of the new chaplains, Najib Lafraie and Hajjah Salmah Kassin, will be to offer Read more...

Uni Replaces Health Sci Papers with Anatomy and Physiology for Physical Education Students

Posted 9:52pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Esme Hall

The University has introduced Anatomy and Physiology papers into the first year Physical Education curriculum, replacing PHSE191 and PHSE192, which were based on Health Sci papers HUBS191 and HUBS192. The change is part of the School of Physical Education Sport and Exercise Sciences major Read more...

Radio One FM to Clean up Their Frequency

Posted 9:51pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

In last week’s OUSA executive meeting there was an announcement that shocked all except Radio One staff and boomers; Radio One is going to scrub their station of naughty words. This isn’t necessarily because the word “fuck” is pissing people off, but because it’s Read more...

Display Name Spoofing Scam Hits University Staff

Posted 9:49pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Esme Hall

The University has issued a warning that its staff be careful after a spate of ‘display name spoofing’ scams. University staff have been receiving emails where the display name is made out to be that of a senior staff member, while the actual email address has no relationship to the Read more...

Starters Bar Making Bank

Posted 9:47pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

The Cook, U-Bar and other student locales beware and be shook; Starters may be on track to being one of the most successful bars on campus following it being purchased by OUSA, despite only having been open for one and a half months. OUSA CEO Debbie Downs said that Starters’ current Read more...

Editorial: The Business School Lives in Upside Down-Land

Posted 9:43pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

I was in the new Otago Business School building recently and it was like entering another world. Where was the dripping, slippery pit I was used to? (Only 2017 kids will understand.) What was this soft, elegant, open-plan palace? I was in a wonderland, drifting through plush air, spinning past Read more...

Christchurch Photo Essay

Posted 1:09am Friday 22nd March 2019 by Aiman Amerul Muner

On March 15, New Zealand was rocked by a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch which claimed 50 lives and left dozens more injured. Worshippers at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque were attacked by a gunman during Friday prayers. The city of 400,000 was left in collective Read more...