Archive
Alcohol, Youth and Male-ness Define 2021’s Serious Misconduct Cases
Posted 11:26am Friday 11th February 2022 by Denzel Chung
CW: discussion of sexual misconduct cases Every single incident of serious misconduct in 2021 was caused by first and second-year students, almost all of them male. The Provost’s annual report for 2021 found nine incidents of “serious Read more...
Bong Lung could be for Life, Says Otago Study
Posted 11:52am Friday 4th February 2022 by Sean Gourley
A long-running University of Otago study has found that smoking weed long-term could lead to a distinct type of lung damage, which may be permanent. As part of the “Dunedin Study,” Otago researchers have tracked 1,037 individuals in Dunedin since they were born in Read more...
Otago Embraces Open-Access Publication
Posted 1:17pm Monday 31st January 2022 by Denzel Chung
The Uni has inked a deal that would allow researchers to publish their findings in over 4,500 different journals as open-access publications, for free, with more coming next year. Under these new “Read and Publish” agreements, which kicked in at the start of this year, Read more...
Student Health Braces for Omicron
Posted 11:32am Thursday 27th January 2022 by Denzel Chung
Student Health Services are preparing for a community outbreak of Omicron by moving away from in-person appointments, warning that wait times may increase due to a lack of backup clinical staff. To minimise the risk of staff and patients contracting Covid-19, under the Red traffic Read more...
“Fuck Covid,” Says CEO Offering Free Posters For Bands
Posted 12:48pm Wednesday 13th October 2021 by Denzel Chung
Phantom Billstickers, the street poster company, is offering Aotearoa’s bands and live performers free posters to promote their gigs post Covid-19. In a press release, Phantom stated that it “wants to see live performances roaring back once Covid restrictions end. So Read more...
Melissa Lama: Who Is She?
Posted 9:12am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Erin Gourley
“My life involves lots of different worlds,” says Melissa Lama. “There’s the Pacific community, I’m a mum, there’s student politics, and I study. I do it to myself but I wouldn’t change it, it’s who I am.” Melissa is your 2022 OUSA President. Read more...
Michaela Says Goodbye
Posted 9:10am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Erin Gourley
After a year as President and a year as Welfare and Equity Representative, Michaela Waite-Harvey is moving on to bigger and better things next year. Like “just studying” at Otago, instead of being a student politician. “I’m not going to completely excommunicate myself from Read more...
Mr Whippy Relaunches in Dunedin
Posted 9:05am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Denzel Chung
The one and only Mr Whippy has hit the streets of Dunedin. They launched with a bang on Saturday, giving out 600 free soft-serves in The Octagon. The Dunedin business is owned by husband and wife team Steve and Linda Mitchell, who also operate Mr Whippy vans in Central Otago. “We’ve Read more...
Lisa’s Mysterious Arms
Posted 9:01am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Denzel Chung
A strange poem fixating on the arms of Olympic kayaker Lisa Carrington has been popping up on posters around Dunedin in the last week. The poem, “Lisa’s Arms,” reads best aloud. Here it is: I want her arms. Imagine lying in those arms. Lisa’s Read more...
Asbestos Removed from Zoology Building
Posted 8:58am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
A technical report from July detailed that there is dangerous asbestos in some of the University’s heaters. The original heaters were removed, but many still operate in other buildings. The University did not respond in time for comment on this article. After hearing about asbestos in the Read more...
It Is Almost Chatime, My Dudes
Posted 8:55am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Asia Martusia King
The elusive Chatime, which has been edging students with its fabled branch in the Link since early this year, has said that it will finally open this October. The store, based on walk-bys by Critic staff, now looks pretty well set-up. They even have fake plants above the booths and a Read more...
OUSA Referendum Produces 125 Pages of Comments
Posted 8:48am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Denzel Chung
Students voted to reject only one proposal in the recent OUSA referendum: calling for an Exec member to be dedicated to distance and overseas students. Over 100 pages of comments were also submitted by students, including one student who repeatedly posted the Bee Movie script as their comment for Read more...
Uni Admits Misleading Staff on Shift Breaks
Posted 8:47am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Elliot Weir
Three weeks ago, we reported on widespread employment law breaches and sexual harassment amongst kitchen staff at University-managed halls of residence kitchens. Some staff then requested the mandated shift breaks that we outlined in the piece and were misled by management. When staff in one hall Read more...
LadBible Reports On OUSA’s Blues and Golds
Posted 8:43am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Fox Meyer
OUSA’s Blues and Golds awards are “in recognition of the sporting, cultural and service achievements of current University of Otago students,” said still-president Michaela Waite-Harvey. This year, Laurel Hubbard took home Best Sportswoman. Strangers on the internet, who Read more...
Australian Unis Mandate Vaccines on Campus
Posted 4:08pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Fox Meyer
Two Australian universities mandated last week that all students, staff and workers on campus be fully vaccinated. La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne were the first to require this, with Melbourne requiring everyone on campus to be vaccinated from November 5. Otago Read more...
Mental Health Awareness Whiteboard Sabotaged With Humour
Posted 4:05pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Erin Gourley
Sometimes, as a treat, OUSA will do something with good intentions that is nonetheless destined for disaster. Setting up a whiteboard in the Link for Mental Health Awareness Week and allowing people to write whatever they choose on a Post-It note, anonymously, is one of those things. The mental Read more...
Four Otago Uni Lecturers Take Out National Awards
Posted 4:02pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Denzel Chung
Well-known “Anatomy Mum” Dr Latika Samalia has taken out Aotearoa’s top tertiary education teaching award. In a remarkable Otago Uni power move, three of the other eight national award winners were Otago staff members as well. At the Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Excellence Read more...
OUSA Dog Is The Sixth Best Dog with a Job
Posted 3:59pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Fox Meyer
Ella, who works for OUSA Student Support, placed sixth in New Zealand's Top Dog with a Job contest. There were 402 entries this year for the overall contest, up 67% from 2020. Student support said, “firstly, we would like to congratulate all of the pups who were nominated and give an Read more...
OPINION: A Decade On, VSM Bill Still Looms Over Students
Posted 3:57pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Elliot Weir
Ten years ago, a controversial bill was voted into law that stripped student associations of their universal funding, leaving their futures in the hands of universities. Ten years on, should the bill be repealed? Centuries ago, in 2009, ACT MP Heather Roy introduced the Voluntary Student Read more...
New Residency Pathway Excludes Upcoming International Graduates
Posted 3:33pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Fox Meyer
International students about to graduate from the Uni will just miss the deadline for an exciting new residency visa application. Those who graduated before September 29 2021 will be eligible. Many international students began a degree this year as a means of staying in New Zealand. Upon Read more...
Erections Continue at New College
Posted 3:30pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Fox Meyer
There’s a new residential college going up by Emerson’s brewery, in case you’ve been wondering what all the dramatic scaffolding is for. Te Rangihīroa College is set to be operational by semester two, 2023. Chief Operating Officer Stephen Willis told Critic that the college Read more...
OUSA Referendum Open For Voting
Posted 3:27pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
This week OUSA’s yearly referendum is up for voting, and it’s time to exercise those sexy democratic rights. The referendum is divided into two sections: wider initiatives and amendments to the constitution. There are plenty of extremely important initiatives this time around, and we Read more...
OUSA and UOPISA Sign First Ever MOU
Posted 3:24pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Erin Gourley
For the first time, OUSA and the Pacific Island Students’ Association (UOPISA) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU). The MOU sets out that OUSA and UOPISA out the associations recognise each others’ roles, and that they will “actively promote their parallel Read more...
Otago Uni Calling for Voluntary Redundancies
Posted 3:22pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Erin Gourley
The University of Otago is calling for voluntary redundancies from staff. The University will start accepting “expressions of interest” for voluntary redundancy from 4 October. The scheme was announced on Tuesday 28 September at the Vice-Chancellor’s staff forum. The email, Read more...
Less than Half of Students in Link Wear Masks
Posted 3:19pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Erin Gourley
According to an informal Critic survey (conducted via the sophisticated method of tally chart), 42% of students are wearing masks in the Link. The survey, conducted last week, involved observing students at different times in the Link and on Union Lawn. Fewer students were wearing masks outside, Read more...
New Model for Student-Uni Collaboration Launched
Posted 3:15pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Denzel Chung
Student associations and the Government have developed a new model for collaboration between students and tertiary institutions. It is hoped that this model will better reflect the diversity of the student community, and eventually reshape how students and tertiary institutions communicate and Read more...
One-Way George Street: Worse than Hiroshima?
Posted 3:12pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Fox Meyer
The DCC voted last week to make George Street a 10km/hour one-way system. Predictably, the move was met with mixed reviews. The Dunedin News Facebook page was, as always, ripe with all sorts of colourful comments, including ones that likened the change to the bombing of Hiroshima. Here are some of Read more...
Students Happy With George St One-Way Decision
Posted 3:11pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
In an historic vote last Wednesday, the Dunedin City Council moved to turn George St into a one-way heading south, with construction beginning shortly. It has been over thirty years since George Street was last redeveloped. Apart from that jeweller who is now using Aaron Hawkins’ face as a Read more...
Otago Uni Calling for Voluntary Redundancies
Posted 4:58pm Tuesday 28th September 2021 by Erin Gourley
The University of Otago is calling for voluntary redundancies from staff. The University will start accepting “expressions of interest” for voluntary redundancy from 4 October. The scheme was announced today at the Vice-Chancellor’s staff forum. The email, Read more...
NZUSA Renews Calls for Universal Education Income
Posted 2:56pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Denzel Chung
A group of 48 students’ associations across Aotearoa, led by the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), Te Mana Ākonga, Tauira Pasifika and the National Disabled Students’ Association, have renewed calls for the Government to extend students a Universal Education Read more...
Exec Quarterly Reports: Third time’s the charm
Posted 2:53pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by
Well, well, well, here we go again. It was a hectic quarter, filled with zoom calls, jabs, puppies, elections, earthquakes, and bar closures, but your Exec have a lot to show for it. Well, most of them do, but Jack’s just excited to get out of here. The big theme this quarter was postponement, Read more...
Silverline Says Consent Workshop About “Sex and Relating”
Posted 2:49pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Denzel Chung
Silverline, a student-led mental health initiative, has been called out for saying a sexual violence prevention workshop was about “sex and relating”. On Thursday September 16, student Kayli called attention on Twitter to a Facebook post by Silverline, promoting a Student Job Search Read more...
Dunedin’s Beerfest Moved to Crate Day
Posted 2:47pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Erin Gourley
OUSA has changed the dates of the Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival (Beerfest) due to Covid. The dates have been changed from the end of October to early December. That means the second day of Beerfest, Saturday 4 December, will coincide with Crate Day. The press release announcing the change Read more...
Starters Employees Get Wage Subsidy
Posted 2:44pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
Employees of Starters Bar (RIP) have received a government-funded wage subsidy for the lockdown period, despite the fact that the bar never actually re-opened. OUSA CEO Debbie Downs said that because OUSA “fully expected [Starters] to be reopening post lockdown,” the staff were still Read more...
Melbourne Rocked by Earthquake Amidst Protests
Posted 2:40pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck Melbourne on Wednesday around noon, the largest quake in seismically-quiet Victoria for 50 years. The earthquake came amidst increasingly tense collisions between riot police and ‘unions’ protesting the State’s Covid policies. Jono, a PhD Read more...
Initiation Spills Onto Street
Posted 2:36pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
An initiation at the Leith Street complex turned into a pitifully-sized brawl during the sunset hours of Thursday 23 September. People abandoned their balcony and rooftop seats when the fights broke up, and spilled out into the streets when the music stopped. Three highschoolers watched the Read more...
Call for Independent Body to Monitor Universities’ Response to Sexual Violence
Posted 2:32pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Erin Gourley
Stop Sexual Harassment On Campus (SSHOC) has started a campaign to create an independent body that would monitor how universities in Aotearoa respond to sexual violence. They’re encouraging staff and students at universities to fill out their petition in support of the new independent Read more...
TERF Counter-Protest Mostly Wholesome, Despite Assaults
Posted 2:29pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Asia Martusia King
A “Suffrage Day celebration”, hosted by self-proclaimed gender-critical feminists in the Octagon last Sunday was counterprotested by a transgender-positive Jump Jam pizza party. The counterprotest was described as “wholesome” by attendees, and no arrests were made. Read more...
Best and Worst Flat Awards 2021
Posted 7:32pm Friday 24th September 2021 by Critic
We're looking for the Best and Worst Flats in Dunedin for 2021. There are Delivereasy vouchers up for grabs: $200 for winners and $100 for runners-up in the Best and Worst categories. To enter, fill out the Google form here. Read more...
Covid Dissuades Potential Postgrads
Posted 3:47pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
Earlier this year, we wrote about a surge in postgraduate enrolment rates due to something we called a “panic Masters”. This year, still unsure of what the future holds, some students have expressed that they’d rather stay away from further study than enrol in it just to feel like Read more...
OUSA “Strongly Supports” Gender Self-Identification
Posted 3:35pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Erin Gourley
OUSA has submitted in strong support of gender self-identification on birth certificates. The proposed Bill, currently at its final stage before the House of Representatives, would make it easier for people to change the sex or gender on their birth certificates without going to court. The Read more...
No Regulations on Lead in Plumbing
Posted 3:33pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Oscar Francis
Government inaction on lead fittings could be causing irreversible harm to millions of children. Lead levels in plumbing fittings are currently unregulated, and the government needs to take urgent action, according to Greg Wallace, CEO of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Read more...
Big Storm Cuts Off West Coast’s Cellular Connection
Posted 3:29pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
Most of the West Coast lost connection to wifi and cellular coverage last week, though nobody elsewhere seemed to notice. Sunday’s crazy storm destroyed part of the fibre optic network on the Coast, cutting residents from Haast to Whataroa off from the rest of the country. This is the Read more...
Med Students Make Public Apology for Med Revue
Posted 3:02pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Denzel Chung
The Otago University Medical Students Association (OUMSA) issued a public apology on Facebook for offensive jokes in their annual Med Revue. This statement is believed to be the first of its kind for a student performance at Otago Uni. The statement, released on Monday 13 September, was co-signed Read more...
Push to Fight Meningococcal Disease in Aotearoa
Posted 3:01pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
The Meningitis Foundation wants every school leaver to be vaccinated against meningitis, not just those going into residential halls. “Meningococcal disease” is a mouthful, but the numbers speak for themselves. New Zealand has 24 times the rate of meningococcal disease than the USA. Read more...
University Asks Students Not To Cheat In Online Exams
Posted 2:59pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
In an email sent to students last week, the University asked them not indulge in rule-breaking during their online exams. They said that “academic integrity is paramount” and that they require all students to follow the “honour code”. Some students, already pushed to the Read more...
International Students Find Barriers to Student Health
Posted 2:58pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Denzel Chung
An international student says Student Health needs to do more to raise awareness of their services, in particular saying their provision of language-appropriate support is lacking. Jess* told Critic Te Arohi that although she had some awareness about Student Health when she began studying at Read more...
No Grade Bump This Time Round
Posted 2:57pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
There will be no universal grade bump for Otago students due to lockdown. Assignments due between 18 to 27 August will be given an extra five marks, and markers have been urged to consider passing students with a final mark of 47 to 49 percent. Professor Pat Cragg, the University’s Academic Read more...
Geology Department gets $8.6 Million to look at Mud
Posted 1:48pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer
Otago’s Geology Department just secured $8.6 million to study carbon sequestration in Fiordland. The funding, which will run for five years, was secured by a multidisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Chris Moy and Honorary Professor Gary Wilson. Professor Claudine Stirling, also in Read more...
Where Should OUSA Put the New Student Bar?
Posted 1:46pm Monday 20th September 2021 by The Critic News Team
With the untimely demise of the “last great student pub”, Otago students will be thirsty for a new watering hole. OUSA mentioned that a replacement venue will be sussed, and we came up with a few ideas to help them expedite the process. If you’re a fan of any of these alternatives, Read more...
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