Archive

Synthetic cannabinoids

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Claudia Herron

Psychoactive substances are the active ingredients in party pills, energy pills and herbal highs. They are like any other drug, with many people experiencing problems of addiction. The Psychoactive Substances Act commenced on 18 July 2013 and regulates the importation, manufacture and supply of Read more...

The FIFA World Cup countdown begins

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Daniel Lormans

The FIFA World Cup (don’t make me say “soccer”) returns to South America this year with hosts Brazil opening the tournament against Croatia in Sao Paulo on 12 June. The final will be played on 13 July in Rio de Janeiro if the centrepiece Estadio do Maracana is ready. Preparations for the Read more...

Politweets | Issue 04

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Carys Goodwin

3 News reporter asks the real questions – where’s John Key’s cat? Cunliffe appears to be doing National’s job for them. Burn. Critic wonders what 1996 RWC Henare is referring to. That would be insider trading. Kevin Read more...

Greatest Hits / Greatest Shits | Issue 04

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Greatest HitsIt was very tempting to award Greatest Hit to John Key for choosing 20 September as the election date, as a few Critic staff were recipients of healthy iPredict payouts (myself included); but in the interest of providing students with something a little better than “should’ve got on the Read more...

Young Politician | Issue 04

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Staff Reporter

I’m new to Dunedin, so naturally, I’ve gone to start my first of many years at Otago in a hall. When you arrive to your particular hall, they will most probably have a number of initiations for you; designed to break barriers, reduce homesickness, and make new friends. But there was one thing I did Read more...

Critic tackles election year | Issue 04

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Finally, the election date has been announced: 20 September. Bring on the policy releases, campaign ads, catchy slogans, and the inevitable rhetorical fuck-ups. It’s time to cut through the empty statements about student support and “the best education ever” and see what’s actually in writing. This Read more...

NCO spells end for party

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

Over half of the 382 noise complaints made to the Dunedin City Council last month were from Dunedin North, with 94 per cent of the complaints relating to noise from stereos. This is the highest number of complaints in a single month since February 2010 and coincides with the influx of students back Read more...

Ben Sherman pushes Paul Smith to Fringe

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The 2014 Dunedin Fringe Festival has arrived, with over 300 guests attending the opening Festival Gala and the Polsen Higgs Comedy Club. The Dunedin Fringe Festival, funded by the Dunedin City Council, Otago Community Trust and Creative NZ, is “an awesomely creative grassroots event that wouldn’t be Read more...

Proctology | Issue 04

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Claudia Herron

This week in Proctology saw someone set-up Campus Watch to Police – by divulging examples of the former’s “nefarious” behaviour to the latter. A woman, who locked her keys in her car on Albany Street, was attended to by Campus Watch with “some breaking-in gear” to assist her cause. The Police were Read more...

Humanities enrolments falling mean fewer in retail

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The University has seen a 1.9 per cent decline in enrolments from 2012 to 2013, with the decline “overwhelmingly concentrated in the Division of Humanities” according to the 2013 End of Year Financial Review. The drop in humanities students accounted for 83 per cent of the overall drop in student Read more...

“No upper limit” on DCC hotel expenditure (or height)

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed by the Dunedin City Council and Betterways Advisory Ltd, the developers of the proposed $100 million waterfront hotel. The agreement means both parties will now work together on a new design, in order to get the contentious project underway. Read more...

Inferno of injustice in archway four

Posted 2:59pm Sunday 16th March 2014 by Emily Draper

The overheating of the Archway 4 Lecture Theatre is cause for concern, a sentiment echoed by many disgruntled students and teachers who are suffering in Archway 4’s record temperatures. According to Law Lecturer Andrew Geddes, “current heat problems in Archway 4 make it an environment in which Read more...

Young Politician | Issue 03

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Staff Reporter

Liam Kernaghan was supposed to write this, but being distracted by pipe band and dancing Shetland ponies, he was too busy to meet the deadline. As his “trigger-happy puppy dog,” I get to deliver the first political sharn of 2014 – which is, ironically, the Year of the Horse. Our flat jumped Read more...

Greatest Hits / Greatest Shits | Issue 03

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Greatest HitSometimes it’s easy to get so caught up in the humdrum of menial political drama that we forget we don’t actually live in a hilarious equilibrium of MP DJs (looking at you, Jacinda) and in-the-house banter. We do have a global context, and we have a proud history of attempting to stand Read more...

Critic tackles election year | Issue 03

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Carys Goodwin

As I'm sure you all know, or at least have realised from the sharp increase in red, green, and blue-clad Tent City occupiers, it's election year – and a particularly important one at that. Our current Government has often been accused of overlooking student issues, and whether you agree with this or Read more...

If it ain't broke, another South African team should fix it

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Daniel Lormans

Have you finally gotten your head around how the Super Rugby conference system works? Well, even if you have, it is all set to change. Again. Why? Because fuck you ... that’s why. Interesting announcements and off-the-record comments have been surfacing about the possible evolution of Super Read more...

Safeassign no safe sign for cheaters

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Emily Draper

The number of students cheating at the University of Otago has risen on last year’s figures, but the rise is “not unusual” according to the University. The rise is documented in their annual report of dishonest offences, which shows there were 72 dishonest practice incidents in 2013. Despite there Read more...

Charlotte's web of deceit found out

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Claudia Herron

A former president of the Maori Law Students’ Association has been indefinitely excluded from the University after stealing money from the Association during her presidency in 2013. Critic began investigating the incident last year but was unsuccessful in exposing the student despite fruitless Read more...

Unis to produce more skilled employees for economy

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Claudia Herron

A five-year tertiary education strategy that focuses on enabling students to leave university with skills employers want has received bipolar reviews from the TEU and the Greens. Tertiary Education, Skills and Employment Minister Steven Joyce last week announced the Government would focus Read more...

Otago ranks with big minds, big words and know-it-alls

Posted 4:35pm Sunday 9th March 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The University of Otago remains in the 226-250th bracket of the Times University Rankings. The rankings judge world-class universities across all of their core missions – teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook – and this year they reveal that Otago ranks highest among New Read more...