Archive

OUSA Constitution breached in NZUSA scandal

Posted 3:00pm Thursday 21st November 2013 by Zane Pocock

The OUSA Executive yesterday confronted a breach of the OUSA Constitution by three of the four delegates sent to Wellington to cast OUSA’s votes in the 2014 NZUSA (New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations) election. The offending delegates voted contrary to a motion carried during Read more...

Hernandez Loses His Shit

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Zane Pocock

Outgoing OUSA President Francisco Hernandez has expressed outrage at the Government’s decision to reduce the maximum size of university and wananga governing councils from 20 members to 12. Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce announced the decision in his Review of the Legislative Settings for Read more...

Cool Research Bro. Here, Have 800k

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Claudia Herron

Minister of Education Steven Joyce last week announced the 10 recipients of this year’s Rutherford Discovery Fellowship. Two Otago University researchers were among those acknowledged. The Fellowship rewards New Zealand’s top early- to mid-career researchers with a funding package worth Read more...

Fran and Ruby in Most Pre-Determined Election Ever

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Claudia Herron

Hot on the heels of the usual fanfare created by the OUSA election comes the University Council elections, giving students one more chance to select who will represent them in the ever-exciting realm of student politics. The University Council is the governing body of the University and, among other Read more...

NZUSA Given Yet Another Reprieve

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations’ (NZUSA) future is secure, after both OUSA and the Victoria University of Wellington Students’ Association (VUWSA) decided to remain members of the ailing national body. The two organisations, which each pay an annual NZUSA membership levy of Read more...

Critic “Borrows” Story From Salient. Thanks, Suckers.

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Chris MacIntyre

Concerns from key groups were ignored as the Government introduced their border arrest scheme for student loan defaulters earlier this year, the details of which remain unknown. Documents obtained by Salient under the Official Information Act show that there was limited consultation with Read more...

Otago’s Already Shit Ranking Artificially Propped Up by Foreigners

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Josie Cochrane

The Times Higher Education World University Rankings have placed the University of Otago 226-250th worldwide, the same ranking as 2012 but below the 2011 ranking of 201-250th. Auckland University placed 164th which, despite being down three places on 2012, still made it the mostly highly Read more...

Sycamore-Smith Coasts to Victory Despite Video Gaffe | Opinion

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Sam McChesney

With the Zac Gawn ticket victorious in two out of three contested positions, the outcome of the OUSA Presidential election can largely be seen as a personal endorsement of Ruby Sycamore-Smith. The election also saw the rise of iPredict and the resurgence of feminism, and cemented the importance of Read more...

Fran Makes $300 on iPredict

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Zane Pocock

Ruby Sycamore-Smith has won the election for OUSA President in 2014 with 49.86 per cent of the vote. Her closest rival, Zac Gawn, won 34.35 per cent, with Jordan Watts a distant third on 10.42 per cent. The election saw OUSA’s largest voter turnout “in a generation.” 5,193 votes were cast, Read more...

Interview: Francisco Hernandez

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Sam McChesney

OUSA President Francisco Hernandez will soon leave the association after three years on the Executive. In that time he has revolutionised student politics, producing groundbreaking campaign videos (“Frangnam Style”), conducting “ironically terrible” interviews on national television (TV3’s Read more...

Too Much Pussy in North Dunedin

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Pussy swapping is the next big thing to hit North Dunedin. An initiative is underway to deal with the rising number of stray cats in the student quarters. SPCA Executive Officer Sophie McSkimming said the Society “hopes to have a Facebook page for Cat Swapping by the end of the week.” Read more...

Tall, White Male Selected as 2014 Critic Editor in Shocking Upset

Posted 4:26pm Sunday 6th October 2013 by Irrelevant Irvine

It’s third time lucky for Critic’s resident ladder-climber Zane Pocock, who has been named Critic editor for 2014. “Fuck that took a while,” Pocock sighed when told the news. He has since been spotted standing at the OUSA balcony for hours on end, staring longingly and with just a hint of Read more...

Masters by Coursework on the Rise

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Brittany Mann

The University of Otago has seen an increase in the number of coursework Masters programmes on offer, and recent changes to admissions criteria have made some postgraduate qualifications more accessible than ever before. There are now five coursework Masters programmes on offer in the Read more...

The Third Quarterly Executive Reports

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Staff Reporter

The end of the third quarter has rolled around, and the OUSA Executive all have to submit reports on what they’ve been up to or else they don’t get paid. With the OUSA elections now happening, and several of the current Exec standing again, this is a good opportunity to assess who’s been doing their Read more...

Dorian Joins Larry in Animal Heaven

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Jamie Breen

Two weeks ago, Dunedin was once again the scene of brutal animal violence. This time the victim was Dorian the rabbit. CCTV footage showed a man dressed all in black and wearing a beanie and gloves walking back and forth past the rabbit’s residence, a student flat on Arthur Street. Finally the Read more...

OUSA Election Forums

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Bella Macdonald

Last week saw the OUSA 2014 Executive Candidate Forums take place in the Main Common Room. With more candidates standing than usual, Bella Macdonald went along to suss out who prioritises what. Presidential CandidatesRuby Sycamore-Smith Ruby’s confidence in her achievements as Welfare Read more...

Government Picks on Old People For Once

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Josie Cochrane

Student Allowances are being restricted once again, with mature students now being targeted by cuts to the scheme. As of next year, the Allowance’s 200-week limit will be reduced to 120 weeks (approximately three full years of study) for students aged 40 years or over on the date their studies Read more...

Hayne Joins the One Per Cent

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Thomas Raethel

The Tertiary Education Union (TEU) has condemned the recent trend of pay rises among Vice-Chancellors in universities nationwide. An annual report by the State Services Commission has revealed that at least six Vice-Chancellors across New Zealand received pay rises between 2012 and 2013. The Read more...

SOULS Buys Penance for Their Sins

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Sam McChesney

The Society of Otago University Law Students (SOULS) has made a donation to Women’s Refuge, and in future will run Law Revue scripts past Dean of Law Professor Mark Henaghan, after this year’s Revue was slammed as offensive to women and minorities. Prof Henaghan told Critic that “there were Read more...

Ten Plus Two Equals Twelve, Says Fran

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 29th September 2013 by Zane Pocock

OUSA has announced plans for a one-month trial of a $12 airport shuttle service for students. Although exact dates are yet to be confirmed, the trial period will coincide with the upcoming exam period. As such, it will only be an outgoing service at this stage, but may operate both ways next year Read more...