Archive

$25,000 Donated to Bring Private Prosecution Against Otago Uni Over Removal of Bongs from Flats

Posted 10:57am Tuesday 25th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

Abe Gray, founder and owner of the Whakamana Cannabie Museum, says he has received a $25,000 donation from an anonymous benefactor to create a ‘Whakamana Legal Fighting Fund’ to pursue the University of Otago in private prosecution over the removal of several bongs from student flats by Read more...

Proctor Let Himself into Flat, Took Bongs in 2016, Students Say

Posted 9:38am Tuesday 25th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

Despite the University’s claim that it was “unusual and unlikely to be repeated,” some students are saying that University Proctor Dave Scott has been entering flats without permission to remove bongs for over two years.   A student, who asked to remain anonymous, told Read more...

Second Flat Claims Proctor Entered Home Without Permission, Took Bongs

Posted 3:35pm Monday 24th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

A second flat is alleging that University of Otago Proctor Dave Scott entered their home without permission while everyone was out and took their bongs. This comes soon after Critic reported that the Proctor entered a Leith Street North flat three weeks ago while no one was home and took $400 worth Read more...

Proctor Enters Flat Without Permission, Steals Bongs

Posted 1:32am Friday 21st September 2018 by Joel MacManus

A Leith Street flat says University Proctor Dave Scott trespassed and stole their property when he entered their house while they were out and took several bongs/water pipes. About three weeks ago, the Proctor was visiting flats on Castle Street and Leith Street North to deliver letters about Read more...

The Chosen One: James Heath Takes OUSA Throne

Posted 12:09am Friday 21st September 2018 by Critic

James Heath won a close but decisive victory in the race for 2019 OUSA President over friend and rival Laura Cairns, picking up 59% of the votes cast.  It’s the next step for an extremely experienced candidate, who has already put in two years on the exec as Education Officer and Read more...

The Biggest Problem with the Main Common Room: It’s Not a Common Room

Posted 8:46pm Thursday 20th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

EDITORIAL: If you were at all of the OUSA election debates (lol don’t worry, I know you weren’t), you may have noticed something: with the exception of the President’s Debate at UBar, no one showed up.  To put things in perspective: the Thursday night President’s Read more...

OUSA Avoids Paying Millions in Repairs by Giving Squash Courts to University

Posted 8:31pm Thursday 20th September 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

OUSA has decided to give their Squash Court building to the University, putting their future into question, rather than pay around $1,000,000 to do the necessary repairs on the building. According to a building review undertaken by OUSA at the start of the year, “major work” was Read more...

University Apologises After 'Total Fuckup' Prevents Postgrads From Voting

Posted 8:28pm Thursday 20th September 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Significant numbers of Postgrad students were prevented from voting for Postgrad Officer in the OUSA election, after the University gave incorrect enrolment information to OUSA. The University has apologised for the error.  Only postgrads can vote for the Postgrad Officer, and OUSA depends Read more...

Students Rally to Save Art History and Visual Culture

Posted 7:31pm Thursday 20th September 2018 by Esme Hall

Students have launched a campaign to protest the proposed closure of the Art History and Visual Culture Programme, which had 1700 signatures as of Thursday.  The goal is to buy more time for the Programme, said protester Matthew Schep. “There’s been one month between students Read more...

The Great Critic Debate Review Thing

Posted 3:30pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

Finance Bonnie Harrison and Norhan El Sanjak Norhan didn’t show up because she hadn’t finished her family file, so this was just a weird one-on-one interview.  Bonnie has a very good speaking voice. She thinks the finance officer doesn’t need that much financial Read more...

Critic Decides The Worst Campaign Posters

Posted 3:17pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Critic

Findlay OK dude, we know you’re rocking the pedo ‘stache for some inexplicable reason. It’s already not a great look considering you’re going for Colleges Officer where you have to hang out with a bunch of young, supple freshers.  But why on God’s green Read more...

James and the Giant Pile of Broken Promises

Posted 3:15pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Sam McChesney

OPINION: In 2012, Francisco Hernandez was elected OUSA President with a manifesto (or “Franifesto”) containing over 100 policies. He spent the following year meticulously checking his progress against these pledges, eventually delivering around two-thirds of what he’d promised and Read more...

Presidential Debate Draws Biggest Crowd In Years

Posted 3:12pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Nat Moore

UBar was humming, as a crowd murmured in surprised disbelief that people had actually showed up for an OUSA presidential debate. “What is going on?” they whispered. “Does everyone think it’s pint night? Did they get the day wrong?  Yes, weirdly, people actually showed Read more...

We Need to Open Our Minds to Drug Reform

Posted 3:08pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Josh Smythe

OPINION: The drugs we use as a society shape us, individually, and collectively.  Alcohol is a depressant, a neurotoxin, a carcinogen, and a teratogen (damages foetuses). At high levels (which kiwis most often consume) it can be a significant factor for increased risk of injury, Read more...

OPINION: OUSA Needs Some Fucking Balls

Posted 3:05pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

OUSA desperately needs a President and an executive that are willing to actually start a fight with the University. We need to demand change, not suck up and beg for it. In the last couple of decades, OUSA made a big effort to professionalise and pretend that they’re big important grownups, Read more...

Critic Saves Lost Dog

Posted 3:04pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

She’s graced the cover of New Zealand’s best dog-related student magazine, and now her fame has got her out of trouble with the law.  Maya, the beautiful border collie – husky cross that graced the cover of GOODBOY magazine (better known as the Critic Dogs Issue), Read more...

OUSA Introduces Alternative Vote for Elections

Posted 3:03pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

This year OUSA is changing its voting system from First Past the Post to Alternate Vote (AV). Under AV voters rank the candidates they want instead of voting only for a single candidate.  The winning candidate has to reach over 50% of the vote to be declared the winner. If that doesn’t Read more...

Editorial: This Is Who You Should Vote for in the OUSA Elections

Posted 2:02pm Friday 14th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

Editorial: Firstly, welcome to the Drugs Issue, our biggest issue of the year. The print run this week is 6,000 copies, that’s up from just over 3,000 at the start of the year, so a massive thank you to all you wonderful people for being bored enough to pick up a Critic.  It’s Read more...

Tickets Are Dead and Critic Is Claiming Full Credit

Posted 4:06pm Thursday 13th September 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

OPINION: Not a single ticket is running for this year’s OUSA election. Critic has won its long war on OUSA election tickets and are in the process of killing all our horses, saying goodbye to the trenches and boarding the steamer for home.  In the past three years, a total of 30 OUSA Read more...

Josh Smythe Allowed to Run for Re-Election After Absurdly Tense Meeting

Posted 7:40am Monday 10th September 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Josh Smythe, OUSA Re-Creation Officer, almost lost the ability to run for re-election in an EXTREMELY STRESSFUL emergency general meeting of the Exec after he got his application form in two hours after the deadline. Josh thought that the cutoff for applications was 4pm Read more...

Analysis: Laura Cairns and James Heath Are the Best OUSA Presidential Candidates in Years

Posted 11:26pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

This is weird. No one saw this coming. Out of nowhere, the annual OUSA CV-padding elections have actually produced a really, really fucking good presidential race. And best of all, there’re no fucking tickets, so we can actually have a contest of ideas instead of just a bunch of cliques in Read more...

Campus Watch vs. Alt Right Feud Enters Second Week

Posted 11:21pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

University Proctor Dave Scott is investigating allegations of Campus Watch harassment, after a student posted a video of his interaction with officers online.  Malcolm Moncreif-Spittle, an alt-right activist, had been putting up posters promoting a far-right Youtuber. The previous week, as Read more...

Te Roopū Māori Proposing to Leave OUSA

Posted 11:07pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Te Roopū Māori (TRM), the Otago University Maori Students’ Association, is looking to leave OUSA and get funding from the University independently. The decision follows OUSA receiving criticism last year for cutting Te Roopū’s funding as part of across the board Read more...

I Got Blazed and Went to the Anti-Fluoride Lecture: a Review

Posted 10:29pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Alex MacKygee

Last Tuesday, Saint David Lecture Theatre played host to a talk titled ‘Fluoride Is a Neurotoxin that Reduces Children’s IQ’. Personally, my IQ and dental health were both (probably) fine growing up in a fluoridated area, and I never noticed a drop in either until I started Read more...

When is a Studio Room not a Studio Room?

Posted 10:28pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Esme Hall

It’s that time of year when it looks like most of the good flats have already been signed and those people in your hall you agreed to flat with in O-Week might not actually be your best friends for life. You might be considering throwing in the towel and moving to St Kilda, or just into a Read more...

Local Good Cunts Save Students From a Shit Flat

Posted 10:26pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Sinead Gill

We’ve all approached a grotty flat for a viewing and, in a wave of flat-seeking desperation, thought, it might not be that shit. To save students from themselves, the four tenants of an old corner-store flat came up with the ultimate idea: leaving notes. Not just subtle post-it notes Read more...

Students for Environmental Action Given $5,000

Posted 10:17pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Thea Bailie-Bellew

The Students for Environmental Action (SEA) club has been bequeathed $5,000 from the Estate of Kenneth David Mason, a gift that aimed to ensure a continued interest in nature and ecological preservation among university students. An avid lover of the outdoors, Kenneth Mason was an honorary member Read more...

Law Students Slam Law Camp Review

Posted 10:02pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Esme Hall

The Society of Otago University Law Students (SOULS) have got more than 200 people to submit their experiences of Law Camps in protest after a draft review of Law Camps was released that only drew on interviews with five former attendees. A review of Law Camp was commissioned from Dunedin Read more...

Who Is Watching Campus Watch?

Posted 9:58pm Thursday 6th September 2018 by Joel MacManus

EDITORIAL: A couple of years ago, I lived on Hyde Street. There was a flat on the street that was apparently connected to the Mongrel Mob. There were a bunch of high school cunts that would always show up on Saturdays looking for a fight. There were drunk randoms constantly trying to crash Read more...

The Otago Uni Students Running an Art Exhibition for 125 Years of Women’s Suffrage

Posted 11:32pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Esme Hall

Two Otago Art History students have organised an ambitious two-week art show accompanied by a publication and events to commemorate 125 years of women’s suffrage. The show centres on intersectional feminism, which event organisers, sisters Kari and Lydie Schmidt see as a “natural Read more...

Opinion: The OUSA Squash Courts Have Become a Money Pit

Posted 11:31pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Sinead Gill

OUSA is allowing the Squash Club and its 86 Facebook group members to make $bank$ on something that all students pay for.  Since the only people that look at the OUSA budget are the Executive, Critic, and total nerds, it is likely that you don’t know that your student services fee goes Read more...

Shit-Show Chateau up for Sale

Posted 11:30pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Esme Hall

Offshore owners appear to have given up on the ‘Shit-Show Chateau’ at 47 London Street, despite a high-profile renovation attempt by students in 2013. The five bedroom, solar-panelled flat, that Harcourts euphemistically dubbed a “prime development opportunity,” is up for Read more...

WWII Mortar Shell Found Under Leith Bridge

Posted 11:29pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Sinead Gill

The Police and New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) were recently called over a bomb found in the Leith, and it wasn’t the first one this year. The old mortar shell was unearthed during excavation for the construction of a new bridge near the Burns building. It had been chilling just one metre Read more...

The DCC Spent 73 Times More Money on Ed Sheeran than Kendrick Lamar

Posted 11:27pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

The DCC spent just $3,181 on promotion and events for Kendrick Lamar’s Dunedin concert, compared to $221,000 for Ed Sheeran’s three concerts, according to details released to Critic under the Local Government Official Information and Meetings Act (LGOIMA – it sounds gross if you Read more...

Opinion: Why It Sucks that the Art History Department Is Getting Cut

Posted 11:16pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Esme Hall

I am where I am today because of art. My father is an art gallery curator and my mother is a jeweller and after-school art teacher. People’s desires to see art, learn about art, wear art and encourage their children to make art have supported my family throughout my life. My parents encouraged Read more...

Student Drag Competition Returns After Hiatus

Posted 11:13pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Great Southern Drag Off, a student-run drag show and competition, will be returning after a long hiatus. The 2018 event, Tucked and Loaded, will be run at Stilettos, in conjunction with Dunedin Pride and Sacrilege Productions, an alternative performance group, on the 14th of September. Critic Read more...

Alt-Right Activist Claims “Harassment” from Campus Watch

Posted 11:12pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

Otago student Malcolm Moncrief-Spittle is claiming “harassment” from Campus Watch after officers removed a poster he put on a public noticeboard in the Richardson Building. Moncrief-Spittle had put up a number of posters promoting Far-Right activist Lauren Southern’s videos. A Read more...

University to Cut Art History Programme

Posted 11:11pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Students are angry at what they see as the University prioritising profits after the University announced that it is looking to cut the Art History and Visual Culture programme over a continuing decline in the number of students taking the subject.   There has been a 75% decline in Read more...

How to Connect with the Youths, by Otago University

Posted 8:32pm Thursday 30th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

EDITORIAL:  Kids these days are complicated. What with all their tech gadgets and their Fork Knife game and their liberal views, it can be hard to really connect with them. They spend all their time surfing the interwebs, so the number one way to get ‘In Yo Face’ is through their Read more...

Critic and Radio One to Host OUSA Election Debate at UBar

Posted 10:08pm Sunday 19th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

In a move to shock the ages the OUSA Exec have allowed Critic and Radio One to moderate the OUSA elections forums, after last year’s forums, described by Critic Editor Joel MacManus as a “shitshow,” were moderated by then-OUSA President Hugh Baird. Last year’s forums Read more...

Varsity Comes Out Top of Rugby Premiership

Posted 10:07pm Sunday 19th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

The Otago University Rugby Football Club (OURFC) has continued its run as the winningest rugby club in New Zealand, picking up three senior grade championships. The Women’s Senior A team had the strongest season of any senior team in any grade, going undefeated in 10 games, with an average Read more...

Student Start-Up “Ento” Wants to Make Eating Bugs Mainstream

Posted 10:06pm Sunday 19th August 2018 by Sinead Gill

While your flatmates are arguing about dishes and being too loud past 10pm, there is a flat full of students who are working to make the world a more sustainable place. They have started a company called Ento (the Latin word for insect), and they want to make insect consumption mainstream in New Read more...

OUSA Postgrad Officer Resigns Due to “Workload”

Posted 9:23pm Sunday 19th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Kirio Birks, OUSA Postgraduate Officer, has resigned from his position, citing his other commitments. In his resignation letter, Kirio said, "After reflection on the academic workload in front of me as a student, and the new opportunities I have been presented with, I must make a Read more...

It’s Red Card Season, Comrades!

Posted 8:53pm Sunday 19th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

Welcome to another loosely themed issue of Critic. This week we’re telling you what to think by reviewing a bunch of stuff like carpet, Chinese food, and Vodka Cruisers so that you know what the best stuff is and you don’t have to have any original thoughts or opinions. While Read more...

The Revue Review

Posted 5:35pm Thursday 16th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Every year a bunch of law students and a bunch of med students get together and try to be funny. Critic reviews how successful they were.   Med Revue Med Revue, despite being punishingly long at well over three hours and punishingly full of puns, wasn’t as shit as I was Read more...

Students Concerned About Enrolment Numbers Increase

Posted 5:18pm Thursday 16th August 2018 by Thea Bailie-Bellew

Some students are worried about space in courses and libraries as the University of Otago announced that its enrolment figures for 2018 show an increase of about 380 equivalent full-time students (EFTS) on 2017. Most these extra students are enrolled in first-year undergraduate programmes and are Read more...

Opinion: The OUSA Exec Needs a Massive Overhaul

Posted 5:01pm Thursday 16th August 2018 by Sam McChesney

Back in the day, the OUSA executive had almost 20 members. They fought a lot and spent lots of money. They were a bit like a pretentious, high-rolling kindergarten. They had positions for everything. They even had two “general reps,” who did…well, nobody really knew what they did. Read more...

Fire Engines Called to Steamy Scenes at Geology Camp

Posted 4:59pm Thursday 16th August 2018 by Esme Hall

Two fire engines were called to an Otago Uni Geology camp in Omaui after shower steam set off the fire alarm. A group of students studying Igneous Petrology and Volcanology were staying at the Omaui YMCA lodge for an exciting weekend of looking at rocks around Bluff. The Read more...

Is Agnew The New Hyde? Not Yet, But It Was Still Pretty Sweet

Posted 4:57pm Thursday 16th August 2018 by Sophia Carter Peters

The Agnew Street party has left its mark on North Dunedin. The self-proclaimed “Hyde’s ugly stepsister,” Angew is the younger generation’s un-ticketed paradise of day-drinking, bass thumping, and regrettable hookups. First and second years travelled across campus, and up a Read more...

Education Minister “Cannot Make a Commitment” to VSM Repeal

Posted 11:38pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Minister for Educations Chris Hipkins has rejected a request to repeal from the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) to repeal Voluntary Student Membership, saying he “cannot make a commitment” at this stage. VSM, which was introduced by ACT back when it was Read more...

Police Fail to Catch 4chan Shitposter

Posted 11:37pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The extensive police investigation into the Otago University anonymous shooting threat made in 2015 has reached a dead end, according to a police report released to Stuff and later Critic under the Official information Act.  In October 2015 an anonymous person posted on 4chan, "If Read more...

Third Student Flat Wins Tenancy Payout Against Landlord Mike Harbott

Posted 11:35pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Landlord Mike Harbott, who owns several student flats in the North Dunedin area, has been ordered to pay $4,020 in exemplary damages to the residents of 9 Duke Street for failing to provide smoke alarms, lodge the bond, or provide and maintain the flat in a reasonable state of repair.  This Read more...

Critic Takes Over AskOtago And Makes It Way More Useful

Posted 11:27pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

At the start of the semester, the mysterious wall of mystery that mystified the masses on the ground floor of Central Library came down, and the TRUTH was revealed to all. Unfortunately, that TRUTH was really just the Uni coming up with an excuse to lay off a bunch of staff and build some yellow Read more...

OUSA Joins Wā Collective To Provide Discounted Menstrual Cups

Posted 8:23pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Esme Hall

OUSA has partnered with the Wā Collective to offer affordable menstrual cups to Otago students. The Wā Collective is a kiwi social enterprise that fights period poverty by providing $15 medical grade menstrual cups to students across the country. Menstrual cups are reusable and are worn Read more...

No Change to Number of Selwyn College Returners After Students Fight Back

Posted 8:22pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Esme Hall

After pressure from students, the Selwyn College Board of Governors has shut down a proposal to reduce the intake of returning second year students at the college for 2019 from over fifty to twenty-five.  The Selwyn College Students’ Association (SCSA) presented their opposition at a Read more...

OPINION: The Mess of Medicinal Marijuana Politics

Posted 8:21pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Esme Hall

New Zealand now has cross-party support on medicinal marijuana. And 78% of New Zealanders are in favour of legalising medicinal marijuana for pain relief, according to a Drug Foundation research poll. But, no political party is willing to put their name to another party’s Bill on the issue. Read more...

OUSA Grants Funding Runs Out

Posted 8:19pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Sinead Gill

As of last week, the OUSA grant budget has run out of money early, with just over $3400 left out of an initial pool of $80,000, according to OUSA Recreation Officer Josh Smythe.  OUSA grants are typically available throughout the year for groups or individuals who need money. This can range Read more...

Unprecedented Demand for Beer Festival Tickets

Posted 8:14pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

The Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival sold out of tickets in a record three minutes after going on sale last Friday. The OUSA-owned festival, which is scheduled for November 10, made 6000 tickets available. 2000 were made available to email subscribers on Wednesday August 1, which sold out in Read more...

Why We Need Landlord Licensing

Posted 8:10pm Thursday 9th August 2018 by Joel MacManus

EDITORIAL: In issue three of Critic this year we labelled Mike Harbott as “Dunedin’s Dodgiest Landlord” after he rented unliveable flats, ignored Tenancy Tribunal orders to make repairs, and failed to pay thousands of dollars of compensation.  Adding to that, he threatened Read more...

By Refusing to Ban Tickets, OUSA Exec Turned Their Back on Students to Serve Themselves

Posted 8:00pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Joel MacManus

OPINION: What’s the word for when politicians rig the system against the will of the people to keep themselves in power? Because maybe someone should teach it to the baby politicians on the OUSA Executive. In this year’s OUSA referendum, students voted to ban people from running on Read more...

The Otago Uni Student Swimming the Foveaux Strait

Posted 7:48pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Esme Hall

Hannah Morgan is a swimmer. Not a ‘yes I swim laps at Moana Pool every now and then’ kind of swimmer. She’s an open ocean swimmer and, in February next year, she’s going to swim the Foveaux Strait. You know, that shark-infested stretch of sub-Antarctic water separating the Read more...

OUSA Fighting for Increase to RA Pay

Posted 7:44pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

OUSA is currently lobbying the University to increase pay for RAs after 85% of students in the recent OUSA referendum said that they wanted RA’s pay to entirely cover their accommodation costs. Currently, after their pay is deducted, an RA at a University-owned college still has to pay Read more...

Microwave Reinstated in Women’s Room After Two-Year Struggle

Posted 7:43pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Esme Hall

In the most important news Critic breaks this week: a microwave has been reinstated in the Women’s Room on a trial basis after a two-year struggle, although the University said the microwave will be removed again if people revert to the dangerous behaviour of leaving their cooking Read more...

International Students Feel Like The University’s ATM

Posted 7:40pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Umi Asaka

OPINION:  International students pay far more for their fees than domestic students, and, because there is no cap on how much the university can increase international fees, that amount only keeps going up every year for most of the departments.  On average, international Read more...

Can We Stop with the Double Standards on Gendered Spaces?

Posted 7:21pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Esme Hall

OPINION: Recently, the Women’s+ Club was affiliated by OUSA, despite specifically excluding membership for cis-gender males. Last semester, Men in Med, a social and emotional support group for male medical students, was shut down for being ‘too exclusive’. By the same logic, one Read more...

Power Use Overloads Infrastructure During Free Hour of Power

Posted 7:18pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Students have been left “frustrated” after repeated power cuts in the student quarter due to system overloads during Electric Kiwi’s Hour of Power.  For the first few weeks of semester two, power use has been so high during the Hour of Power that Dundas Street, as well as Read more...

Diversity Week Was Cool

Posted 7:14pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Sinead Gill

Diversity Week is an annual campaign by OUSA Queer Support and student volunteers to increase visibility and awareness of sexuality and gender diversity, and provides a platform for experts and students to educate each other on issues that the LGBTQIA+ community faces.  The week started with Read more...

ART: The Big Friendly Giant

Posted 7:05pm Thursday 2nd August 2018 by Jessica Thompson Carr

GUEST EDITORIAL:  Art is daunting. Art is broad. Art is the big friendly giant who wakes you up in the middle of the night to give you a good fright, but turns out to be your best friend who takes you on adventures.  I am not going to go on with more ideas on what art is because Read more...

New Plan for Suicide Prevention at Otago University

Posted 3:41pm Friday 27th July 2018 by Esme Hall

TRIGGER WARNING: contains discussion of suicide     The University is currently operating with no specific suicide prevention or postvention policy, though a new plan hopes to bring together existing efforts in an over-arching system.  While some students that Critic Read more...

Women’s+ Club Causes Controversy Over Cis Male Exclusion

Posted 6:39pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Women’s+ Club has been affiliated to OUSA despite controversy about its policy of excluding cis men from membership.  Members of the OUSA executive raised concerns with the group in an exec meeting, as it would be the only group affiliated with OUSA that excludes membership to a Read more...

Man Flown the Coop! Critic Cracks the Case and Gets Another Feather in Its Cap

Posted 6:37pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The system has failed us. The masked person who ran naked into a first year health sci lecture and released a live rooster before running out again is still at large. A university spokesperson told Critic when we asked if the Proctor’s office had caught him yet, “No. Unable to identify Read more...

NZUSA Begging for Cash

Posted 6:35pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Esme Hall

In the latest instalment of the New Zealand Union of Students’ Association's dire financial situation, the association has started asking alumni for donations.  NZUSA President Jonathan Gee said in an email requesting money that the organisation is at a “financial and Read more...

Sold Down the River

Posted 6:34pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Chelle Fitzgerald

As the clock tolled 1pm, the winds were quiescent across the soon-to-be tainted Leith river. Several hundred* protesters craned their necks as Charlie O’Mannin, a self-professed “Beleither” and part-time activist, took his place on the centre of the creeping iron bridge. Wearing Read more...

Lack of Health Cover for International Students "Unfair"

Posted 6:33pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Sinead Gill

International students are not covered for the same health issues as domestic students are, despite paying high rates for insurance, with many labelling the system as unfair.  The insurance plan that Otago automatically enrols international students into  - Studentsafe University - Read more...

Advocates Push for Flatmate Violence to be Recognised as Domestic Violence

Posted 6:31pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Joel MacManus

Flatmate violence is being treated as less serious than family or domestic violence by the police and the courts, despite there being no legal difference, according to lawyers at Community Law Otago. According to Caryl O’Connor, Managing Solicitor of Community Law Otago, the courts are Read more...

10Bar to Rebrand, Add Door Charge

Posted 6:30pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Sophia Carter Peters

Popular nightclub 10Bar will be rebranding in 2019 to “change the club scene for the better”.  Owner and manager of Vault21, Andre Shi, said he’s looking to revamp the student hub in the Octagon and hopefully contribute to a more positive student image.  He’s Read more...

It’s Not Clifford the Regular-Sized Red Dog

Posted 6:28pm Thursday 26th July 2018 by Joel MacManus

EDITORIAL: Clifford the Big Red Dog is my absolute number one favourite after-school children’s cartoon TV show of the early 2000s. I would even make the bold call of arguing that it was better than the books.  For one, Clifford could talk in the TV series, meaning he actually had a Read more...

Why Students Struggle to Hold Their Landlords to Account, Even After Winning at The Tenancy Tribunal

Posted 8:14pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Esme Hall

The Tenancy Tribunal is like a court you go to to resolve issues with your landlord when normal communication has failed. But, even after successful Tribunal rulings, some students are struggling to get justice. Esme Hall reports.      Victoria’s current flat is Read more...

Dunedin Wildlife Hospital Denied Funding from the Otago Regional Council

Posted 8:08pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Dunedin Wildlife Hospital is still going strong despite the Otago Regional Council (ORC) recently denying them funding. The hospital, which opened its doors in January 2018, has seen much higher demand than initially expected. The hospital’s co-chair, Steve Walker, told Critic that they Read more...

Cock Throws Cluckin Foul Play Before Winging It After Running Afowl of Egg-thority

Posted 8:07pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Friday before last, a naked man wearing a mask ran into Castle 1 during a first year health sci lecture and threw a live rooster into the seats before running out.  The lecturer tried to remove the rooster, but according to one student, the rooster “wasn’t having any of it so Read more...

How to Park for Free on Campus: A Critic Investigation

Posted 8:04pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Sinead Gill

Parking for free where you shouldn’t be is not without its risks, but here are some helpful tips the next time you can’t be bothered getting out of bed at 8am for an early bird freebie park. Tips are ranked according to a very scientific risk-to-reward analysis. 5. The one-hour park Read more...

OPINION: The Otago Regional Council Are Trying to Ruin the Leith

Posted 8:02pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Otago Regional Council have unveiled plans to drastically remodel the lower Leith, from the Clyde Street bridge to the stadium. THIS IS A TRAVESTY. The designs, which have been approved by the ORC, represent the complete destruction of everything good and pure in our world.  The Read more...

Tenants Still Waiting for Landlords to Meet Healthy Homes Requirements

Posted 7:59pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Esme Hall

From July 2019, rental accommodation must meet minimum standards for heating, insulation and ventilation, in accordance with a recent act passed by the government. But, a new survey has found that, a year out, almost 60% of landlords have done nothing to prepare for the changes. The HRV State of Read more...

Have You Got a Dodgy Landlord?

Posted 7:24pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Joel MacManus

Editorial: We’re getting to that time of year where everyone is starting to think about next year’s flatting.   That is, unless you’re an idiot fresher who signed a flat in April, paid way too much, and have already had a falling out with the former “best Read more...

Gina Crampton

Posted 7:20pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Charlie Hantler

Southern Steel Wing Attack/Centre Gina Crampton came to Dunedin to study P.E. in 2010 and made her way into the Southern Steel as a replacement player in 2012.  Crampton set herself apart with her speed, drive off the line, and feeding ability to solidify her position in the Steel’s Read more...

Selwyn College Ends ‘Sexist and Bullying’ Tradition

Posted 5:58pm Thursday 19th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

Selwyn College has shut down its controversial tradition of second years secretly voting on and publicly awarding nicknames to freshers at their AGM after previous recipients accused the awards of being “sexist and bullying”. Among the awards were “best rack,” “awkward Read more...

OPINION: Is It Just Me Or Was Re-Ori Kinda Shit This Year

Posted 7:07pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Bryn Massey

Am I just an ancient out-dated old-timer refusing to let go? No, no it is the kids who have gotten boring.  What happened to Re-O Week? Isn’t it supposed to be second semester’s version of O-Week or is the name just for fun? I'm not saying Mario Kart isn’t neat, or the Read more...

Stop playing Beer Pong with water.

Posted 7:02pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Joel MacManus

EDITORIAL: It’s a new semester in the wonderful world of North D. The clouds are out, the frost is on the ground, and the rain glitters on the footpath. All is good in our peaceful corner of the world.  The new semester also brings with it a fresh batch of exchange students to Read more...

Student Associations Left Out in the Cold After NZUSA Stops Support

Posted 6:52pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Sinead Gill

The University of Canterbury branch of the student sexual violence campaign Thursdays in Black (TiB) say they were left without support and several hundreds of dollars out of pocket after a sexual harassment scandal ended NZUSA’s TiB campaign.  Critic reported last week that a Read more...

Cumberland College Head to Leave

Posted 6:50pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Sophia Carter Peters

Cumberland College staple and former head, Nick Bates is taking temporary leave to act as interim Head of Student Experience for the University of Otago. This came as quite a shock to both current and past residents. One resident said, “I’m devastated aye,” and that mentality was Read more...

Knox Church Hails Jacinda Ardern as Incarnation of God on Earth

Posted 6:33pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

In a move that probably should have caused more controversy, Knox Presbyterian Church has confirmed New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern as God, the supreme being.  The church recently wrote “May Neve and all God’s children flourish!” on their blackboard facing Read more...

OUSA Trials Free Food Fridays

Posted 6:29pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Thea Bailie-Bellew

Forget dumpster diving: OUSA is now looking at giving away edible leftovers as free meals to minimise the amount of food waste produced by residential colleges. A trial run in early June saw students queuing for fifteen minutes for eighty frozen meals saved from UniCol kitchens over two weeks. Read more...

OUSA’s Charity Fight Night Punches Off

Posted 6:28pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Esme Hall

26 brave (or maybe stupid) students, including OUSA President Caitlin Barlow-Groome, trained for two months and raised thousands of dollars for charity to fight each other in OUSA’s inaugural Charity Fight Night. The goal was to make a “flashy high production new event,” said Read more...

How the OUSA Exec Are Doing

Posted 6:25pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

In a move that shocked the world to its core, the latest OUSA exec reports were even more boring than first semester. So instead of covering the reports, we’re just going to give you a general update on how the exec are doing based on our half-awake observations.    Caitlin Read more...

OUSA Rejects Re-Affiliation of “Cult”

Posted 6:23pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The OUSA Executive have rejected a proposal to affiliate a club on the grounds that the club is simply a rehash of a previous club that was disaffiliated in 2017 for “bringing OUSA into disrepute, ignoring OUSA directives and breaching [OUSA’s] constitution”. In 2017, the Elohim Read more...

Critic Reviews The World Cup

Posted 5:40pm Thursday 12th July 2018 by Charlie Hantler

By the time of publishing, all of the English fans will finally have shut the fuck up, as football is not coming home. Harry Kane will continue to be a mouth-breathing peasant, Jordan Henderson will be back to being robbed on a daily basis in Liverpool, and Neymar will almost have finished rolling Read more...

Campaign To Repeal Voluntary Student Membership Starts

Posted 10:18pm Thursday 5th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has begun a behind-the-scenes campaign to repeal Voluntary Student Membership (VSM), offering the greatest hope for reversing the controversial policy, which has been responsible for gutting students’ associations across the country Read more...

OUSA International Officer Wins at NZ Youth Awards

Posted 10:17pm Thursday 5th July 2018 by Staff Reporter

Umi Asaka, OUSA International Officer, was one of three recipients of the Inclusion and Diversity Award at the NZ Youth Awards last week.  Described as a “social justice warrior,” Umi Asaka was credited for actively challenging societal perceptions of what young people with Read more...

University Rolling out Sanitary Bins to All Female Toilet Cubicles After Low-Effort Critic Investigation

Posted 10:15pm Thursday 5th July 2018 by Charlie O’Mannin

The University are putting sanitary bins in every female toilet cubicle after Critic pointed out that Property Services Division Director Barry MacKay’s statement that, “Every female toilet cubicle has a sanitary bin” was false; Critic had a little wander around and found 25 female Read more...

OPINION: Otago University’s Hunt for the Loch Ness Monster was Embarrassing and Expensive

Posted 10:14pm Thursday 5th July 2018 by Joel MacManus

While we were away, Otago University Professor Neil Gemmell spent most of June searching through the depths of Loch Ness looking for evidence of a monster. I’m going to take a wild punt here and say he didn’t find one.  While he was doing this, the University’s Read more...