Archive
Mysterious Movie Being Made on Campus
Posted 10:24pm Saturday 13th March 2021 by Fox Meyer
There’s a movie being filmed on campus. Critic reached out to the Netflix production team of The Royal Treatment, who were unable to provide comment on their closed set. Students saw a crew filming what appeared to be a market scene outside of Geology, complete with old-timey cars Read more...
Otago Uni’s Printing Costs the Highest in the Country
Posted 10:18pm Saturday 13th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
Students feeling the pain of forking out for yet another printing credit top-up can finally validate their hurt and trauma: Otago’s student printing costs are the highest of all Aotearoa’s universities. This year, Uniprint has hiked student’s printing costs by a staggering 33% Read more...
Otago Campus Christians Described As “Insular” and “Controversial”
Posted 10:12pm Saturday 13th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
“I lived across the street from the Campus Christians on Grange. They were weird, but not “bad weird.” They were just very exclusive, and I never saw a new face.” Kayla’s biggest problem with the Campus Christians was that they’ve “monopolised the Read more...
OPINION: Freshers, Stop Leaving the Game Early
Posted 6:33pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
Being born and raised in Dunedin, I’ve got a special place in my heart for the mighty Highlanders. I was there for their last game at Carisbrook over ten years ago, I watched as we lifted our first trophy in 2015. Since arriving at uni, I’ve been to almost every ‘Landers game at Read more...
Your Student Association is Hosting a Beerfest for JAFAs
Posted 6:20pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Fox Meyer
The success of Dunedin’s annual Beerfest inspired OUSA to organise a similar event this year in Auckland, despite the potential danger of another lockdown. The festival is planned for March 27 in the Spark Arena (formerly Vector Arena). With one ticket option you get Read more...
Police Presence Boosted at Flo and O
Posted 6:17pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
Police vans, as well as marked and unmarked police cars, regularly patrolled the Castle/Leith area during Flo and O Week, as early as 6pm. Critic can confirm that this wasn’t just a figment of boozed-up paranoia. There were actually more police than usual. On Big Red Finale night, two Read more...
Dunedinites Devotedly Down Dogs
Posted 6:09pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Elliot Weir
Data from Regent St Night ‘n Day suggests students absolutely frothed $2 Hot Dogs during O Week. On the Tuesdays of Flo and O Week, Night ‘n Day sold over 600 hot dogs. During Slo Week (a term Critic has coined for the week before O and Flo Week), Night ‘n Day Regent sold an Read more...
Boutique Hotel Takes the L, Repurposed into Student Accommodation
Posted 6:01pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Quintin Jane
Otago University has converted its Executive Residence boutique hotel into student accommodation for 2021. The Executive Residence, also known as “that fancy house on Union Street East,” is now being managed by University College as a part of the University’s expansion of Read more...
Uni Smoothly Transitions to Level 2
Posted 5:57pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
The University’s response to recent yo-yoing between alert levels has not come under scrutiny from students. This is a far-cry from the student reaction during the first Covid outbreak. Critic spoke to Andrew Ferguson, the University’s Emergency and Business Continuity Coordinator, Read more...
Flat Break-Ins Rampant Over Flo and O
Posted 5:50pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
There’s been an increase in flat damage in the North Dunedin area over Flo and O Week. Critic spoke to Lulu Gordon, a student whose flat got messed up on the final days of O Week. Lulu was in her lounge enjoying a post-bender Maccas feast with her flatties when a couple of Long Whites Read more...
The Greasy Beaver Lives to Beave Another Day
Posted 5:43pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Erin Gourley
The Greasy Beaver Lodge is back, baby. The famous flat sign was resurrected three weeks ago, after the tenants made a request to their property manager. Annabelle, one of the current tenants, said that her flatmate emailed Cutlers over Christmas and said “it would make my Read more...
OUxit: Why some students leave OUSA
Posted 5:33pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Runze Liu
Despite being the oldest, and one of the most influential students’ associations in the country, people still opt to leave the Otago Uni Students’ Association (OUSA). One of them — a third year student Otago student — opted out of OUSA membership in September last year by Read more...
OUSA Cancels Exec Meeting Because They Have Nothing to Talk About
Posted 5:17pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
The Exec meeting last week was cancelled because there was nothing on the agenda. In an email sent to members of the OUSA Exec February 26, the meeting scheduled for Monday was cancelled because there were only two agenda items. Both items had papers pending, preventing full discussion on either Read more...
Egg Sales Spike During O Week
Posted 5:13pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Callan George
There was a “small spike in egg sales” during O Week, thanks to the long-held tradition of egging freshers. A Countdown spokesperson said that they saw “a small spike in egg sales at our Dunedin stores over Orientation Week”. However, they encourage people to think Read more...
Students Still Want Crossing, DCC Say They’re Working on It
Posted 5:01pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Fox Meyer
The DCC will no longer confirm whether students will get an Albany Street pedestrian crossing. Last year, the DCC said it was “likely” in “late 2021.” A 2017 poll showed that more students supported the crossing (78.6%) than discounted Lime scooters (68.9%), or even Read more...
Dunedin Students Worried For Their Families in Myanmar
Posted 4:38pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Aiman Amerul Muner
As the Myanmar Coup continues to unfold, students in Dunedin with deep ties to the Southeast Asian country can only watch and wait in fear. Two students from Myanmar spoke to Critic about the ongoing unrest. “It’s no longer safe for anyone to be outside, even if they’re heading Read more...
Otago Takes Three Years to Develop Climate Action Plan
Posted 2:23pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Adam Currie
Otago Uni approved a Carbon Zero Programme in 2019, but did not hire a staff member to work on it until last month. The programme was first proposed in 2018. “The programme business case, including a road map to carbon zero, will be created approved and well underway by the end of Read more...
OUSA Apartments Generate Outrage
Posted 2:15pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung
Your students’ association plans to turn the first floor of the University Bookshop into rental accommodation, and past Exec members are not happy about it. Two previous Exec members have questioned why a proposal rejected three times in the last five years was resurrected in Read more...
Tutors Receive a “Pay Cut By Stealth”
Posted 2:03pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Erin Gourley
Some experienced tutors at the University of Otago will be paid less than they were last year. The change comes from a change to the requirements of the payscales for tutors and demonstrators. Tutors who do not take on a role in organising the paper or co-ordinating other tutors will move Read more...
Med Entry Grades Rise Again
Posted 9:38pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley
The average mark required to enter medicine from the Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) programme has increased for the sixth year in a row. In response to an OIA, the University confirmed that the lowest average mark required for a first-round offer into 2021 med was 96.57%, up from 93.43% Read more...
Cops Still Don’t Get D&B, Gather Around Castle to Learn More
Posted 8:55pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
If you haven’t been permanently blinded by the flashing lights, sickly vape clouds, and freshers dancing like electrocuted cats along our favourite glass-paved party-street, you might have noticed the increased police presence during Flo and O-Week. With cops lining either side of Read more...
Three Students Disciplined For Sexual Misconduct In 2020
Posted 8:42pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley
A first-year student in 2020 was permanently excluded from the University of Otago after multiple sexual assaults against two students. This case, and three other allegations of sexual misconduct or assault, are detailed in the University’s Discipline Reports for 2020. Otago University Read more...
Nine Students Suspended For 2020 Flat Initiations
Posted 8:34pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley
Two flats of students are unable to attend Otago in semester one because of flat initiations they organised at the end of 2020. The Proctor’s 2020 Discipline Report sets out the details of these initiations and the punishments students received. One flat initiation involved four second year Read more...
Neuron Scooters Hit Dunedin Streets
Posted 8:28pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Denzel Chung
The battle of Dunedin’s e-scooters is well underway, with Singaporean company Neuron Mobility, Australia and NZ’s self-titled “leading rental e-scooter company,” heading into battle against Lime on Dunedin’s streets. As well as their striking orange Read more...
BP Tormented By Shitposting Page
Posted 8:19pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Sean Gourley
Shitposting page The boys are what has started a campaign to bring down international oil giant BP by tormenting them on Facebook. On 9 February, at 6.30pm, The boys are what opened their campaign with a post that said “good evening, fuck BP.” Over following weeks, The boys are Read more...
Dangerous MDMA Substitutes in Dunedin
Posted 5:51pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley
Up to 70% of drug samples tested in Dunedin have been found to contain eutolyne. Most of those samples were presumed by their users to be MDMA. Eutylone is a synthetic cathinone, part of a group of drugs also known as ‘bath salts.’ KnowYourStuffNZ’s testing during Christchurch O Read more...
Two in the Stink: University Adds Twin Share Rooms to Halls
Posted 5:44pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic
In an effort to house two hundred more freshers than last year, the University has adopted an American college-comedy staple and added 11 twin rooms across multiple halls, including UniCol, Arana, and Aquinas. In response to the influx of students, Stephen Willis, the Read more...
University Offering Online-Only Scholarships for International Students
Posted 5:37pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Denzel Chung
The University of Otago is offering $10,000 scholarships for international students willing to start their first year completely online. The ‘Vice-Chancellor’s Scholarship for International Students — Online’ offers a discount of $10,000 on tuition fees for international Read more...
Student Union Turns Landlord
Posted 5:25pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Sean Gourley
Otago University Student’s Association (OUSA) is converting the space above University Book Shop, on Great King Street, into six separate apartments. A resource consent from the DCC showed that OUSA will build three two-bedroom apartments and three one-bedroom apartments in the space. Read more...
77 Incidents of Flatmate Violence Last Year
Posted 5:02pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley
The team at OUSA Student Support dealt with 77 incidents of flatmate violence during 2020. According to Sage Burke, the manager of OUSA Student Support, this number was “about the same” as 2019. That number was “bad to start with,” and given that a lot of Read more...
Drug Safety Club Denied OUSA Affiliation
Posted 4:55pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Fox Meyer
Students for Sensible Drug Policy (SSDP) is not allowed to affiliate with OUSA. The Exec rejected their application on Thursday 18 February. The rejection was based on a subclause in SSDP’s constitution that said that while the “social supply of drugs is discouraged”, it Read more...
Three Students Disciplined For Sexual Misconduct In 2020
Posted 4:26pm Wednesday 17th February 2021 by Erin Gourley
A first-year student in 2020 was permanently excluded from the University of Otago after multiple sexual assaults against two students. This case, and three other allegations of sexual misconduct or assault, are detailed in the University’s Discipline Reports for 2020. Otago University Read more...
Nine Students Suspended For 2020 Flat Initiations
Posted 12:38pm Wednesday 10th February 2021 by Erin Gourley
Two flats of students are unable to attend Otago in Semester One because of flat initiations they organised at the end of 2020. The Proctor’s 2020 Discipline Report sets out the details of these initiations and the punishments students received. One flat initiation involved four second year Read more...
Allegations of “Hostile, Toxic Bullying” Haunt Unsuccessful NZUSA President Election
Posted 2:27pm Monday 14th December 2020 by Sinead Gill
The position of 2021 President of NZUSA remains vacant after a reportedly “hostile” election full of “bullying” and “politicking” resulted in a stalemate between ITP (Intitute of Technology and Polytechnics) candidate, Andrew Lessells, and university Read more...
Batshit Crazy Mother Fucker Nathan Laurie
Posted 12:20pm Friday 20th November 2020 by Fibi Barkman
It’s been a year and a half with President Nathan Laurie in the hot seat of the Otago Polytechnic Students Association. He described himself as a “batshit crazy motherfucker” no less than 8 separate times throughout the interview, but in reality he is a careful, if not Read more...
OP Students Meet Your New El Presidente
Posted 3:05pm Thursday 5th November 2020 by Fibi Barkman
87 Otago Polytechnic students voted for the one and only option in the recent Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association (OPSA) presidential election: Level 3 Foundations student Ezra “Ewok” Tamati. Critic caught up with him on a rainy afternoon in the Hub to get to know him, and to Read more...
OPSA Decision on NZUSA Deferred Until November
Posted 2:36pm Thursday 29th October 2020 by Fibi Barkman
Otago Polytechnic students have voted to defer the decision on whether or not to join NZUSA for a month, to allow for an information session on what NZUSA actually is. OPSA President Nathan Laurie put the question of if OPSA should rejoin NZUSA at their special general meeting (SGM) on October Read more...
OUSA Sends Letter Following Associate Membership Rejection
Posted 2:11pm Thursday 29th October 2020 by Sinead Gill
OUSA has circulated a letter to NZUSA’s National Executive following their rejected application for associate membership status. They want NZUSA to improve it’s application process and include a means to appeal decisions made at the National Executive. The OUSA Exec applied for Read more...
Fire and Circus Club Disaffiliated After Investigation
Posted 12:19pm Thursday 29th October 2020 by Sinead Gill
OUSA has disaffiliated the Dunedin Fire and Circus Club (DFCC), citing a breach of rules around student numbers in the club. The investigation into the DFCC began in July, when members of the club raised concerns about the ratio of students to non-students, as well as concerns about Read more...
Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association May Rejoin NZUSA
Posted 4:11pm Friday 16th October 2020 by Fibi Barkman
The Otago Polytechnic Students’ Association (OPSA) is considering rejoining the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA). Otago Polytech students will be voting on whether or not to join at their special general meeting (SGM) next Wednesday. Currently, only five of Read more...
Everyone on Campus Can Get Weed
Posted 7:33pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Fox Meyer
Critic asked 34 students: if your life absolutely depended on it, could you suss weed within the hour? Every single person, bar one, said yes. However, Critic would like to point out that that single “no” could’ve asked any one of the other 33 people in the room. Every single Read more...
Students Struggling to Find Employment
Posted 7:31pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Naomii Seah
Students are struggling to find jobs this summer. This may be related to the oncoming recession. 79.7% of students who responded to Critic’s online survey said that they were finding it harder than usual to find a job. Only 32.7% of respondents had actually found a summer job, compared to Read more...
New Scholarship Money for International Postgrads
Posted 7:30pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Fox Meyer
A new scholarship appeared on the University’s website this week that would provide $10,000 in tuition fees towards one year of study for select international postgrad students. The Otago International Excellence Scholarship aims to support “high-achieving” students who are Read more...
Scarfie Weather First to Predict Snowfall
Posted 7:29pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Fox Meyer
After announcing his departure from campus, Scarfie Weather was back online last Thursday (24 September) with a hot take: “I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw snow on Tuesday down to sea level, throughout Southland and Southern Otago.” The independent weatherman said of his Read more...
The Single Most Interesting Point from Each Exec Report
Posted 7:28pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Erin Gourley
The OUSA Exec have to write reports about what they have done in each quarter of the year in order to continue being paid. This is a review of the best paragraph of each third quarterly report from the 2020 Exec. President Jack Manning “This quarter has gone by about as fast as Read more...
We Harvested Your Data and Are Selling it Online
Posted 7:25pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Fox Meyer
Oopsies, we’re reporting on politics. Can’t help but engage with a good bit of data. We polled students on the Dunedin Electorate, seeing as that’s where the majority of students live. Sorry, Taieri. We know students live there too. In the past, I’ve tried to show that Read more...
Most Predictable OUSA Election in Years
Posted 7:23pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Erin Gourley
Michaela Waite-Harvey won the OUSA presidency convincingly. The results were announced in the Main Common Room last Thursday. There are five current Exec members continuing on in their roles or taking new positions in the 2021 Exec. Michaela is moving up from Welfare and Equity Representative to Read more...
OPINION: All Students Should be Eligible for Another Grade Bump
Posted 7:22pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Naomii Seah
Wednesday 12 August, 2020. A new Covid-19 community cluster is found in Auckland, and New Zealand is faced with the prospect of another lockdown. Thankfully, only Auckland actually faced another Level 3. However, immediately after the announcement, I found myself once again on Zoom calls, once again Read more...
Jack’s Off: An Exit Interview
Posted 7:21pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Caroline Moratti
After one year in the top job, Jack Manning is preparing to leave the role. On December 31 he is out of the desk, and into the lion's den of life. The OUSA President sat down with Critic in his small, intimate office to talk about life, love, chicken satay and everything in between. Jack Read more...
ExamSoft Flagged 80% of Exams for Review Last Sem
Posted 7:20pm Sunday 4th October 2020 by Erin Gourley
6670 out of the 8188 exams conducted on ExamSoft were “flagged for review” in Sem One. ExamSoft was the remote invigilating software used for all of the Health Sci exams and some Accounting papers. 87 students had their grades delayed as a result of the ExamSoft review process. The Read more...
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