Archive

Profile: Alison Shanks

Posted 11:28pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Georgie Fenwicke

Forget the Olympics: the Commonwealth Games are where it’s at (or for this year at least). Kicking off in October in Delhi, India, one of those representing New Zealand is Otago’s own Alison Shanks. A budding ball sports star by trade, Shanks made the switch to cycling a few years ago and hasn’t Read more...

Whoops, how ‘bout another Semester then?

Posted 4:03am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago has been caught in an embarrassing situation after it incorrectly calculated the points a student required to graduate. Fifth-year BCom/BSc student Oscar Harvey was told by an Advisor of Studies at the start of the year that he needed to take four papers to graduate, Read more...

Do Does Dunnas

Posted 4:02am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by

Re-O Week might be big, but maybe the real party happened the week before, as OUSA and the University of Otago hosted the New Zealand University Students Association (NZUSA). Delegates from around Aotearoa came to Otago to discuss issues pertinent to their mandate and listen to a number of speakers, Read more...

Proctology - 16

Posted 4:00am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Tailgunner Joe

Over the holidays, most people either went home for the winter, or gathered in their lounges coming up with urban myths about how cold and disgusting Dunedin is. Hot air about cold weather is as much a part the Otago Student Experience™ as wearing your old school uniform to costume Read more...

Referendum: Happening

Posted 3:54am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

The future of OUSA’s governing structure and a proposal to move SGMs online is to be put to referendum this week. The new structure, if voted through, will consist of ten Executive members and the Te Roopu President as an ex-officio position with voting rights. There are five core positions: Read more...

International Cultural Night

Posted 3:51am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Staff Reporter

The OUSA International Cultural Council is holding its ‘Around the World in an Evening 2010’ night on Saturday 24 July. The event is taking place at the Dunedin Town Hall and tickets are on sale at the OUSA office. It promises to be “a wonderful celebration of cultural diversity” and Read more...

Food More Expensive

Posted 3:49am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Anthony Riseley

The University of Otago’s Department of Human Nutrition has conducted a food cost survey (2010) that confirms people spent more on their cheapest shopping trip than the previous year. Dunedin was found to be the third-least expensive place to buy a week's worth of ‘basic’ groceries Read more...

Food Miles Fail

Posted 3:48am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

A University of Otago study has found that consumers pay little attention to 'food miles' when making purchases. The survey, which involved shoppers from four different UK supermarkets, found that only 5.6 percent of people nominated country-of-origin as one of the reasons for their purchase, Read more...

Otago Gains $3.2 Million in Grants

Posted 3:47am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Gregor Whyte

As expected, the University Council has voted to go ahead with two departmental mergers. The two departments within the College of Education will merge as well as two departments in the Commerce division to form a new Department of Accountancy and Finance. The University has previously said the Read more...

Execrable - 16

Posted 3:45am Tuesday 20th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Execerable has been on hiatus for a while, and the sneaky Executive has lost no time discussing important things, namely, the upheaval of the constitutional structure. On the June 29, the Exec moved a motion to tell NZUSA “we are unhappy with you.” Nothing yet on how NZUSA replied, but Read more...

BREAKING: Exclusive details of armed standoff at student flat.

Posted 6:55am Monday 19th July 2010 by Staff Reporter

A standoff with armed police occurred today at a student flat in Dundas St. Critic has spoken exclusively with a student with knowledge of how the situation initially developed.   The student says that the incident involved a 'random' student, found to fill a room when another Read more...

BREAKING: Fires, 5 arrests at Castle St party

Posted 11:07am Tuesday 13th July 2010 by Staff Reporter

Couches were set on fire and five students were arrested last night on Castle St for disorderly behaviour, following a large keg party on the street.   Two female students, aged 19 and 20, were among those arrested. One climbed onto a fire engine.   The fire service Read more...

Scarfie Mothership Offers Surrender to Death Star.

Posted 12:07am Monday 12th July 2010 by Staff Reporter

The owners of the Captain Cook Tavern want to throw in the beer-soaked tea towel, and have secretly approached the University of Otago asking to be bought out. Critic understands that The Cook owners approached the University asking if it wanted to buy them out, after the University reportedly Read more...

Exec Reshuffle.

Posted 12:05am Monday 12th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

An online referendum will be held next week to decide the future structure of the OUSA Executive and whether Student General Meetings should be moved online. The OUSA Executive has voted to change the Executive structure, reducing the 17-strong Executive to only ten. This now has to be approved Read more...

Uni Says No to Money-Burning Freedom Learning

Posted 12:04am Monday 12th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Fears that the University of Otago is becoming a degree factory have been given more weight as interest-only enrolments will no longer accepted from 2011. Last year, 26 equivalent full-time students (EFTS) were enrolled as interest-only students, taking only one or two papers for recreational Read more...

Polytech Fortunes Continue to Yo-Yo.

Posted 12:03am Monday 12th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

While the University of Otago is forced to make numerous budget cuts, the Otago Polytechnic is embracing its best annual financial performance for around 15 years. Chief Operating Officer Philip Cullen says that the 2010 budget has been revised, meaning that there is now an expected budget Read more...

Gardies Gonsies.

Posted 12:01am Monday 12th July 2010 by

Legendary student pub The Garden Tavern, affectionately known as ‘Gardies', has pulled its last jug. The doors to the iconic watering hole closed for the last time on Friday, June 18, a day prior to the widely-expected closing date. The University bought the pub last semester for $1.75m Read more...

University leaders scrambling for the lifeboats. Sort of.

Posted 11:59pm Sunday 11th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Health Sciences Pro Vice Chancellor Don Roberton will retire in February next year when his five-year contract comes to an end. In his role, Roberton is responsible for students enrolled in dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and physiotherapy. In total, students taught in the health sciences Read more...

It's raining men (and paint) at ReO Week.

Posted 11:57pm Sunday 11th July 2010 by

ReOrientation Week kicks off today. The week-long festival, which is organised by OUSA, begins with with ‘Manday’, a day celebrating manhood and manly deeds. The day starts early with a cooked breakfast served in Main Common Room, while the FIFA World Cup Final is played on the Big Screen. Read more...

Beg for new Skegg.

Posted 11:54pm Sunday 11th July 2010 by

The hunt is on for a new Vice Chancellor after Sir Professor David Skegg's announcement that he is stepping down. Sir Professor Skegg handed in his resignation last month. Although he is only required to stay in the role for three months after giving notice, he has given 14 so that there is ample Read more...