Archive

DCC Paid-Parking Meters Inch Closer to Student-Ville

Posted 10:23pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

The Dunedin City Council has turned three strips of unlimited and limited-time parking into pay and display as a part of a wider set of changes to parking in North and Central Dunedin. In a media release, the DCC explained that this was the result of a survey that indicated a need for improved Read more...

Pasifika Representation Returns to OUSA Executive

Posted 10:11pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

After nearly a decade, Pasifika students will see the return of a representative on the OUSA executive: this time, as an ex-officio position, the same system that Te Roopū Māori, the Māori students’ association, uses. The motion to restore the position passed almost Read more...

Quizzing and Shooting The Shit with Daddy Robertson

Posted 10:04pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

He turned up bang-on 2:30pm with his PR dude and a warm hello. He seemed completely at ease within moments - possibly a mix of the confidence that comes after decades of interviews, and because he felt at home in our office. As a member of parliament since 2008, and also former OUSA President, it Read more...

Finance Minister Talks About Something Very Interesting That You Should Read the Article to Find Out About

Posted 9:51pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

When you flick over this page you’ll find an interview with Grant Robertson, Finance Minister. During this interview, however, Voluntary Student Membership (VSM) managed to dominate the conversation. Because what he had to say was interesting, and also because most people don’t know what Read more...

Drug Testing at Hyde Finds Potentially Dangerous Substance

Posted 9:42pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

OUSA’s second trial of their new drug testing initiative at the Hyde Street Party found a potentially lethal substance that they were able to put out warnings about over social media. The initiative, run in conjunction with KnowYourStuffNZ and the New Zealand Drug Foundation, was used by 81 Read more...

Craccum Magazine to Throw Off the Chains of Democracy

Posted 9:36pm Thursday 25th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Craccum, the University of Auckland student magazine, has ended the controversial practise of electing its editors, creating new provisions for the editor to be appointed on the basis of merit, like is done at every other student magazine in New Zealand. Craccum Editor Bailley Devon told Critic Read more...

Law Camp 2019 Went Pretty Well

Posted 1:20am Friday 12th April 2019 by Phillip Plant

Despite the tragic events of the Christchurch shootings happening the same day, the 2019 second year Law Camp went smoothly, said students. Camp leaders were informed of the Christchurch shootings when the second years arrived at Starters Bar to be transported to the Wairoa Scout Camp, putting a Read more...

OUSA Finance Officer Will Enrol Anything that Breathes to Vote

Posted 1:18am Friday 12th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

OUSA Finance Officer Bonnie Harrison has proven that she will stop at nothing to get students enrolled to vote in the upcoming Dunedin City Council elections, going so far as to ambush people with voting papers while they’re lining up to get their tickets for Hyde. Desperate to understand Read more...

Editorial: We Created a Nudist Community

Posted 1:14am Friday 12th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Honestly, when we first brainstormed the cover for the Sex Issue, we were thinking of having only five or six people. I thought most of them would have to be people I knew who would be fine getting naked. But I put out the call on Facebook anyway, just in case. My inbox was immediately flooded Read more...

Otago Staff and Students Rally For Postgrad Allowances

Posted 1:14am Friday 12th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

On Thursday, April 11, almost 800 kilometres from Parliament steps, OUSA marched a group of students and staff from the Union Lawn to the Leith steps across from the Clocktower. There, almost fifty people rallied for the return of Student Allowances for postgrads in sync with those who turned up in Read more...

Residents Said Uni Best Practice Not Enough to Prevent or Discipline Sexual Violence at Knox

Posted 1:11am Friday 12th April 2019 by Esme Hall

CONTENT WARNING: rape, sexual assault, sexual harassment     Multiple survivors of sexual violence from Knox College reached out to Critic since our last story, and their experiences show the University of Otago’s sexual misconduct procedures were not applied consistently Read more...

Student General Meeting Cracking Up To Be Slightly Interesting

Posted 12:59am Friday 12th April 2019 by Staff Reporter

Last week, Critic speculated what the second floor of the University Book Shop could be developed into now that it is owned by OUSA. This week, someone has answered our prayers. This Wednesday, 17 April, at midday in the Main Common Room, students will be able to vote on whether or not they want Read more...

Random Shit the Uni Spends Money On

Posted 7:18pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Critic

A tonne of milk in Otago Business School: $5,800 per year Have you ever walked past a fridge and decided to take a sneak peek inside? That’s what Critic did in-between lectures in the Business School. To this reporter’s shock it was completely packed with upward of a dozen two-litre Read more...

Opinion: OUSA Exec Meetings Are So Wholesome It’s Cringe

Posted 6:19pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Esme Hall

Are you sitting there wondering why we haven’t reported very much on this year’s OUSA Exec? Yeah, thought not. But, for the three of you who actually care, it’s because they’re being so nice to each other there’s no juicy drama to report. The apparent harmony of the Read more...

Opinion: There Should Be a Pacific Rep on the OUSA Exec

Posted 6:18pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Zayna Lam

Pasifika people are Aotearoa’s fourth largest ethnic population, 66% of whom are born in Aotearoa and over 50% are under 25. This growing population has, and will continue to have, an increasing presence in tertiary institutions. Education for Pasifika people is a priority area of work for the Read more...

Opinion: Knox College: Accepting our Flaws while Loving our Floors

Posted 6:16pm Thursday 11th April 2019 by Jack Manning

The last few weeks, our Facebook feeds have been filled with posts from UoO: Meaningful Confessions about the Critic Knox article. We’ve seen people defending the college, apologising on its behalf, and denouncing traditions and managerial problems that would allow sexual assaults to occur and Read more...

Enrolment Numbers Are Slightly Up

Posted 4:21pm Tuesday 9th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

It’s April, baby, and you know what this means: the University can now confirm how many students have enrolled at Otago for 2019. Yeet. Critic may only be reporting on it to beat the ODT to it but pettiness aside, here are some facts. Otago has seen a rise in 166 equivalent-full-time Read more...

What Should OUSA Use the Second Floor of the University Bookshop For?

Posted 2:01am Friday 5th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

Ever wondered what was upstairs from the University Bookshop on Great King Street? Critic can reveal that it is currently a beautiful 500 square metres of untapped potential. We believe that since student fees helped OUSA buy the building a few weeks ago, it should be up to students to decide what Read more...

Tutors Call Out Humanities Human Resources and Geography Department

Posted 1:57am Friday 5th April 2019 by Sinead Gill

A few weeks ago Critic looked into inconsistencies in tutor and demonstrator pay rates, and generally found that those who are getting a bad deal are the exception, not the rule. However, those on the worst end of the spectrum could be missing out on hundreds of dollars each semester. Nadia Read more...

Dental and Oral Health Students Go Head to Head Over Fillings

Posted 1:56am Friday 5th April 2019 by Erin Gourley

A turf war is shaping up among Dental School students over whether oral health therapists should be able to perform fillings, tooth extractions, and crowns (restorative treatment) on adults. If a new Dental Council proposal succeeds, oral health therapists (i.e. hygienists) would be able to do Read more...

Editorial: What is the Least Sexy Part of the Human Body?

Posted 1:54am Friday 5th April 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Honestly, the human body is so gross. It’s too soft and too hard in the wrong places, it’s often difficult to maneuver, and it involuntarily secretes too much fluid - and that’s just the outside. No one even knows about the horrors lurking beneath the surface (yeah, you heard me, Read more...

Opinion: You Should Give a Fuck about Post Grads Getting Student Allowance

Posted 9:38pm Thursday 4th April 2019 by Dermot Frengley

Being a postgraduate student isn’t easy. The workload is challenging and, to add to the stress, postgraduates aren’t entitled to Student Allowance. This lack of financial security hurts us. I know some real horror stories of postgrads who have had to face challenging and damaging mental Read more...

Spider Infestation Season Hits North Dunedin

Posted 9:36pm Thursday 4th April 2019 by Fox Meyer

“I realised I couldn’t get rid of them so I sorta just let them live here now.” This is the stellar attitude of the self-proclaimed “Spider Queen of North Dunedin.” Many North D flatters have reported an up-swing in the residential arachnid population. This comes at Read more...

Bagpipers Bail on U-Bar

Posted 9:33pm Thursday 4th April 2019 by Owen Clarke

Bagpipers took over Dunedin’s airwaves (and sanity) last weekend. Though they appeared to be very dedicated to their rehearsals and performances, the pipers apparently weren’t as committed to keeping up with their reservations at U-Bar. The Annual Pipe Championships hosted by the Read more...

High-Profile Prisoner and Legal Advocate Arthur Taylor Allegedly Declined From Studying Law at Otago

Posted 10:29pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Oscar Francis

Ex-convict and self-styled jailhouse lawyer Arthur Taylor has told Critic that his plan to study Law at Otago was derailed by the new University of Otago Faculty of Law Dean. He told Critic he is now preparing to continue his studies extramurally at the University of Auckland. Taylor told Critic Read more...

Wheeler Dealers Steal Student Bikes From Campus

Posted 10:27pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Nina Minogue

Several students told Critic that they felt they had misplaced their faith in Campus Watch and the CCTV rollout after their bikes were stolen from campus, despite being locked at bike sheds. Two students Critic spoke to said their bikes were stolen in the last three months. They were both stolen Read more...

Is Good One a Shit One?

Posted 10:04pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

Between the sunset of Flo-Week and the dawn of O-Week, a familiar black and yellow poster quietly returned to the OUSA bollards: the “Good One” campaign. “Good One” is a party register campaign run by a squad of OUSA, the Police, and the Proctor’s Office, and is Read more...

OPINION: It’s Disappointing Knox Hasn’t Changed

Posted 10:02pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Georgi Hampton

The report of Critic’s Knox investigation was a difficult read for me. I was a resident of Knox College from 2007 to 2008. I have good memories of my time there, and met some wonderful individuals I still consider friends today. However, the collective culture of Knox when I lived there was Read more...

Boozed-Up Breathers Breathe in Law Lecture, Campus Watch Called

Posted 9:58pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by James Joblin

Campus Watch were called to the 4pm LAWS101 lecture three Thursdays ago after a group of inebriated students heckled Professor Ceri Warnock mid-lecture. The boys were observed sitting at the back of Castle One drinking Billy Mavs and brew-filled Pump bottles and calling out, clapping, and Read more...

Two Muslim Chaplains Added to Chaplaincy Team

Posted 9:55pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Esme Hall

The University Chaplaincy Services are welcoming two part-time volunteer Muslim chaplains, one man and one woman, onto their team as of Monday 1st April. University Chaplain Reverend Greg Hughson said that the role of the new chaplains, Najib Lafraie and Hajjah Salmah Kassin, will be to offer Read more...

Uni Replaces Health Sci Papers with Anatomy and Physiology for Physical Education Students

Posted 9:52pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Esme Hall

The University has introduced Anatomy and Physiology papers into the first year Physical Education curriculum, replacing PHSE191 and PHSE192, which were based on Health Sci papers HUBS191 and HUBS192. The change is part of the School of Physical Education Sport and Exercise Sciences major Read more...

Radio One FM to Clean up Their Frequency

Posted 9:51pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

In last week’s OUSA executive meeting there was an announcement that shocked all except Radio One staff and boomers; Radio One is going to scrub their station of naughty words. This isn’t necessarily because the word “fuck” is pissing people off, but because it’s Read more...

Display Name Spoofing Scam Hits University Staff

Posted 9:49pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Esme Hall

The University has issued a warning that its staff be careful after a spate of ‘display name spoofing’ scams. University staff have been receiving emails where the display name is made out to be that of a senior staff member, while the actual email address has no relationship to the Read more...

Starters Bar Making Bank

Posted 9:47pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

The Cook, U-Bar and other student locales beware and be shook; Starters may be on track to being one of the most successful bars on campus following it being purchased by OUSA, despite only having been open for one and a half months. OUSA CEO Debbie Downs said that Starters’ current Read more...

Editorial: The Business School Lives in Upside Down-Land

Posted 9:43pm Thursday 28th March 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

I was in the new Otago Business School building recently and it was like entering another world. Where was the dripping, slippery pit I was used to? (Only 2017 kids will understand.) What was this soft, elegant, open-plan palace? I was in a wonderland, drifting through plush air, spinning past Read more...

Christchurch Photo Essay

Posted 1:09am Friday 22nd March 2019 by Aiman Amerul Muner

On March 15, New Zealand was rocked by a terrorist attack on two mosques in Christchurch which claimed 50 lives and left dozens more injured. Worshippers at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Mosque were attacked by a gunman during Friday prayers. The city of 400,000 was left in collective Read more...

Editorial | Issue 05

Posted 11:28pm Thursday 21st March 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Christchurch took a long time to sink in. When I first heard the news I didn’t react at all, I just went about my normal day; I hung out on my back deck, I listened to a podcast, I walked down to the Critic office. It was only as I was walking that it hit me and I started to Read more...

A Letter From the Muslim University Students’ Association

Posted 9:54pm Thursday 21st March 2019 by Muslim University Students’ Association

Today, we went to the mosque to pray for all our brothers and sisters affected by the tragic massacre of Muslims in Christchurch. Today, we went to the mosque and we saw hundreds of flowers outside the main gate. We saw hundreds of people from all walks of life who came to support our community Read more...

A Muslim Perspective

Posted 9:43pm Thursday 21st March 2019 by Ala Ghandour

I have many words, but at the same time I have none that can truly convey the hurt in my heart. Yesterday, I was shocked. I was confused and lost and could not wrap my head around any of it. “How did this happen here? This isn't something that would happen in NZ,” I kept Read more...

Editorial: Sparknotes of the Knox Story

Posted 12:36am Friday 15th March 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

This week Critic’s news section is a little different. Instead of our normal news stories we’ve got a seven-page investigation into the culture of Knox College, a story that Critic has been working on for the past month. There are so many elements to this story, and there were even Read more...

Sexual Assault and Rape Went Undisciplined at Knox College

Posted 12:34am Friday 15th March 2019 by Esme Hall

Apology Critic Te Arohi did not approach the former Deputy Master referred to in "Anne's" story for comment before publishing this story in the 15 March 2019 issue of Critic. Critic apologises to the Deputy Master for not giving her the opportunity to comment on the aspects of Read more...

Some Tutors Getting Better Pay Deal Than Others

Posted 9:27pm Thursday 14th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

Tutors and demonstrators across departments and divisions do not have consistent pay, meaning some tutors are getting a better deal than others, even across similar subjects. While the University has ‘payment guidelines’ for tutors, the final call is made by the department, meaning Read more...

Drug Testing Finds a Quarter of Substances Not What People Think They Are

Posted 9:24pm Thursday 14th March 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

26% of drugs taken to OUSA’s O-Week drug testing service were not what people thought they were. 61 people used the service which was “well received” according to Finn Boyle of KnowYourStuffNZ, who ran the service for OUSA alongside the New Zealand Drug Foundation. Of the 26% Read more...

Uni Flats Still Has “Draconian” Wi-Fi Policy

Posted 10:48pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Nina Minogue

Despite residents paying normal rates for internet use, Wi-Fi at Uni Flats is provided by the University network, which is subject to “draconian” restrictions, in the words of former student Anton Hovius. During University ‘working hours’ (Monday to Friday 8.30am-12pm, Read more...

Uni Flats Residents Unhappy with Unexpected Landlord Visits

Posted 10:34pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Esme Hall

Uni Flats residents have complained of unannounced visits from landlords and Property Services. Uni Flats is the University of Otago’s housing service for international students, where a local ‘Kiwi Host’ lives with a group of international students. Its goal is to “ensure Read more...

Editorial: Uni Flats Are Flats, Not Residential Colleges

Posted 10:32pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

This week we’ve got two stories about areas of tenancy that are technically legal but are still fucked, and in both cases the tenants are the ones who lose out. Erin Gourley looked into tenants being ordered by the Tenancy Tribunal to pay the rent that vanished flatmates have left unpaid, and Read more...

UniCol Drops Residential Assistant Numbers While Piling on Academic Work

Posted 10:29pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Esme Hall

University College (UniCol) has only hired 18 Residential Assistants (RAs) this year, down from 21 last year, and has given the RAs more responsibility for academic mentoring on top of their pastoral care role. Master Andy Walne said, “University College did not seek to reduce the number of Read more...

2018 OUSA Exec: Where Are They Now?

Posted 6:43pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

Even if you don’t fuck with OUSA, there is no denying that people who wind up on the executive have gone on to do fancy things. Here’s an insight into the 2019 plans and goals for the future leaders of our country.   Caitlin Barlow-Groome: President This year Caity is the Read more...

Otago Polytechnic Too Successful for Its Own Good

Posted 6:41pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Owen Clarke

Last Tuesday Education Minister Chris Hipkins visited Otago Polytech to address concerned students, faculty, and staff, following the Government proposing a merger of all 16 of New Zealand’s polytechs. The controversial merger bodes ill for standout polytechs like Otago, which are Read more...

Dundas Street Construction Is a Pain in the Ass

Posted 6:41pm Thursday 7th March 2019 by Sinead Gill

As Flo Week dawned on the student population, construction on the Dundas Street Bridge began, blocking it off as a part of the Leith Flood Protection Scheme. The long-term benefits of construction are probably worth inconveniencing a few dozen residents for six months, but that doesn’t make it Read more...