Archive

Students Upset over Lack of Recordings

Posted 6:58pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Fox Meyer

Lecture recordings are not mandatory at the University of Otago. A debate sparked in COSC204 provides an example of the problems this can create. Associate Professor Andrew Trotman’s decision not to publish recorded lectures led to a lengthy series of emails with his COSC204 students Read more...

International Students Stuck Between A Complex and a Hard Place

Posted 6:56pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Keegan Wells

Nine American international students have been put into an Airbnb “complex” up on Heriot Row, paying US$2,000 more for the semester than what they were originally offered – and not even getting a Kiwihost for the privilege.  These nine students were put into this Read more...

“Inequality in Aotearoa” Discussion Panel Purely Pākehā

Posted 6:53pm Friday 5th August 2022 by Denzel Chung

An Otago Uni panel discussion about “Inequality in Aotearoa” has copped criticism for featuring an all-Pākehā group of panellists. The panel has since been delayed, to give Otago Uni time to “ensure our panel features a diverse range of knowledge and Read more...

Free Speech Debate Looking for Student Voices

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Fox Meyer

Your student president has pulled out of a “free speech panel” hosted by the Free Speech Union (FSU) on 17 August, citing “pressing work and study commitments”. The FSU has previously faced controversy for promoting and platforming views critics say are “extremist, Read more...

OUSA Exec Breach Own Policy

Posted 1:50pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Fox Meyer

The Student Executive board for OUSA have breached their own accountability policy, according to minutes from the 14 July meeting this year.  All Exec members are required to submit weekly breakdowns of what they’ve been up to, to provide a record of their work and also to prove that Read more...

MĀOR110 Enrolments Up 52%, While Health Sci Numbers Fall

Posted 1:47pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Leo Lublow-Catty

The Strategy, Analytics and Reporting office (SAR) at Otago Uni have released this year’s enrolment growth statistics, revealing the fastest-growing and fastest-shrinking first-year papers in the 2021-22 period. The paper with the biggest percentage increase in enrolment was EAOS111, Read more...

Burger Plant Changes Ownership

Posted 1:21pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Zak Rudin

Burger Plant, the vegan burger joint on Fatty Lane, has just changed owners. Critic Te Arohi spoke with Tom, the previous owner and a culinary arts Polytech student, to get to the meat of the issue. What is now Burger Plant began with a little setup at the Farmers Market in 2019: “$600 Read more...

Super Sick Students Surf Stormy Stream

Posted 1:18pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Keegan Wells

While students across North D were busy hunkering down during last week’s storm, two looked at the waves of the Leith and saw something else: a mid-winter surfing opportunity. They promptly chucked their wetsuits on, rented Unipol boards, and hit the eddy just near the Clyde St bridge on last Read more...

Apartment Development Concerns Musos

Posted 1:17pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Denzel Chung

Around 60 supporters of Dunedin’s music community gathered for a hui to support the Crown Hotel, amidst fears that the renowned music venue could be threatened by a new apartment building next door. The group are hoping that a protest on Sunday 7th of August could help raise further awareness Read more...

Ultimate Frisbee Club Ultimately Unhappy with Unipol

Posted 1:14pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Keegan Wells

A new Unipol system which replaces most court bookings with a free-for-all “drop-in-and-play” system has been questioned by Otago Uni’s Ultimate [Frisbee] Club (OUUC), who say that it has been disruptive to training and “makes it hard for small developing sports to grow, Read more...

OUSA Doesn’t Support Fair Pay Agreements

Posted 1:12pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Denzel Chung

OUSA has criticised the Government’s proposed new Fair Pay Agreements, with their submission on the Bill currently before Parliament calling it a “fundamentally flawed… [and] restrictive model”. This stands in contrast to other student submissions on the Bill, which have Read more...

New Covid Wave Raises Mask Questions

Posted 1:10pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Zak Rudin

With another semester comes another wave of Covid, and students and staff are once again in the firing line. Despite years of grim Zoom calls making many staff and students desperate for in-person learning, for some, the risk of getting Covid still outweighs the benefits of being on campus. This Read more...

Med Students (Even More) Stressed by Ballot Delays

Posted 1:08pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Nina Brown

Concerns have been raised by some medical students over the “unnecessary uncertainty” caused by this year's drawn-out Medical School ballot process. Attempts to address an unusually large third-year cohort heading off in 2023 for placement resulted in a lengthy consultation over Read more...

North D Flats Receive an Unwanted Interior Makeover

Posted 1:05pm Sunday 31st July 2022 by Keegan Wells

Several Castle St flats have been broken into recently. Unlike most break-ins, nothing was taken: instead, they’ve received an unwanted interior design makeover, with a face being spray painted on the inside. The culprit is still at large. On the Saturday night of Re-O Week, the residents Read more...

All Buses Stay Half-Price as Services Slashed By 30%

Posted 6:02pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Elliot Weir

Bus fares in Ōtepoti Dunedin will remain at a dollar until January 31 next year, thanks to the Government extending their half-price public transport scheme. A more urgent problem is emerging, however: a driver shortage that is leading to sweeping service cancellations, causing grief for Read more...

StudyLink Wait Times up 37%

Posted 6:01pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Ruby Werry

If you feel like StudyLink wait times are longer than usual this year, you’re on the money. StudyLink claims that average wait times sit at around 20 minutes (up 5 minutes from last year) – but students have been reporting far longer ordeals. Phone calls are already a bit of a mission Read more...

Blame Putin for RTD Shortage

Posted 5:56pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Ruby Werry

If you’ve noticed getting your hands on Diesels or Billy Mavs has been harder recently, you’re not alone, and you’re not wrong. International shortages of bourbon have been causing prices to spike. While the spirit is adored by middle-aged men and those who are middle-aged men at Read more...

You May Not Be Eligible For That Free $350

Posted 5:53pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Elliot Weir

While many students have already been scheming how they’ll spend the Government’s upcoming $350 cost of living payment, a caveat means that some students on a student loan will be ineligible to receive the payment. In May, as part of this year’s Budget, the Government announced Read more...

(Yet Another) Report Highlights Student Suffering

Posted 5:50pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Denzel Chung

Data from a nationwide survey of students has shown, yet again, that students largely live in poverty – often living in unaffordable housing and going without food, healthcare, clothing and other necessities. Aotearoa’s student unions, alongside the Green Party, are hoping that this Read more...

Free Condoms Abound on Campus

Posted 5:49pm Monday 25th July 2022 by Nina Brown

Condoms, while super important, can really stretch tiny student budgets: the average box retails at $12-$24, and in the cold, long nights of winter, the costs can add up fast. Dunedin, however, turns out to be busting with free condoms – so Critic Te Arohi decided to check out where you can Read more...