Archive

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...