Archive

Testing Centres "Swamped" after Castle St. Covid Case

Posted 1:40pm Thursday 17th February 2022 by Denzel Chung

Students have flocked to North Dunedin’s Covid-19 testing centre in the hours since a positive case was linked to a Castle Street party. They are now turning away asymptomatic people, asking them to self-isolate instead.   Barely two hours after the University advised all students Read more...

OUSA Discourages Partying, Receives Backlash

Posted 5:10pm Tuesday 15th February 2022 by Denzel Chung

An Instagram post requesting that students “put the parties on pause” has been taken off of OUSA’s story after receiving backlash from students. OUSA has since clarified that they “are not here to kill any good vibes for students,” but wants to ensure parties are kept Read more...

Prof. Jo Baxter Announced As New Dunedin Med School Dean

Posted 2:28pm Friday 11th February 2022 by Denzel Chung

The Dunedin School of Medicine has just announced that Professor Joanne ‘Jo’ Baxter (Ngāi Tahu, Ngāti Mamoe, Waitaha, Ngāti Apa ki te Rā Tō) will take over the Dean’s role from July 2022. She will be the first wahine Māori to ever hold the Read more...

Alcohol, Youth and Male-ness Define 2021’s Serious Misconduct Cases

Posted 11:26am Friday 11th February 2022 by Denzel Chung

CW: discussion of sexual misconduct cases    Every single incident of serious misconduct in 2021 was caused by first and second-year students, almost all of them male.    The Provost’s annual report for 2021 found nine incidents of “serious Read more...

Bong Lung could be for Life, Says Otago Study

Posted 11:52am Friday 4th February 2022 by Sean Gourley

A long-running University of Otago study has found that smoking weed long-term could lead to a distinct type of lung damage, which may be permanent.    As part of the “Dunedin Study,” Otago researchers have tracked 1,037 individuals in Dunedin since they were born in Read more...

Otago Embraces Open-Access Publication

Posted 1:17pm Monday 31st January 2022 by Denzel Chung

The Uni has inked a deal that would allow researchers to publish their findings in over 4,500 different journals as open-access publications, for free, with more coming next year.    Under these new “Read and Publish” agreements, which kicked in at the start of this year, Read more...

Student Health Braces for Omicron

Posted 11:32am Thursday 27th January 2022 by Denzel Chung

Student Health Services are preparing for a community outbreak of Omicron by moving away from in-person appointments, warning that wait times may increase due to a lack of backup clinical staff.    To minimise the risk of staff and patients contracting Covid-19, under the Red traffic Read more...

“Fuck Covid,” Says CEO Offering Free Posters For Bands

Posted 12:48pm Wednesday 13th October 2021 by Denzel Chung

Phantom Billstickers, the street poster company, is offering Aotearoa’s bands and live performers free posters to promote their gigs post Covid-19.  In a press release, Phantom stated that it “wants to see live performances roaring back once Covid restrictions end. So Read more...

Melissa Lama: Who Is She?

Posted 9:12am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Erin Gourley

“My life involves lots of different worlds,” says Melissa Lama. “There’s the Pacific community, I’m a mum, there’s student politics, and I study. I do it to myself but I wouldn’t change it, it’s who I am.” Melissa is your 2022 OUSA President. Read more...

Michaela Says Goodbye

Posted 9:10am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Erin Gourley

After a year as President and a year as Welfare and Equity Representative, Michaela Waite-Harvey is moving on to bigger and better things next year. Like “just studying” at Otago, instead of being a student politician. “I’m not going to completely excommunicate myself from Read more...

Mr Whippy Relaunches in Dunedin

Posted 9:05am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Denzel Chung

The one and only Mr Whippy has hit the streets of Dunedin. They launched with a bang on Saturday, giving out 600 free soft-serves in The Octagon. The Dunedin business is owned by husband and wife team Steve and Linda Mitchell, who also operate Mr Whippy vans in Central Otago. “We’ve Read more...

Lisa’s Mysterious Arms

Posted 9:01am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Denzel Chung

A strange poem fixating on the arms of Olympic kayaker Lisa Carrington has been popping up on posters around Dunedin in the last week. The poem, “Lisa’s Arms,” reads best aloud. Here it is:   I want her arms. Imagine lying in those arms. Lisa’s Read more...

Asbestos Removed from Zoology Building

Posted 8:58am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

A technical report from July detailed that there is dangerous asbestos in some of the University’s heaters. The original heaters were removed, but many still operate in other buildings. The University did not respond in time for comment on this article. After hearing about asbestos in the Read more...

It Is Almost Chatime, My Dudes

Posted 8:55am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Asia Martusia King

The elusive Chatime, which has been edging students with its fabled branch in the Link since early this year, has said that it will finally open this October. The store, based on walk-bys by Critic staff, now looks pretty well set-up. They even have fake plants above the booths and a Read more...

OUSA Referendum Produces 125 Pages of Comments

Posted 8:48am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Denzel Chung

Students voted to reject only one proposal in the recent OUSA referendum: calling for an Exec member to be dedicated to distance and overseas students. Over 100 pages of comments were also submitted by students, including one student who repeatedly posted the Bee Movie script as their comment for Read more...

Uni Admits Misleading Staff on Shift Breaks

Posted 8:47am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Elliot Weir

Three weeks ago, we reported on widespread employment law breaches and sexual harassment amongst kitchen staff at University-managed halls of residence kitchens. Some staff then requested the mandated shift breaks that we outlined in the piece and were misled by management. When staff in one hall Read more...

LadBible Reports On OUSA’s Blues and Golds

Posted 8:43am Sunday 10th October 2021 by Fox Meyer

OUSA’s Blues and Golds awards are “in recognition of the sporting, cultural and service achievements of current University of Otago students,” said still-president Michaela Waite-Harvey. This year, Laurel Hubbard took home Best Sportswoman. Strangers on the internet, who Read more...

Australian Unis Mandate Vaccines on Campus

Posted 4:08pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Fox Meyer

Two Australian universities mandated last week that all students, staff and workers on campus be fully vaccinated. La Trobe University and the University of Melbourne were the first to require this, with Melbourne requiring everyone on campus to be vaccinated from November 5.  Otago Read more...

Mental Health Awareness Whiteboard Sabotaged With Humour

Posted 4:05pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Erin Gourley

Sometimes, as a treat, OUSA will do something with good intentions that is nonetheless destined for disaster. Setting up a whiteboard in the Link for Mental Health Awareness Week and allowing people to write whatever they choose on a Post-It note, anonymously, is one of those things. The mental Read more...

Four Otago Uni Lecturers Take Out National Awards

Posted 4:02pm Friday 1st October 2021 by Denzel Chung

Well-known “Anatomy Mum” Dr Latika Samalia has taken out Aotearoa’s top tertiary education teaching award. In a remarkable Otago Uni power move, three of the other eight national award winners were Otago staff members as well. At the Ako Aotearoa Tertiary Teaching Excellence Read more...