Archive

University of Otago Top Dog

Posted 9:54pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago recorded the highest surplus of any university in New Zealand last year, posting a healthy $31.1 million surplus when figures were released by the Tertiary Education Commission. The University of Auckland was second, posting an operating surplus of $28.5 million. Read more...

Postgraduate Representative Candidates Announced

Posted 9:52pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Staff Reporter

The candidates for the General Executive Post-graduate Portfolio position have been announced. The two people standing for the position are Stacey Lauren Bloom and Stephanie Ruddock. The election takes place online from 9.00am 11 October 2010 until 4pm 14 October 2010.  Read more...

Revealed: grown up politicians no better than student politicians

Posted 9:50pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

The 2010 DCC Mayoral Candidates gathered in the University’s Main Common room last Tuesday, to speak to a small crowd of around 60 students.  Mayoral favourite Cull, who sat at 45.9 percent in the latest ODT poll, didn’t show, claiming he was stuck in traffic in Waikouaiti. Read more...

Rodent-Infested Shithole to Rent, Must Supply Own Rodents

Posted 9:49pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

The winners of OUSA's Next Top Flat Competition were announced last week, with two flats receiving prizes for finishing first in their respective categories. The title of Best Flat went to 'The Picnic Table' on Albany Street, with the inhabitants taking home $150 worth of grocery vouchers. Read more...

Execrable - 26

Posted 9:48pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Once again shit was super dull. Yeah, Critic’s a whiner, but this time, all the Execcies looked pretty over the whole shebang as well. It is almost painful for Critic to relive this, but OUSA undertook four mind-numbing phone interviews with NZUSA presidential hopefuls, so that they could Read more...

Bet you wished you’d studied harder now.

Posted 9:20pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Gregor Whyte

Thousands of tertiary students around New Zealand will unexpectedly have their access to student loans cut off after it was discovered that the legislation changes introduced this year will take into account 2009 academic results. The law changes, introduced in the 2010 Budget, mean that Read more...

Student Party Inexplicably Gate-crashed

Posted 9:17pm Monday 11th October 2010 by

Mayhem ensued in the early hours of last Sunday morning as part of George Street was shut down by police when a student party in the Robbie Burns complex was evacuated due to a fire alarm. The house party was spread across two flats in the upstairs Robbie Burns complex, and reportedly had Read more...

President Didn’t Inhale, Stoners Paranoid

Posted 9:16pm Monday 11th October 2010 by

The controversial 4.20 protest club is at odds with OUSA once again, this time over the accused censorship of one of its entries in the upcoming Otago University Student Film Competition, the Mothras. OtagoNorml, an associate group of the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Read more...

For those of you who can’t get enough of voting

Posted 9:15pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Voting closes on 9 October for local body elections, in which voters will elect their new Dunedin City Council, Otago Regional Council, and Southern District Health Board. Voting will be held by postal election (if you haven’t received your voting pack, you probably aren’t enrolled). Seven Read more...

Blues And Golds Winners Announced

Posted 9:13pm Monday 11th October 2010 by Staff Reporter

The winners of the 2010 Otago University Blues and Golds Awards were announced at dual ceremonies last week. The Blues awards celebrate the best and brightest sporting achievers from the University of Otago, and are in their 102nd year. The keynote speaker was adventurer and writer Tim Read more...

Christchurch Campus Largely Operational

Posted 2:15am Monday 11th October 2010 by Calida Smylie

Students at the University of Otago's Christchurch campus returned to class fairly quickly, just over a week after the devastating earthquake on September 4th. The University's Christchurch School of Medicine building, built in 1973 and adjoined to Christchurch Hospital, sustained relatively Read more...

Art Attack

Posted 2:10am Monday 11th October 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

The University of Otago College of Education was subject to an "art attack" by group ArTarts last Monday. ArTarts were protesting against new funding allocations within the College of Education, which they claim will reduce art tuition to teachers by 25%. The "art attack" was carried out after Read more...

Proctology - 25

Posted 2:03am Monday 11th October 2010 by Tailgunner Joe

You may have noticed that a month has passed since the last Proctology. The reason for this is that the Proctor was on a road trip with his mates. They went to Christchurch and got up to no good, causing significant property damage and several injuries and necessitating a civil defence call-out. You Read more...

Execrable - 25

Posted 2:00am Monday 11th October 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

It seemed at first as though the meeting would be crazily brief: quorum was only just met, and Ros needed to leave in seven minutes. Needless to say, Critic was stoked. An hour in, Ros was frantic, and Imogen subbed in for her. By this point Critic was a lot less stoked. Somebody asked whether Read more...

OUSA single-handedly eases Cantab plight

Posted 10:13pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The OUSA rescue mission to the earthquake-stricken Canterbury region was a roaring success, OUSA told Critic, with OUSA saying that Christchurch residents had told OUSA how wonderful it was that OUSA had taken time out of their busy schedule to bring them some free baked beans and half a bottle of Read more...

Otago Student’s Ezine Wins Literary Award

Posted 10:08pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

Fourth-year University of Otago student Marie Hodgkinson has won a major New Zealand literary award for her online publication Semaphore Magazine. Semaphore won the Sir Julius Vogel Award for Best Production/Publication, and narrowly missed out on the award for Best Collected Work. The Sir Read more...

IT kids get some … jobs, that is

Posted 10:07pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by

Ever been speed dating and thought, “Man, I wish job interviews were this awesome?” Frankly, you probably haven’t, but The Distiller, Dunedin’s ICT Business Cluster, has taken the idea of speed dating and applied it to Dunedin’s ever-growing IT Sector. The idea, created by web entrepreneur Read more...

Exec stupid but manage to finalise Budget, somehow

Posted 10:05pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

OUSA has finalised their 2011 Budget, which will be voted on by online referendum early next month. The proposed Budget was carried unanimously by an eleven-strong Exec amidst concerns about the constitutional changes made earlier in the year.  The Exec voted against the contentious VSM Read more...

Lonely Planet Loves Us

Posted 10:03pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Staff Reporter

The newest edition of heavyweight travel guide Lonely Planet’s New Zealand edition has heaped praise on most of the country, and Dunedin didn’t miss out. The guide practically gushed when it reached our University town, writing that Dunedin has been "Long credited as New Zealand's indie-music Read more...

Next Top Cock-up

Posted 10:02pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The judging of the OUSA Next Top Flat competition had to be postponed from Friday of last week to this Monday, after OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan inexplicably forgot to invite the judges to attend. The cock-up, which inconvenienced Critic for one, comes after Geoghegan won re-election to the Read more...

Psychology Building Opened

Posted 10:01pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

The new University of Otago Psychology Department building was officially opened last Tuesday. Named after influential American psychologist William James, the $25-million, six-level complex features a new Clinical Psychology centre, and an innovative roof garden where rainwater is recycled. Read more...

Otago Graduates Win Major Film Award

Posted 9:57pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Calida Smylie

University of Otago graduates Guy Ryan and Nick Holmes have won the Platinum Best Film Award at the 2010 Colorado International Film Festival. The pair produced the winning documentary Carving the Future in 2009, during the final year of their Masters in Science Communication degrees. Read more...

Execrable - 24

Posted 9:56pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Last week’s Budget meeting was a demoralising, almost four-hour-long process that sapped Critic’s will to live. Much of the meeting was taken up with tediously assessing submissions and considering the disputed Budget lines. After all the blabbing a few meetings ago about a referendum to Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 24

Posted 9:54pm Sunday 26th September 2010 by

The flat hunt is on in the domain of the first-years, opening them up to a whole world of new shenanigans.  A flat-to-be of five was sorting out their bond money one night and realised that they could make a bit more money if they put some on the tennis, so they decided to put it all on Read more...

OUSA Women’s Week

Posted 5:49am Monday 13th September 2010 by Calida Smylie

OUSA Women's Week is being held this week, and will feature a number of events which highlight issues facing women in New Zealand. The main event of the week is a seminar being held today at Commerce 2.07 from 3-6pm where Lesley Elliot, the mother of murdered University of Otago student Sophie Read more...

NZUSA taking it from all angles. Flak, that is.

Posted 5:48am Monday 13th September 2010 by Anthony Riseley

The Otago Polytechnic Student’s Association has acted on its threats to withdraw from the New Zealand University Students Association (NZUSA), calling for a referendum of its members to decide the issue of whether or not to remain part of the national body. OPSA President Meegan Cloughley Read more...

OUSA plans thinly-disguised looting party

Posted 5:47am Monday 13th September 2010 by

A number of initiatives have been kicked off by OUSA last week in the wake of the devastating earthquake that rocked Christchurch last weekend. Otago’s Christchurch campus was closed all of last week while a significant clean up took place. No structural damage was reported to the Read more...

The real scandal: Inept student leader still thinks coffee at 1980s prices!

Posted 5:44am Monday 13th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

OUSA is considering withdrawing from the New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA), but NZUSA maintains membership is worthwhile. OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan says the main reason OUSA is considering withdrawing from NZUSA is a lack of value for money. “For the amount we Read more...

OUSA bad at long distance

Posted 5:40am Monday 13th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

The recent OUSA election, and the withdrawal of the Wellington-based Postgrad candidate under controversial circumstance, has raised questions about the quality of support OUSA gives to distance and satellite students. Satellite students study at campuses outside Dunedin, while distance Read more...

If a book falls in an empty library …

Posted 5:25am Monday 13th September 2010 by

The University of Canterbury was hard hit by the earthquake that rocked Canterbury on September 4. Two weeks of class have been canceled, and significant damage to University buildings has been reported.   Some structures have visible cracks, a chimney fell off the Staff Club, there Read more...

University Announces Award Recipients

Posted 5:24am Monday 13th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Three University of Otago researchers have been named the recipients of the University’s Early Career Awards for Distinction in Research. The awards, worth $5000 each, recognise academics with outstanding research achievements early in their careers.    The three recipients were Read more...

Otago Tops New Rankings

Posted 4:58am Monday 13th September 2010 by Staff Reporter

The University of Otago has topped a new ranking table of teaching and learning performance in the New Zealand tertiary sector, with the Otago Polytechnic also performing well. The rankings, released by the Tertiary Education Commission, aim to provide a national snapshot of institution and Read more...

Otago to run Science Academy

Posted 4:56am Monday 13th September 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

The Government is providing almost $600 000 towards the establishment of a University of Otago Science Academy. Initially a two-year pilot scheme is to be implemented, involving students and teachers from secondary schools without major science laboratory facilities. Deputy Vice-Chancellor Read more...

Teaching Awards

Posted 4:55am Monday 13th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

Nominations for the annual OUSA Teaching Awards open today. The awards have been running for nine years, and honour the best teaching staff at the University of Otago as nominated by students. This year, in addition to the teaching excellence Top Ten awards, there will be two specific awards. Read more...

NZ Universities Slip

Posted 4:53am Monday 13th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

New Zealand’s universities have fallen in the latest major world university rankings to be released. The QS World University Rankings were unkind to almost all New Zealand’s top institutions, with the University of Otago falling ten places from 125 last year to 135 this time around. Read more...

Execrable - 23

Posted 4:09am Monday 13th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Last week’s Exec meeting was a very brief and quiet affair, quite in contrast to the five-hour Budget-setting experience of a fortnight previous. The meeting took barely over half an hour, possibly a record for the gabber-mouth Exec. Victoria Nicholson briefly presented the Elections 2011 Read more...

Batten down the hatches

Posted 2:06am Monday 6th September 2010 by

The Otago Polytechnic (OPT) will have to start turning back potential students after it was unable to secure the amount of Government funded positions it had hoped for. The Tertiary Education Commission (TEC) and the National Government are trying to cut back on the $2.5 billion annually put Read more...

Cancelled flights give Otago students the blues

Posted 1:57am Monday 6th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

University of Otago students are among those caught out by Pacific Blue’s surprise withdrawal from the New Zealand domestic market. The first service to go is the direct Dunedin to Auckland service, a change that will take effect from September 17. Pacific Blue has said publicly that people Read more...

OUSA to set $90 000 on fire. Maybe.

Posted 1:27am Monday 6th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

OUSA intends to put its membership in New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) in the hands of its members. In 2010, OUSA paid $86 169 in membership fees to NZUSA. The fees go towards national representation of students and lobbying in Parliament. In the revised OUSA Budget, the Read more...

Everyone Cleared of Everything. Except Harriet.

Posted 1:18am Monday 6th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The official report into the OUSA Elections reveals that while lots of people did lots of kind of bad things, almost no one was actually punished. Except the President, that is. The report by Returning Officer Victoria Nicholson, which runs to 29 pages excluding appendices, covered the Read more...

It’s a Numbers Game

Posted 1:09am Monday 6th September 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

The first draft of the 2011 OUSA Budget was released last Wednesday. OUSA Finance and Services Officer James Meager said that there were no major changes within the Budget, bar the increase in student levies. The student levy has increased from $159.64 per year to $211.88, an increase of Read more...

NZ Drug Foundation

Posted 1:07am Monday 6th September 2010 by Staff Reporter

The NZ Drug Foundation has cited the University of Otago as a case study on binge drinking in its latest publication. The article, titled ‘Campus Crackdown’, discusses the University’s efforts to deal with the culture of binge drinking pervading the student lifestyle in Read more...

Otago Graduates Win Awards

Posted 12:44am Monday 6th September 2010 by Staff Reporter

Two University of Otago graduates won national awards at the annual Dietitians New Zealand awards ceremony, the Otago Daily Times reports. Krystal Somner won the Nestle Healthcare Nutrition Young Achiever Award for her work in developing a screening tool for chemotherapy patients at risk of Read more...

Confirmed: Old People Hate Youths

Posted 12:43am Monday 6th September 2010 by Gregor Whyte

German researchers have found that old people enjoy reading news reports that cast young people in a negative light. The researchers responsible for the study posited that the tendency of old people to react positively to news stories portraying young people negatively was tied to generational Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 22

Posted 12:42am Monday 6th September 2010 by

This week’s eagerly-anticipated installment of Bouncing off the Halls begins on a more formal note, covering the antics of the University College’s premier social event: the Ball. Most of the Hall’s female population rounded off a week of pathetically starving themselves by crying Read more...

Is the end of the affair is near?

Posted 3:47am Thursday 26th August 2010 by

OUSA has given a clear indication that it no longer wishes to be a part of the New Zealand Union of Students Association (NZUSA) and University Sport New Zealand (USNZ) last week. In a Budget draft it has been revealed that OUSA plans to budget $0 for NZUSA in 2011, in stark contrast to the Read more...

At least OUSA isn’t this bad

Posted 3:45am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

At least $750 000 has been misappropriated by former members of the Whitireia Polytechnic Students' Association’s Executive, the Dominion Post reported last week. The scale of the fraud has left members outraged and the Association struggling to remain solvent. A professional audit of the Read more...

Hairy Gay Man to lead OUSA for a second year

Posted 3:43am Thursday 26th August 2010 by

OUSA President Harriet Geoghegan was successful in her re-election bid, after handily beating the four other candidates in the voting for the 2011 Executive. Geoghegan took the race with a total number of 948 eligible votes. Her closest rival was current Clubs and Socs Rep Dan Stride, who Read more...

OUSA Election Results

Posted 3:42am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Staff Reporter

PRESIDENT    Abstain: 177    No confidence: 137    Dan Stride: 704    Harriet Geoghegan: 948    Matt McKillop: 515    Mitch Edwards: 348    Nathaniel Hatch-Stevens: 36      Read more...

Hookers and Blow: Not budgeted for

Posted 3:37am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

The first draft of the OUSA Budget, written by Finance Officer James Meager and General Manager Stephen Alexander, has been released amidst controversy over levy increases and withdrawing from NZUSA. However, there are several other changes in the proposed new Budget, and Meager was quick to Read more...

Execrable - 21

Posted 3:36am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Last week’s meeting was a dull and dreary affair, stretching three whole yawn-inducing hours. James Meager once again took over the Presidential role, although it seemed his main job was to make Harriet shut up. Presidential hopeful Dan Stride was M.I.A. (along with about half of the Exec), Read more...

Organic Festival

Posted 3:34am Thursday 26th August 2010 by

The Students for Environmental Action will hold their sixth annual Organic Festival at Sammy’s this Saturday. The main aim of the festival is to raise awareness of the environmental and health benefits of organic food and drink.    Tickets to the event cost $5 and include one free Read more...

Quiztacular

Posted 3:31am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

On Thursday OUSA will hold its second annual quiz evening, Bride of Quiztacular. This mega-quiz night, which aims to bring together Humanities students from across all different disciplines, will feature 10 rounds of “intense quiz competition,” Walker MacMurdo says. Teams are of Read more...

Top Supervisor Honoured

Posted 3:28am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Anthony Riseley

University of Otago physical education researcher Dr. Jim Cotter has been named the Otago University Students Association’s Overall Supervisor of the Year, in recognition of his work with postgraduate students. Dr. Cotter, a senior lecturer who joined the University staff in 2001, says the Read more...

Former Critic Editor TV Star

Posted 3:27am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Staff Reporter

Former Critic Editor John Ong is to star in the new show Feedback on TV2. The show, based around a disgraced news presenter desperate to secure ratings, also stars Arthur Meek, Natalie Medlock, Orlando Stewart, and Ngapaki Emery.     The half-skit, half-sitcom comedy will Read more...

Former OUSA President Throws His Hat In

Posted 3:26am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Former OUSA President Simon Wilson has formally expressed an interest in being chosen as the Labour candidate for North Dunedin. He is the third person to express interest in the candidacy, along with the Selwyn College Warden Dr. David Clark and a woman named Glenda Alexander.    Read more...

University Won’t Ban Staff-Student Relationships

Posted 3:24am Thursday 26th August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago has confirmed that it will not ban relationships between staff and students. The University’s review of its policy on relationships between staff and students has been completed, and the University Senate will now discuss a revised policy, which mandates that Read more...

"Yes they are a bunch of fucktards, but they are the only fucktards we've got."

Posted 3:59pm Monday 16th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth and Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago was subjected to the bitchiest, and most dramatic, student election campaigns in recent memory last week. Four (or possibly five) candidates are after the top job. Mitch Edwards, Harriet Geoghegan, Matt McKillop, and Dan Stride all actively campaigned while Nathanial Read more...

Russian Relationship

Posted 3:48pm Monday 16th August 2010 by Staff Reporter

University of Otago students could soon face the prospect of sharing lectures with students at St Petersburg State University in Russia, after a visit by St Petersburg Vice-Rector Professor Konstantin Khudoley last week. The possibility of sharing lectures via video-casting was discussed, as was Read more...

Mental Illness Study

Posted 3:45pm Monday 16th August 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

A University of Otago study has found that those who suffer from mental illness between the ages of 18 and 25 are less likely to have a full-time job by the time they turn 30. Led by Dr. Sheree Gib, the study involved 950 participants and compared factors such as income level, mental health Read more...

Groundbreaking Study

Posted 3:39pm Monday 16th August 2010 by Kathryn Guise

Researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington have carried out the first ever study into the reasons why pregnant women are admitted to intensive care in New Zealand. These women suffer what is termed Severe Acute Maternal Morbidity (SAMM). This occurs when a pregnant or recently-delivered Read more...

School of Business Cuts Confirmed

Posted 3:37pm Monday 16th August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

The amalgamation of the University of Otago Accountancy and Business Law department and the Finance and Quantitative Analysis department will result in the loss of almost ten jobs, the Otago Daily Times reported last week. 9.8 Full-Time Equivalent Positions (FTE) in teaching and administration Read more...

Weatherston appeal delayed

Posted 3:36pm Monday 16th August 2010 by Calida Smylie

Clayton Weatherston's appeal against his conviction for murder has been delayed. eatherston, 34, will challenge his conviction for murdering his former girlfriend, 22-year-old Sophie Elliot, by stabbing and cutting her 216 times in her Dunedin home in January 2008. Currently serving a jail Read more...

Referendum: Will. Not. Die.

Posted 11:43pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

The Referendum from Hell continues to cause controversy, despite an independent arbitrator throwing out all objections to how it was run.  Last Monday independent arbitrator Prof Paul Roth dismissed all the appeals that had been made.     In total eight formal Read more...

E-eeeek

Posted 11:42pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

A young woman collapsed and suffered a seizure after apparently consuming Ecstasy at the White-Out gig featuring Minuit at the Union last Wednesday.  An ambulance was called and the young woman was rushed to hospital. Concert-goers told Critic that many attending the gig had the Read more...

Proctor to be Probed

Posted 11:41pm Monday 9th August 2010 by

The Proctors Office is to be reviewed in October as part of a routine University of Otago process. The University is required to review all of its administrative departments at least once every five to seven years. The Proctor’s Office will be put under what is called an Read more...

Harriet Geoghegan wants to be the next Harriet Geoghegan!

Posted 11:40pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Harriet Geoghegan is seeking re-election to the role of OUSA President. At the time of printing last week Geoghegan was the only person to publicly announce their candidacy. If Geoghegan is re-elected, she will be the first person to serve a second term as President since Paul “The Read more...

Would you like the Red Pill or the Blue Pill?

Posted 11:39pm Monday 9th August 2010 by

he University of Otago has formalised the new process that will govern those applying to the University for the first time next year. The new system will divide domestic applicants into those who gain Preferential Entry and those who will have to compete for places in the Competitive Entry Read more...

Proctology - 19

Posted 11:38pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Tailgunner Joe

he Proctor seemed to be having a bit of a slow week when I interviewed him, but as usual there were a couple of things exercising his mind: * Firstly, there have been “three or four” assaults on campus recently. These have been of the indecent rather than violent variety, although Read more...

Execrable - 19

Posted 11:37pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Despite the dramatic mudslinging of the week before, the Exec was determined to play happy families this week, and any remaining tension was almost undetectable to the untrained eye. At Welcom’s suggestion, OUSA passed a motion supporting efforts to reduce the harm caused by excessive Read more...

Groundbreaking Study

Posted 11:35pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Kathryn Guise

Researchers at the University of Otago, Wellington have carried out the first ever study into the reasons why pregnant women are admitted to intensive care in New Zealand. These women suffer from what is termed Severe Acute Maternal Morbidity (SAMM). This occurs when a pregnant or Read more...

Mental Illness Study

Posted 11:33pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

A University of Otago study has found that those who suffer from mental illness between the ages of 18 and 25 are less likely to have a full-time job by the time they turn 30. Led by Dr. Sheree Gib, the study involved 950 participants and compared factors such as income level, mental Read more...

Animal Law Week

Posted 11:31pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Calida Smylie

The University of Otago's first Animal Law Week is being held this week. The events are being run by the Student Animal Legal Defence Fund (SALDF), and aim to increase all students' awareness about society's treatment of animals. A number of interactive seminars will be presented by SALDF Read more...

Critic Steals PM’s Cup

Posted 11:31pm Monday 9th August 2010 by Staff Reporter

Critic’s Wellington correspondent pulled off a daring heist last week, gaining international media coverage after stealing Prime Minister John Key’s used coffee cup. Jackson Freeman took the cup after covering a talk Key gave to students at a Vic Uni hostel. In the talk Key said he was unhappy Read more...

Rrrreeeooww: OUSA goes high-school

Posted 4:50am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

OUSA is embroiled in a political crisis after five Executive members stormed out of an ‘Emergency Meeting’ dealing with matters resulting from the referendum. The meeting was called late last Thursday in an effort to push back the election date for the 2011 Executive by one week. Read more...

University Caps 31 Motherfuckers

Posted 4:48am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

Thirty-one people have been declined entry to the University of Otago this semester due to the newly introduced enrolment limitations. Instituted in May, the new cap policy is designed to address burgeoning domestic roll growth. As a consequence entry was limited for 20 second-semester Read more...

Critic reads University’s emails…legally.

Posted 4:47am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

A Critic investigation has revealed that the University of Otago purchased Gardies with no clear plan of how to use the property. A Capital Expenditure Evaluation and related emails obtained under the Official Information Act make it clear that the University bought Gardies without a clear Read more...

Geoghegan Too Lazy to Even Enroll?

Posted 4:45am Monday 2nd August 2010 by

On 9 October this year, Otago local body elections will be held to decide the make-up of Otago’s regional government. Despite the importance of the local council in influencing facets of the student lifestyle it appears only half the student population in Dunedin is registered to vote, and Read more...

Anyone for interest?

Posted 4:43am Monday 2nd August 2010 by

Prime Minister John Key says student debt is a “disaster”, and has raised fresh debate surrounding the future of the current interest-free student loan model.    Key put across his views on the loan system during a question and answer session after a speech to students at a Read more...

Islam Awareness Week

Posted 4:42am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Anthony Riseley

Not to be out-done by last week’s dedication to Jesus, the Muslim University Students’ Association (MUSA) presents us with Islam Awareness Week, which begins today. Islam Awareness Week has been around for ten years, and is aimed at providing a better understanding of Islam and its Read more...

Exec Reports - 18

Posted 4:40am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Staff Reporter

 Imogen Roth     General Rep    Imogen sits on a whopping eight University and OUSA committees, including her position on the University’s senate. Her main area of interest post-VSM campaigning has been the strategic direction of the University and of Read more...

Neurosurgery Cuts

Posted 4:39am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Gregor Whyte

he Dean of the University of Otago School of Medicine, Dr. John Adams, has spoken out against the potential cuts to Dunedin Hospital neurosurgery services, telling the Otago Daily Times that any such action risked becoming the "death of tertiary services by a thousand cuts.” The review of the Read more...

Swine Flu Cases

Posted 4:38am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Calida Smylie

The University of Otago has reported that there have been two confirmed cases of swine flu this season. Despite this, the prevalence of influenza in Otago and Southland remains at expected seasonal levels. Otago and Southland medical officer of health Marian Poore says Public Health South are Read more...

Study Criticised

Posted 4:37am Monday 2nd August 2010 by Kathryn Guise

A study by University of Otago researchers that looked at childhood experiences, and discovered a link between traumatic upbringings and homosexuality, has been met with widespread criticism. According to the study’s findings, people who have violent or abusive childhoods are three times Read more...

OUSA Survivor contest turns nasty

Posted 12:04am Monday 26th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Last week’s referendum looks set to result in a significant change to the governing structure of OUSA. Student General Meetings (SGMs) will also now be held online. When Critic went to print last week the results were still provisional, due to then-unresolved complaints regarding possible Read more...

Free candy and rides in van offered. Not creepy.

Posted 11:59pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Anthony Riseley

Jesus Week is upon us, bringing an assortment of events which are sure to excite those religious (and possibly the not-so religious) students among us. Historically, Jesus Week has been held in relation to Islam Awareness Week (which is next week) and has now been running for eight years. Read more...

Proctology - 17

Posted 11:56pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Tailgunner Joe

The Proctor kept me waiting for some time this week while he read a series of grave indictments to some young idiot who had been collared by Campus Watch a few nights ago. When he finally called me in, he noted this guy would probably be on remand if the police had got to him first, and that Read more...

Exec Reports

Posted 11:53pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Staff Reporter

Shonelle Eastwood – Women’s Rep. Eager beaver Shonelle was the first to get her report in this time around. Shonelle has maintained good relationships with a variety of women’s community groups, and organised a balloon launch in memory of survivors of violence and sexual Read more...

Execrable - 17

Posted 11:49pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Julia Hollingsworth

Last week’s meeting was more succinct than a Shortland Street special, with Earnest Adams slices to boot. With Dan Stride at the helm, some more clubs were affiliated, namely the Jewish Students’ Association, The Renaissance Rapier Club, the Dunedin Abrahamic Students Interfaith Group, Read more...

OPSA withdraws from NZUSA

Posted 11:47pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by

The Otago University Polytechnic Student’s Association (OPSA) has officially withdrawn from the New Zealand University Student’s Association. OPSA President Meegan Cloughley cited concerns about NZUSA’s financial management and a perceived lack of proactive measures on behalf of students as Read more...

Vitamin C Just Keeps Getting Better

Posted 11:46pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Calida Smylie

A University of Otago study published in the latest edition of the Cancer Research journal has found that Vitamin C may help fight cancer. The study showed that tumours had 40 percent less vitamin C than the surrounding normal tissue. The findings indicate that Vitamin C could limit the rate Read more...

Abuse Link to Mental Illness Uncovered

Posted 11:44pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Teuila Fuatai

A University of Otago study has found that children who suffer abuse are more likely to develop psychiatric problems later in life. The study, led by Dr. Kate Scott, examined the records of 2144 individuals in the Te Rau Hinengaro: New Zealand Mental Health Survey and differed from previous Read more...

Otago Gains $3.2 Million in Grants

Posted 11:43pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by Kat Guise

Researchers at the University of Otago have been awarded $3.2 million by the Foundation for Research, Science and Technology. The funding is part of a $48 million Government initiative to support research that could potentially benefit the economy.  A team from the Department Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 17

Posted 11:39pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by

Last week was a week of firsts in the fresher realm. It was the first Re-O Week for the freshers full stop, it was the first Re-O week without Gardies, and it was also the first Re-O Week with freshers who had never been to a Cookathon. Despite these incredulous setbacks, its seems necessity Read more...

Gun Show on Dundas

Posted 11:35pm Sunday 25th July 2010 by

The Armed Offenders Squad was called to a Dundas Street student flat last Monday, after receiving a call that a man was threatening female flatmates, and that weapons were being held at the address. After a standoff that lasted an hour, the Armed Offenders squad removed a 19-year-old man Read more...

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...