Archive

TERF Counter-Protest Mostly Wholesome, Despite Assaults

Posted 2:29pm Sunday 26th September 2021 by Asia Martusia King

A “Suffrage Day celebration”, hosted by self-proclaimed gender-critical feminists in the Octagon last Sunday was counterprotested by a transgender-positive Jump Jam pizza party. The counterprotest was described as “wholesome” by attendees, and no arrests were made. Read more...

Best and Worst Flat Awards 2021

Posted 7:32pm Friday 24th September 2021 by Critic

We're looking for the Best and Worst Flats in Dunedin for 2021. There are Delivereasy vouchers up for grabs: $200 for winners and $100 for runners-up in the Best and Worst categories.  To enter, fill out the Google form here. Read more...

Covid Dissuades Potential Postgrads

Posted 3:47pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer

Earlier this year, we wrote about a surge in postgraduate enrolment rates due to something we called a “panic Masters”. This year, still unsure of what the future holds, some students have expressed that they’d rather stay away from further study than enrol in it just to feel like Read more...

OUSA “Strongly Supports” Gender Self-Identification

Posted 3:35pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Erin Gourley

OUSA has submitted in strong support of gender self-identification on birth certificates. The proposed Bill, currently at its final stage before the House of Representatives, would make it easier for people to change the sex or gender on their birth certificates without going to court. The Read more...

No Regulations on Lead in Plumbing

Posted 3:33pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Oscar Francis

Government inaction on lead fittings could be causing irreversible harm to millions of children. Lead levels in plumbing fittings are currently unregulated, and the government needs to take urgent action, according to Greg Wallace, CEO of Master Plumbers, Gasfitters & Drainlayers Read more...

Big Storm Cuts Off West Coast’s Cellular Connection

Posted 3:29pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer

Most of the West Coast lost connection to wifi and cellular coverage last week, though nobody elsewhere seemed to notice. Sunday’s crazy storm destroyed part of the fibre optic network on the Coast, cutting residents from Haast to Whataroa off from the rest of the country. This is the Read more...

Med Students Make Public Apology for Med Revue

Posted 3:02pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Denzel Chung

The Otago University Medical Students Association (OUMSA) issued a public apology on Facebook for offensive jokes in their annual Med Revue. This statement is believed to be the first of its kind for a student performance at Otago Uni. The statement, released on Monday 13 September, was co-signed Read more...

Push to Fight Meningococcal Disease in Aotearoa

Posted 3:01pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer

The Meningitis Foundation wants every school leaver to be vaccinated against meningitis, not just those going into residential halls. “Meningococcal disease” is a mouthful, but the numbers speak for themselves. New Zealand has 24 times the rate of meningococcal disease than the USA. Read more...

University Asks Students Not To Cheat In Online Exams

Posted 2:59pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

In an email sent to students last week, the University asked them not indulge in rule-breaking during their online exams. They said that “academic integrity is paramount” and that they require all students to follow the “honour code”. Some students, already pushed to the Read more...

International Students Find Barriers to Student Health

Posted 2:58pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Denzel Chung

An international student says Student Health needs to do more to raise awareness of their services, in particular saying their provision of language-appropriate support is lacking. Jess* told Critic Te Arohi that although she had some awareness about Student Health when she began studying at Read more...

No Grade Bump This Time Round

Posted 2:57pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer

There will be no universal grade bump for Otago students due to lockdown. Assignments due between 18 to 27 August will be given an extra five marks, and markers have been urged to consider passing students with a final mark of 47 to 49 percent. Professor Pat Cragg, the University’s Academic Read more...

Geology Department gets $8.6 Million to look at Mud

Posted 1:48pm Monday 20th September 2021 by Fox Meyer

Otago’s Geology Department just secured $8.6 million to study carbon sequestration in Fiordland. The funding, which will run for five years, was secured by a multidisciplinary team led by Associate Professor Chris Moy and Honorary Professor Gary Wilson. Professor Claudine Stirling, also in Read more...

Where Should OUSA Put the New Student Bar?

Posted 1:46pm Monday 20th September 2021 by The Critic News Team

With the untimely demise of the “last great student pub”, Otago students will be thirsty for a new watering hole. OUSA mentioned that a replacement venue will be sussed, and we came up with a few ideas to help them expedite the process. If you’re a fan of any of these alternatives, Read more...

Starters Shuts Down, Forever

Posted 11:45am Monday 13th September 2021 by Denzel Chung

The iconic Starters Bar, beloved by freshers and freshers at heart, has suddenly closed down after a decision by the OUSA Executive.  OUSA, who bought the North Dunedin bar in 2018, cited earthquake safety concerns as the reason for closing down. They are hopeful that a replacement bar in Read more...

Fonterra-funded Science Says “Our Byproducts Probably Won’t Give You Cancer”

Posted 1:33am Saturday 11th September 2021 by Fox Meyer

Two Otago scientists have criticised the optimistic results of a nitrates study co-funded by Fonterra and MBIE. The original study concluded that it is “highly unlikely” that the presence of nitrate contaminants could increase your risk of cancer. Nitrates have been linked to cancer Read more...

Tutors and Demonstrators Miss Out On Extra Payment

Posted 1:30am Saturday 11th September 2021 by Erin Gourley

The University announced a $400 payment to help low-paid staff with the expense of working from home, but tutors and demonstrators were left out of the payment. This is despite the fact that they are some of the lowest-paid staff at the University. The payment was $400 made available to Read more...

Afghan Students Face Uncertainty and Distress

Posted 1:28am Saturday 11th September 2021 by Oscar Francis

Following the defeat of the American-lead coalition by the Taliban in mid-August, a humanitarian crisis has ensued. Seeing the Taliban retake the capital, the ensuing refugee crisis, and the failure of our institutions to respond adequately has been tough on Otago’s Afghan Read more...

Students Stranded on Placements in Lockdown

Posted 1:23am Saturday 11th September 2021 by Runze Liu

Around 530 students studying health professional programmes were out on placement across the country when the snap Level 4 lockdown was announced, according to the Pro-Vice-Chancellor of Health Sciences Paul Brunton. For some, like Owen, a third-year pharmacy student who was placed in Whanganui Read more...

NZUSA Statement Changed After Student Backlash

Posted 1:20am Saturday 11th September 2021 by Denzel Chung

The New Zealand Union of Students Associations (NZUSA) put up a Facebook post praising the Government’s support for students. After just 24 minutes, and comments from students, the post was extensively revised to take a more critical stance. I believe this is what they call a Read more...

OUSA Supports Ban on Conversion Therapy

Posted 1:13am Saturday 11th September 2021 by Erin Gourley

OUSA made a lengthy submission in favour of the Conversion Practices Prohibition Legislation Bill, which proposes to ban conversion practices (including conversion therapy) in Aotearoa. They were one of over 100,000 submissions on the Bill.  The OUSA submission, written by Political Read more...