Archive

Police Presence Boosted at Flo and O

Posted 6:17pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung

Police vans, as well as marked and unmarked police cars, regularly patrolled the Castle/Leith area during Flo and O Week, as early as 6pm. Critic can confirm that this wasn’t just a figment of boozed-up paranoia. There were actually more police than usual. On Big Red Finale night, two Read more...

Dunedinites Devotedly Down Dogs

Posted 6:09pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Elliot Weir

Data from Regent St Night ‘n Day suggests students absolutely frothed $2 Hot Dogs during O Week. On the Tuesdays of Flo and O Week, Night ‘n Day sold over 600 hot dogs. During Slo Week (a term Critic has coined for the week before O and Flo Week), Night ‘n Day Regent sold an Read more...

Boutique Hotel Takes the L, Repurposed into Student Accommodation

Posted 6:01pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Quintin Jane

Otago University has converted its Executive Residence boutique hotel into student accommodation for 2021.  The Executive Residence, also known as “that fancy house on Union Street East,” is now being managed by University College as a part of the University’s expansion of Read more...

Uni Smoothly Transitions to Level 2

Posted 5:57pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung

The University’s response to recent yo-yoing between alert levels has not come under scrutiny from students. This is a far-cry from the student reaction during the first Covid outbreak. Critic spoke to Andrew Ferguson, the University’s Emergency and Business Continuity Coordinator, Read more...

Flat Break-Ins Rampant Over Flo and O

Posted 5:50pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung

There’s been an increase in flat damage in the North Dunedin area over Flo and O Week.  Critic spoke to Lulu Gordon, a student whose flat got messed up on the final days of O Week. Lulu was in her lounge enjoying a post-bender Maccas feast with her flatties when a couple of Long Whites Read more...

The Greasy Beaver Lives to Beave Another Day

Posted 5:43pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Erin Gourley

  The Greasy Beaver Lodge is back, baby. The famous flat sign was resurrected three weeks ago, after the tenants made a request to their property manager.  Annabelle, one of the current tenants, said that her flatmate emailed Cutlers over Christmas and said “it would make my Read more...

OUxit: Why some students leave OUSA

Posted 5:33pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Runze Liu

Despite being the oldest, and one of the most influential students’ associations in the country, people still opt to leave the Otago Uni Students’ Association (OUSA). One of them — a third year student Otago student — opted out of OUSA membership in September last year by Read more...

OUSA Cancels Exec Meeting Because They Have Nothing to Talk About

Posted 5:17pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

The Exec meeting last week was cancelled because there was nothing on the agenda. In an email sent to members of the OUSA Exec February 26, the meeting scheduled for Monday was cancelled because there were only two agenda items. Both items had papers pending, preventing full discussion on either Read more...

Egg Sales Spike During O Week

Posted 5:13pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Callan George

There was a “small spike in egg sales” during O Week, thanks to the long-held tradition of egging freshers. A Countdown spokesperson said that they saw “a small spike in egg sales at our Dunedin stores over Orientation Week”. However, they encourage people to think Read more...

Students Still Want Crossing, DCC Say They’re Working on It

Posted 5:01pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Fox Meyer

The DCC will no longer confirm whether students will get an Albany Street pedestrian crossing. Last year, the DCC said it was “likely” in “late 2021.” A 2017 poll showed that more students supported the crossing (78.6%) than discounted Lime scooters (68.9%), or even Read more...

Dunedin Students Worried For Their Families in Myanmar

Posted 4:38pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Aiman Amerul Muner

As the Myanmar Coup continues to unfold, students in Dunedin with deep ties to the Southeast Asian country can only watch and wait in fear. Two students from Myanmar spoke to Critic about the ongoing unrest. “It’s no longer safe for anyone to be outside, even if they’re heading Read more...

Otago Takes Three Years to Develop Climate Action Plan

Posted 2:23pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Adam Currie

Otago Uni approved a Carbon Zero Programme in 2019, but did not hire a staff member to work on it until last month. The programme was first proposed in 2018. “The programme business case, including a road map to carbon zero, will be created approved and well underway by the end of Read more...

OUSA Apartments Generate Outrage

Posted 2:15pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Denzel Chung

Your students’ association plans to turn the first floor of the University Bookshop into rental accommodation, and past Exec members are not happy about it. Two previous Exec members have questioned why a proposal rejected three times in the last five years was resurrected in Read more...

Tutors Receive a “Pay Cut By Stealth”

Posted 2:03pm Saturday 6th March 2021 by Erin Gourley

Some experienced tutors at the University of Otago will be paid less than they were last year. The change comes from a change to the requirements of the payscales for tutors and demonstrators.  Tutors who do not take on a role in organising the paper or co-ordinating other tutors will move Read more...

Med Entry Grades Rise Again

Posted 9:38pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley

The average mark required to enter medicine from the Health Sciences First Year (HSFY) programme has increased for the sixth year in a row.  In response to an OIA, the University confirmed that the lowest average mark required for a first-round offer into 2021 med was 96.57%, up from 93.43% Read more...

Cops Still Don’t Get D&B, Gather Around Castle to Learn More

Posted 8:55pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

If you haven’t been permanently blinded by the flashing lights, sickly vape clouds, and freshers dancing like electrocuted cats along our favourite glass-paved party-street, you might have noticed the increased police presence during Flo and O-Week.  With cops lining either side of Read more...

Three Students Disciplined For Sexual Misconduct In 2020

Posted 8:42pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley

A first-year student in 2020 was permanently excluded from the University of Otago after multiple sexual assaults against two students. This case, and three other allegations of sexual misconduct or assault, are detailed in the University’s Discipline Reports for 2020. Otago University Read more...

Nine Students Suspended For 2020 Flat Initiations

Posted 8:34pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Erin Gourley

Two flats of students are unable to attend Otago in semester one because of flat initiations they organised at the end of 2020. The Proctor’s 2020 Discipline Report sets out the details of these initiations and the punishments students received. One flat initiation involved four second year Read more...

Neuron Scooters Hit Dunedin Streets

Posted 8:28pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Denzel Chung

The battle of Dunedin’s e-scooters is well underway, with Singaporean company Neuron Mobility, Australia and NZ’s self-titled “leading rental e-scooter company,” heading into battle against Lime on Dunedin’s streets.   As well as their striking orange Read more...

BP Tormented By Shitposting Page

Posted 8:19pm Tuesday 2nd March 2021 by Sean Gourley

Shitposting page The boys are what has started a campaign to bring down international oil giant BP by tormenting them on Facebook. On 9 February, at 6.30pm, The boys are what opened their campaign with a post that said “good evening, fuck BP.”  Over following weeks, The boys are Read more...