Archive

PhD students lured by free flights and accommodation

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Nina Harrap

The University is offering free flights and accommodation to domestic PhD candidates considering studying toward a doctorate at Otago. The recruitment campaign is designed to allow doctoral students to “seriously consider Otago as an option,” Head of Marketing Services, Lindy Wilson, said in a press Read more...

Dr. Clarke writes “readable books” for 150 years

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Josie Cochrane

University of Otago historian and archivist Dr Ali Clarke is continuing her work of researching the University’s history, an “enormous responsibility,” after being tasked to write a book based on the first 150 years of the University, spanning from 1869 to 2019. Dr Clarke was selected for Read more...

University Volunteer Centre markets lending hands

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Emily Draper

The University Volunteer Centre has established a regular stall at OUSA Market Days, according to a report by Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne at the latest University Council meeting on 13 May. The stall hopes to promote UniCrew, a staff and student volunteer organisation, alongside various other Read more...

Police "can't see the bottles coming" in the dark

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Laura Munro

Three students were arrested after a large party on North Castle Street escalated with partygoers throwing bottles at Police. The party took place during the second graduation weekend of May, and saw two students arrested for disorder and another for obstruction and escaping police custody after Read more...

Writers and Readers booked in for next year

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Anonymous Bird

Dunedin’s inaugural Writers and Readers Festival has been hailed a great success, and a follow-up event has already been booked in for next year. The six-day festival took place from 6 May to 11 May and saw more than 50 New Zealand and international writers, poets, playwrights, scriptwriters, Read more...

Execrable | Issue 12

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

The Executive meeting held on 13 May came with ample discussion on the upcoming referendum and a variation on the agenda. In an Executive round up, Hamish was looking into getting a committee together regarding TED Talks in Dunedin. Nick was “frothin’” after agreeing to a repayment plan in Read more...

Climbing house prices not reflected in 13-year capped living benefit

Posted 4:32pm Sunday 18th May 2014 by Josie Cochrane

Students are once again being left in the lurch as house prices continue to rise, but financial support for student rentals continues to lag. The New Zealand Union of Students’ Associations (NZUSA) has released a report showing that as the average rent for students is increasing, the student Read more...

Colin Craig | Full Interview

Posted 10:37am Wednesday 14th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Just while we’re on record, the first thing I wanted to talk about is your defamation experience, and I just want to be guaranteed that you’re not going to sue us for defamation. No, that’s fine. That’ll be a no. Not going to sue us? Correct. Great, okay, I’ll say whatever I Read more...

The history of Otago NORML

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Laura Munro

The University has seen proponents of the cannabis law reformation traverse its campus for years, but none as lasting as the Otago University branch of the National Organisation for the Reform of Marijuana Laws, otherwise known as NORML. Otago students have been gathering as early as the 1970s in Read more...

Greatest Hits / Greatest Shits | Issue 11

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Greatest ShitsI thought, for sure, that Maurice Williamson would be this week’s Greatest Shit, with his controversial phone call to Police over a friend’s domestic abuse charges leading to his resignation. That was until Judith Collins demanded the limelight back again, however, by making Read more...

Politweets | Issue 11

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Lovely poetry from Winston. Oh? Seems Clare likes mobility scooters so much she's expressed interest across multiple social media platforms. The picture is of a random dirt hill. Read more...

Critic tackles election year | Issue 11

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Otago welcomed an unlikely guest the week before last: Colin Craig, leader of the Conservative Party. His visit was a flurry of interviews, including a much-anticipated appearance on Vote Chat, and I was lucky enough to spend a bit of time with the thoroughly intriguing man. Social conservatism Read more...

Olympic hosts Brazil and stoned students have more in common than you thought

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Daniel Lormans

This week, let’s go to the corrupt and over-budget Olympics desk, where we know that all self-respecting Otago students are self-taught experts in the art of procrastination (I, for one, consider myself a master). Small-scale procrastination is somewhat acceptable, like neglecting that 10 per cent, Read more...

Fringe Festival farewells a few fronting figures

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The Dunedin Fringe Festival is set to lose two key organisers but the change will bring “new blood and new ideas,” according to departing Director Paul Smith. Smith has been part of the Festival since its creation in 2000 but has resigned, effective from July 2014. Chairman of the Dunedin Fringe Read more...

University hosts one and a half CoREs

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Nina Harrap

The University of Otago has been selected to host one of six national Centres of Research Excellence (CoRE) and will co-host a second CoRE with the University of Auckland, following a Government announcement. Both the Dodd-Walls Centre for Photonic and Quantum Technologies (Otago) and Brain Research Read more...

Abbey College expansion accommodates more post-grads

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Emily Draper

Accommodation for postgraduate students is set to increase after the University purchased a property neighbouring Abbey College in order to increase the College’s capacity. 55 Duke Street backs on to the College and was purchased by the University for $550,000 to be used as housing for College Head Read more...

Dunedin streets sprayed with phlegm

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Emily Draper

Dunedin is quickly becoming a concrete canvas for internationally renowned street artists. Globe-trotting English street artist Phlegm is one of the latest to embrace Dunedin streets as a canvas for his unique brand of “visually stunning, playful and transformative” art, according to DCC Community Read more...

Proctology - The extreme campus cop makeover

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

Despite Critic’s prying attempts to unveil the usual ridiculous student antics, the Proctor had little to share and reasoned that “everybody’s got their heads down and their bums up with exams coming up.” However, the Proctor said he was sad to see that Campus Cop Max Holt is leaving his post to Read more...

Summertime internship offers jobs and sex

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

The Sexy Summer Jobs internship programme has created almost 100 full and part time positions in Dunedin businesses since beginning in 2008, and according to DCC Business Developer Advisor Chanel O’Brien, that number is expected to rise to 120 jobs by June. Established in 2008 by the Read more...

Emergency Execrable | Issue 11

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

An emergency Executive meeting was called at 4pm last Thursday to finalise details and questions for the upcoming OUSA referendum, which resulted in the entire process being moved back, highlighting the unorganised nature of its planning. The meeting began with Ruby addressing the Executive, Read more...

Charitable organisation ignites community contribution

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

Student-run charitable organisation Ignite Consultants has taken out this year’s Supreme Award at the TrustPower Dunedin Community Awards, ahead of a number of competitive entries in Dunedin’s not-for-profit sector. The honour will also see Ignite Consultants represent Dunedin at the National Read more...

120th Capping Show makes people laugh, fails to offend

Posted 3:11pm Sunday 11th May 2014 by Josie Cochrane

The 120th annual Capping Show, A Capping Carol: The Night Before Hyde Street, kicked off last Wednesday and once again delivered a unique and entertaining show. Capping Show director, Baz Macdonald, said the show had so far gone “really, really well.” The first two opening nights were Read more...

iHunch affecting ill-postured student masses

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Josie Cochrane

An epidemic is affecting students worldwide; the painful result of our generation being the first to grow up with an endless availability of smart phones, laptops, iPads and gaming consoles. It is the “iHunch.” The iHunch can result in permanent curvature of the spine and is the underlying problem Read more...

Greatest Hits / Greatest Shits | Issue 10

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Greatest HitsA couple of weeks ago, the Green Party released its Internet Rights and Freedoms Bill. While Labour has spoken of their intention to do the same, this marks a step in a new direction for democratic handling of policy proposals – the bill is being crowd-sourced. This means that rather Read more...

Politweets | Issue 10

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Trevor snaps. Clare retweets her 7 Days lover’s achievements. David handled the response to his ridiculously awkward campaign video with much grace. Fake Hekia working hard. Read more...

Young Politician

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

My reasons for joining MANA back in 2011, when I was a fresher, were directly related to my involvement in the International Socialist Organisation (ISO). Thus, the main reason for my support for this party at this particular time is the solid activist basis of its leadership and membership, such as Read more...

Critic tackles election year | Issue 10

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

This week Critic would like to welcome the leader of New Zealand’s newest political party to take the stage: Kim Dotcom. I first courted him over Twitter before Easter, and have been in touch with an Internet Party representative ever since. Through a few phone calls and emails, I have been given Read more...

A journey through the codes

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Daniel Lormans

First this week, let’s go to the tattooed and violent rugby desk, and didn’t those Highlanders do everyone a solid favour by going to Durban and giving the table-topping Sharks a thrashing? Yes they did, because no one likes to see too big a gap at the top. The boys put in a huge shift on defence, Read more...

Uni assets reach the billions

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Laura Munro

A financial report released at the University Council meeting on 8 April has shown that the University of Otago held $1.66 billion in assets at the close of the 2013 financial year, an increase from the $1.63 billion in 2012. The greatest asset, recorded at $1.3 billion, was property, plant and Read more...

Execrable (Feat. Vice Chancellor Harlene Hayne) | Issue 10

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

The OUSA Executive meeting held on 29 April was attended by the University’s Vice-Chancellor Professor Harlene Hayne, whose presence may have rendered the Executive slightly less audible than in previous meetings. During her visit she said she didn’t “think we should be afraid to knit the Read more...

Generation Zero report call to policy makers

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Carys Goodwin

On Thursday 1 May, environmental organisation Generation Zero released their first of three comprehensive climate change action reports. Comprising more than forty pages of research and suggestions for policy makers, the report marks the beginning of Generation Zero’s campaign for a Clean Energy Read more...

International enrolments decline

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Emily Draper

The number of international student enrolments at the University has dropped by 3.7 per cent, according to numbers released at the most recent University Council meeting. The figures reveal a drop to 1191 full-time international students enrolled in the University, down from 2011’s peak at 1664, and Read more...

1271 Students give OUSA some satisfaction

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

The 2014 OUSA Student Satisfaction Survey has revealed the general sentiment towards OUSA and the services they offer, as well as the general student impression regarding the importance and use of those services. With 1,271 student responses, the survey shows that OUSA continues to please students Read more...

Datacom(e) pay your power

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

The IT industry’s innovative ways have now extended to their recruitment process with one company offering to pay a flat’s power bill when applying for a role within their company. Datacom Systems Limited has been coming to the University’s career expos for around eight years now, but last year Read more...

Uni pays $5.5 million to "improve quality of service"

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Nina Harrap

The University of Otago has spent more than $5.5 million on staff redundancies over the past four years, but has still been ranked as the 13th best place to work in the country. Figures released under the Official Information Act by the University show that 121.88 Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Read more...

Queens suffers ungraceful fall from grace

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Claudia Herron

Popular Dunedin venue Queens Bar has had its application for an on-licence declined following a hearing before the Dunedin District Licencing Committee on 11 April. The decision concerned applicant Ian Robbins, of Dogtown Limited, who sought a licence after letting his expire at the end of the first Read more...

OUSA to beer competition

Posted 4:20pm Sunday 4th May 2014 by Josie Cochrane

OUSA’s Dunedin Craft Beer and Food Festival will this year be held on 4 October at Forsyth Barr Stadium and is set “to build on the success of last year’s event,” says OUSA General Manager Darel Hall. However, competing with the event is Matthew Black of Brighton Holdings Ltd, who assisted OUSA in Read more...

Winston Peters

Posted 2:48pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Critic: So the first thing I want to talk about is the fact that the youth vote is a sector that is untapped almost, because we have such little voter turnout. And I was wondering what sort of policies you would advocate for in order to increase the youth turnout and what you’d bring to the table Read more...

Continuing changes to student loan now include prison time

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Josie Cochrane

From 1 April 2014, Inland Revenue will be able to request an arrest warrant for borrowers who knowingly defaulted on their overseas-based repayment obligation and are about to leave New Zealand. This follows on from four years of extensive restrictions being imposed on the student loans and Read more...

Greatest hits / Greatest shits | Issue 09

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Greatest HitsThis week’s Greatest Hit goes to my favourite NZ politician/DJ hybrid. No, not Kim Dotcom (whose album ‘Good Times’ spurred an active Facebook campaign to get him to Starters Bar during O-Week), but Laneway alumna Jacinda Ardern. After realising her flight from Wellington to Auckland Read more...

Politweets | Issue 09

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Telling it how it is. The secret to her kiss (true). We're so sorry. Yeah Josh. Read more...

Critic tackles election year | Issue 9

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Carys Goodwin

Before I even began my interview with the mighty Winston Peters he was on great form, spotting the Photoshopped Critic image of Peter Dunne smoking a fat joint and determining, after a lengthy pause, “it’s a fake.” Say what you will about Winston, he’s one of the most famous politicians we’ve ever Read more...

Should they stay or should they go?

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Daniel Lormans

To the “did he go or was he pushed desk,” and it seems that the struggling rugby league convert Benji Marshall has thrown his toys again and is apparently looking to return to the NRL as soon as possible with his tail between his legs. After 10 years at the Tigers in West Sydney, Marshall Read more...

Freshers contribute to higher enrolments

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Laura Munro

This year has seen an overall increase in enrolment at the University, largely due to strong first year domestic growth over the past three years. It also marks the highest ever proportion of commencing students from outside of Dunedin. Over 85 per cent of students commencing at Otago are from other Read more...

Synthetic zoning causes users to lapp around

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Nina Harrap

The Dunedin City Council is currently drafting legislation that may stop some retailers from selling legal highs. The Psychoactive Substances Act, which was passed by Parliament last year, gives local government bodies the ability to pass a Locally Approved Product Policy (LAPP), meaning councils Read more...

Burst pipe streams deluge onto unsuspecting nerds

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Claudia Herron

More than half of the Central Library’s ground floor computer lab was forced out of commission during library hours after thousands of litres of water flooded the area prior to the Easter Break. A burst water pipe in the ceiling caused water to cascade from light fittings both in the Central Library Read more...

$1 million dollar microscope first in New Zealand

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Nina Harrap

The University of Otago has recently paid one million dollars for a state-of-the-art microscope that will allow researchers to study the development of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. For the first time, Otago medical scientists will be able to view and analyse living Read more...

Kiwis traverse Europe with help of bobbies

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Laura Munro

A chaotic seven days traversing 1,000km across Europe has seen three Otago students take out a number of places among a huge group of international teams in Red Bull’s “Can You Make It” challenge. Representing the University of Otago were Tish McNicol, Finn Henry and Chessie Henry, also known as the Read more...

Execrable | Issue 9

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Zane Pocock

The Executive meeting held on 15 April was complete with guest proposals, agenda thieves, and banter on Winston Peters’ campus visit. Kicking off the meeting, guest Sue Heap spoke to her proposal for OUSA to “look into the matter of street harassment.” Proposed courses of action were to Read more...

Environmentally friendly parking tickets rolled out

Posted 1:58pm Sunday 27th April 2014 by Laura Munro

The Dunedin City Council has introduced environmentally friendly receipts for 90 per cent of the 400 pay-and-display meters in the city. Replacing the previous plastic-coated tickets, the new receipts will be made from 100 per cent paper, meaning they are completely biodegradable. Community Read more...