Archive

Students Struggling To Pay International Fees

Posted 9:57pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by James Joblin

International students facing financial hardship feel that Pūtea Tautoko does not address their needs. “I spend more on tuition fees than anything else,” said Syd*. The funds available to help international students provide living costs, but avoid the expensive international Read more...

Rental Properties Alarmingly Expensive

Posted 9:42pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Kaiya Cherrington

Student flats are being advertised on Facebook by private landlords requesting as much as $270 per room for a typical shared flat.  Facebook groups such as Otago Flatting Goods, Otago Buy Sell and Trade, and Dunedin Rentals have had private landlords advertising their properties for students Read more...

OUSA to Adopt Bill and Bill

Posted 9:41pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

The first working day after our beloved Bills returned to the University campus from their alleged ab-duck-tion, OUSA began the process of informally adopting our gay icons.  According to OUSA Welfare and Equity Representative Michaela Waite-Harvey, the Executive are currently Read more...

New OUSA Clubs and Socs Representative Elected

Posted 9:39pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

702 students have elected their new Clubs and Socs representative for OUSA - Dushanka Govender. Dushanka was “kind of” surprised by the win. She told Critic, “everyone who ran was so capable and experienced, anyone would have done a good job in the role”. OUSA elections Read more...

Ransom Paid to 'Attacker' Who Potentially Stole Otago Alumni Information

Posted 12:43pm Thursday 30th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

A data security breach from May of this year may include information on Otago Alumni. The breach has since been contained following Blackbaud's negotiation and ransom settlement with "the attacker".   According to an email sent to Otago Alumni, Blackbaud (not to be Read more...

Happy 130th birthday OUSA, have a tree

Posted 2:12pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

OUSA celebrated its 130th birthday by doing what any 130-year-old would do: planting a tree. However, in an unexpected and ghastly turn of events, the poor baby was forced to stand naked in Union Lawn for five days, an activity I’ve only ever done by choice. The tree was planted on Wednesday 8 Read more...

First Person to Vomit Inside The Maharajas Speaks Out

Posted 2:10pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Oscar Paul

Popular BYO restaurant The Maharajas have survived their first in-house vomit. The vomit, which occurred at 9:15pm on Friday 17 July, broke The Maharajas’ massive three year streak of puke-less student BYO curry nights. "I had two bongs before I came to dinner and my flatmate pressured Read more...

Below Average Pay for Summer Studentships

Posted 2:09pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Students working summer studentships at the University of Otago felt that they had to choose between fair pay and academic experience. Some students believe that the academic experience earned was worth it. Some students received pay as low as $10 per hour worked in the summer of 2018 and Read more...

Student Safety Policy to be Released in Light of Sophia Crestani’s Death

Posted 2:07pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

“The Sophia Charter”, a policy named after Sophia Crestani and developed by the University, will be signed into effect this Wednesday.  The Charter is named after Sophia Crestani, the Otago student who died at a flat party in October of last year. “Full details will be Read more...

Dedicated Campus Queer Space Faces Further Delay

Posted 2:06pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Naomii Seah

The University of Otago still doesn’t have a dedicated queer space, despite the promises made about the space by the OUSA Exec back in 2019.  Finding a queer space on campus has been a talking point for the OUSA Executive since late 2018, when then-Welfare Officer Abigail Clark began Read more...

CRITIC TANGENTIALLY TAKES OVER PART OF SALIENT AND MASSIVE MAGAZINES

Posted 2:02pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Planet Media, the advertising department for OUSA, has taken on an 8-month trial run of managing the sales the student magazines for Victoria and Massey Universities, Salient and Massive. The three incredibly dashing young men behind Planet Media help Critic with our ad revenue and are Read more...

OPINION: Fuck Sexual Violence, and Fuck Anyone Who Thinks it is Excusable

Posted 1:57pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Kayli Taylor

Content warning: sexual violence. The University of Otago is 151 years old, and has likely seen 151 years of sexual violence and abuse on campus. The most recent allegations against Josh Smith, former OUSA Clubs and Societies representative and president of the Dunedin Fire and Circus Club, are Read more...

Series of Evacuations on Campus Inconveniences Some Students

Posted 1:55pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Annabelle Vaughan

Evacuations on campus caused a slight inconvenience for students, and is potentially karma for their eaerness to be on campus this early in the semester. St Dave’s was evacuated on Friday, then Central Library on Saturday, and Mellor Lab was evacuated on Wednesday, all within the span of a Read more...

Bye Bi Birdie?

Posted 1:52pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

DOC is still to confirm whether Bird Rescue Dunedin (BRD) released the Bills, but it appears that, yes, our darling ducks were relocated to Tomahawk Lagoon. Cue our collective tears. In case you’ve missed it, our resident queer icons recently got in trouble for a brunch date at Kiki Beware. Read more...

Campus-Wide Reports of Sketchy Door-Knockers

Posted 1:51pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

Two young men have been knocking on North Dunedin doors and asking if any men live in the flat who would like to take part in their religious or University survey. They have reportedly been doing this door-knocking since as early as 6 July.  It’s a bit sus, but might not be anything Read more...

DCC Keeps Promises Like Your High School Boyfriend

Posted 1:42pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Fox Meyer

The DCC say they are doing their best, having made six promises and upholding only one. One year ago, the group that represents students (OUSA) delivered a list of issues to the group that represents the city (DCC), and asked them to pledge their commitment to whichever of the causes they wanted Read more...

ClinicalKey Licence Cut By Uni

Posted 1:34pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

The University has decided to cut their subscription to ClinicalKey after the research database reportedly increased their license fee by “well beyond” 6%. ClinicalKey is a research database for Health Science and Science students. According to the library website, it provides Read more...

OUSA By-Election Not-Debate Not-Analysis

Posted 1:28pm Sunday 26th July 2020 by Sinead Gill

Ah. Another year, another OUSA Exec resignation, another by-election. Despite even fewer people attending this debate than ever (Critic couldn’t see any non-OUSA Execcies or staff members in attendance), all three of these candidates seem to be the most qualified for an OUSA position in Read more...

Breathas Were Nice to Bar Staff in Re-O

Posted 1:06pm Sunday 19th July 2020 by Alex Leckie-Zaharic

OMG you guys chivalry is not dead, the breathas are nice now! Bartenders report that drunk students tended to be nicer than normal over the Re-O Week. “Well, as a bartender I’m very used to pretty normal amount of verbal abuse from breathas, being cut off and slurs of poorly thought Read more...

Smith “Taking A Step Back” After Complaint of Alleged Sexual Violence

Posted 10:18pm Thursday 16th July 2020 by Erin Gourley

Content warning: sexual violence Former OUSA Clubs and Societies Representative, Josh Smith (a.k.a. Josh Smythe), was accused of sexual violence by a student in 2019. At the time, OUSA was informed of the complaint, and OUSA “understands” that a police statement was made. “A Read more...