Archive

EDITORIAL: Goodbye

Posted 5:59pm Sunday 6th October 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Critic has been around for 94 years. Over that time we’ve changed dramatically in every way possible. We’ve gone from a journal to a newspaper to a magazine. We’ve been wildly successful and we’ve been mediocre and we’ve been absolute shit. I’ve worked at Read more...

Te Roopū Māori Elect a New Executive

Posted 5:13pm Sunday 6th October 2019 by Caroline Moratti

Te Roopū Māori (TRM), the Māori Students Association, has results for their Te Rito executive for 2020. Karamea Pewhairangi was elected as Tumuaki, Miria Te Pou as Kaitiaki Pūtea, Maia Tipene as Kaituhi, Tutawake Dickel-Smith as Communications, Iritana Bennett-Fakahua as Read more...

James gives OUSA the old Heath Ho: An Exit Interview

Posted 10:03pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Nina Minogue

OUSA President James Heath is departing OUSA after three years of executive bullshit. Critic’s intrepid reporter Nina Minogue sat down with the local sex symbol to talk about the year that has been and the years to come.    What’s your best memory of being Read more...

OPINION: We Should All Care About West Papua Because We Are All Pacific Islanders

Posted 10:01pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Otessa Tuisila

“I’m a Pacific Islander, and so are you.” New Zealand is an island that sits in the biggest ocean in the world, making you a Pacific Islander. If not ethnically, then geographically. On Monday 23 September, our Dunedin community came together to learn more about what is Read more...

Student Arrested For Shitposting

Posted 9:59pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Sinead Gill

Picture this: a student wakes up to a pounding on his front door. He is sluggish from a late night of powerpointing for a presentation later that day, but drags himself to the door. On the other side are three police officers who greet him with tasers. Hours later, he is officially arrested and Read more...

Radio One Not Sure if They’re Played in More Campus Spaces Since Swearing Ban

Posted 9:56pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Esme Hall

Radio One has not surveyed radio play-out on campus to establish whether more people are tuning in because there is less abrasive content, said Station Manager Sean Norling. “As for the abrasive/explicit content itself, this continues to be a work in progress, with most of the heavy lifting Read more...

“Legitimacy and Integrity” of OUSA Elections Compromised, Report Reveals

Posted 9:55pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Sinead Gill

Last week the post-election report of the OUSA Returning Officer Ben Baker, the independent arbitrator of OUSA elections, revealed how close students were to having a false representative announced on election night. Allegedly, on the final day of voting, one of the candidates and/or their Read more...

Lecturer Claims His Book About Censorship Was Censored

Posted 9:54pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Erin Gourley

Emeritus Professor of Psychology and Politics Jim Flynn caused a stir last week when he asserted that his book had been banned. His manuscript, In Defense of Free Speech: The University as Censor, was rejected by UK publishing house Emerald Press because it might infringe hate speech laws or provide Read more...

OUSA Welfare Officer Resigned, Cited Ableism and “Bullying”

Posted 9:51pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Sinead Gill

The 2019 Welfare Officer Kerrin Robertson-Scanlon has resigned, blaming the Exec for pushing her out after having her pay cut completely for not doing her work.  There will be no by-election to replace her. OUSA rules dictate that elections can only take place during normal semester time, Read more...

Property Managers Slap Bogus Cleaning Fees On Tenants

Posted 9:43pm Thursday 3rd October 2019 by Esme Hall

Throughout Critic’s reporting on tenancy issues this year, we have heard numerous stories of property managers slapping bogus cleaning fees on tenants. Alex* fought down a cleaning fee from $230 to around $60 this year. He said he “witnessed a pattern of unprofessional and Read more...

Opinion: The OUSA Exec Will Never Be Truly Held Accountable

Posted 11:26pm Sunday 29th September 2019 by Sinead Gill

Before May 2018, the OUSA Exec only got paid for the hours they actually worked, as a measure to hold them to account. This is no longer the case, and it’s causing problems. Back then, every year was broken into quarters, and the Exec would only be paid at the end of each quarter in a lump Read more...

Department of Anatomy At Risk of Being Shut Down After Critical Safety Non-Compliance

Posted 11:17pm Sunday 29th September 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

The Otago Department of Anatomy is at risk of being shut down by the Ministry of Primary Industries (MPI) after being issued with a “Critical Non-Compliance” with safety regulations during their latest audit. The Critical Non-Compliance was issued because the Department has had three Read more...

EDITORIAL: Don’t Vote For Lee Vandervis

Posted 11:14pm Sunday 29th September 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Look. I know this is the third time in a row that I’ve written a boring editorial about an election. I’m sorry. I know all you really want is content about hit Canadian reality TV show Mantracker. To make it up to you I will include a fact about Mantracker in between each boring Read more...

Canta Wins Bid for Editorial Independence

Posted 10:48pm Thursday 26th September 2019 by Esme Hall

Canta Editor Samantha Mythen said she is “super stoked” that her bid for editorial independence has been formally backed by the University of Canterbury Students’ Association (UCSA) Executive. In last Monday’s meeting the UCSA Exec instructed management to “prepare a Read more...

45 Administrators Have Moved Department Since Implementation of Support Services Review

Posted 10:46pm Thursday 26th September 2019 by Sinead Gill

According to an Official Information Act request made by Critic, 45 administrators have been internally moved from one department to another within the University of Otago in just one year. Last year, the University completed a Support Services Review (SSR) and completely shook up how they Read more...

Queer-Friendly Gig Round 2 Goes Off Without A Hitch

Posted 10:44pm Thursday 26th September 2019 by Sinead Gill

Attendees “had a great time” at OUSA’s most recent Queen of Hearts queer-friendly gig at Starters bar. The first Queen of Hearts gig at Starters was hosted in late July and received flak from attendees, who cited “malicious” and “homophobic” harassment Read more...

OUSA Secures A Voting Booth On Campus

Posted 10:41pm Thursday 26th September 2019 by Erin Gourley

OUSA have secured a voting booth on campus for the local elections. This will be the first time that a voting booth has been stationed on campus that is open for more than one day. “Voting on campus, through a traditional voting booth, is leagues more engaging than postal elections,” Read more...

OUSA Welfare Officer Refuses To Resign

Posted 10:40pm Thursday 26th September 2019 by Sinead Gill

OUSA Welfare Officer Kerrin Robertson-Scanlan has been stripped of her duties and 20-hour a week pay, but will keep her title unless she resigns, which she has so far refused to do. Last Tuesday, the OUSA Exec formally rejected Kerrin’s third quarterly report for being Read more...

GROSS MISMANAGEMENT OF THE HIGHEST ORDER

Posted 10:37pm Thursday 26th September 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

In what might possibly have been described as “the biggest mistake the University has ever made” and “an unforgivable sin” by someone who felt that way about the issue, the bathrooms in the Richardson building have required further maintenance after new taps were installed Read more...

Editorial: Oh Shit, Jack Won

Posted 5:06pm Saturday 21st September 2019 by Charlie O’Mannin

Last week I said that the OUSA presidency was anyone’s game, that any of the three candidates could pull it off. In the week since then I forgot my own good advice. The OUSA bubble were convinced that it wasn’t going to be Jack; most people thought that Will was a safe bet, and if Read more...