Archive
Student Revue offends all, entertains some
Posted 7:08pm Sunday 13th May 2012 by Bella Macdonald
This year’s capping show, entitled Capocalypse, opened May 9 to packed crowds at the Teachers’ College Auditorium. Organised by OUSA, the show takes place annually to coincide with Otago’s graduation ceremonies and will run this year until May 19. The Capping Show is notorious for its Read more...
Media get information right second time around
Posted 7:08pm Sunday 13th May 2012 by Josie Adams
Criticism has continued in response to the changes to the student loan and allowance schemes announced by Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce earlier this month. On May 3, Joyce revealed that student loan and allowances systems would be overhauled in the national budget, to be released on Read more...
House damaged: Fire involved
Posted 7:08pm Sunday 13th May 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
A student flat on Pitt Street was engulfed by flames on the evening of Tuesday May 9, sparking rumours of malicious arsonists and resident ghosts. Emergency vehicles, including four fire engines and one ambulance, arrived at the property at around 10.45pm, by which time the blaze was well Read more...
Degree factory churns out more WINZ applicants
Posted 7:08pm Sunday 13th May 2012 by Bella Macdonald
The University of Otago is divesting itself of nearly a tenth of its students this month, releasing 1,755 graduates into the empty void of unemployment. Graduation Ceremonies to mark the event are being held from May 6 to 19 in the Regent Theatre. 1,345 students are expected to attend the Read more...
Scarfies find their place in world is up trees, wasted
Posted 7:08pm Sunday 13th May 2012 by Claudia Herron
The iconic scarfie drinking game “possum” has gone global after an Otago Daily Times article reported concerns that growing popularity of the game is causing problems in the Dunedin Botanic Gardens. The story was subsequently run by The Guardian and The Sun in England, Fox News in the United Read more...
What Is A Whale Oil?
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Gus Gawn
As a change of pace from Callum’s usual dogged endorsement of rightwing doctrine, this week’s political pages will have an “everyman” flavour. No longer will you be subjected to the ranting of a man whose self-awareness and balance is as poor as your Alzheimer’s-riddled Aunty Dot that time she Read more...
NZ Cricket Sucks
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Callum Fredric
If you hear anyone talking about the Black Caps’s test team being in a “rebuilding phase”, this constitutes binding verbal consent to bowl beamers at them next time you hit the nets. When are the Black Caps not in a rebuilding phase? How many times have you heard the tired excuse, “well we may have Read more...
A Tale of Two Semi-Finals
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Callum Fredric
Good news, sports fans. Gus and I have swapped roles for the week. While this has dire ramifications for the quality of Issue 10’s political analysis, the sports pages will temporarily boast a vocabulary consisting of more than the words “bro” and “fuck”. So enjoy this preview of the 2011-12 UEFA Read more...
Drunk Wayfarers Get Their Just Desserts
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Josie Adams
Twelve students and their substantial quantaties of alcohol required rescue from Pudding Island on April 26, when they became trapped by the rising tide. After hearing the stranded students’ cries for help, Portobello residents alerted the Dunedin Coastguard. A rescue mission was sent out at Read more...
Not Enough Youth in Asia?
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Bella Macdonald
Over 300 people filled the Colquhoun lecture theatre at Dunedin Hospital on April 26 to hear a panel discuss whether euthanasia and assisted suicide should be legalised. The panel discussion, entitled, “Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide: A discussion we need to have”, was prompted by Labour MP Maryan Read more...
Students unrealistic, possibly Oedipal
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Claudia Herron
New Zealand tertiary students expect to be receiving high salaries and view their mums as the coolest people in their lives, according to a recent Colmar Brunton poll. Colmar Brunton is New Zealand’s most notable market research company, and was established in 1981. The poll of 220 New Read more...
Power-hungry scarfies briefly thwarted
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Claudia Herron
The University was struck by a power cut at around 11am on Monday April 30, disrupting lectures and severing the campus’s internet connection. The cut was the result of a contractor outside of the campus interfering with a power cable with an excavator, which stopped the supply to the main Read more...
Sneaky students slyly subvert system
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Imogen Whyte
The University caught fewer cheaters than usual in 2011, with figures released by under the Official Information Act showing that cheating and plagiarism incidents have dropped at six of New Zealand’s eight universities over the past year. Of the 19,500 full-time students at the University Read more...
Sign of the coming apocalypse: Drinking age to twenty
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Staff Reporter
The National Government has expedited the third reading of the Alcohol Reform Bill, which will introduce a raft of changes to the way that alcohol is sold in New Zealand. One of the more noteworthy changes is a split age for the purchasing of alcohol, which would allow 18-year-olds onto Read more...
National: Putting the “n” in “cuts”
Posted 12:51am Monday 7th May 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
Tertiary Education Minister Steven Joyce revealed major changes to the student loan and allowance schemes in a pre-budget announcement on May 3. The changes will come as part of the national Budget, to be released on May 24. From next year graduates will have to pay off their loans at 12%, Read more...
The Five Stupidest Taxes
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Callum Fredric
01 | Excise Tax (“Sin Tax”)Excise tax is a tax put on anything the government of the day considers sinful. Classic examples are alcohol and tobacco. Initially, the money is spent on funding healthcare for people who overindulge in these sinful delights, but governments inevitably succumb to their Read more...
When in Doubt, Slap a Tobacco Company
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Callum Fredric
All hail the brave warrior Tariana Turia, leading the small but valiant army of the New Zealand Government against the numberless forces of the evil tobacco companies. While outnumbered ten-to-one in terms of resources, the Government underdogs will prevail – because they have moral righteousness on Read more...
I Love Beer Pong Bro
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
For the next five minutes (or however long it takes to read 800 words) beer pong counts as a sport. If you have a problem with this, direct emails to critic@critic.co.nz, which is thankfully not my email address. Beer pong is a sport in which teams of two compete against each other in a test Read more...
Women’s eight take on eight other women in Windermere
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
The Otago University Rowing Club is sending a women’s eight crew to the prestigious Windermere Cup in Seattle, Washington. International crews are invited to take on the University of Washington “Huskies” crew at the regatta, which is one of the highlights of the intercollegiate rowing calendar. Read more...
Social Basketball
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by John Burton
This week we introduce a section in which guest writers give you a rundown of what’s happening in the social sports scene. Here’s John Burton with his take on social basketball. The Unipol Social Basketball League is a breeding ground for up-and-coming basketball players from the University Read more...
Five fifth-years frolic for fish in filthy waters of Leith.
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Bella Macdonald
A flat of resourceful fifth-years have proven that half a decade of being a scarfie is enough to survive in the wild, after an impromptu fishing expedition put smoked salmon fillets on the students’ dinner plates. At about 10.30pm on April 17, reported sightings of salmon in the shallows of Read more...
Winter of discontent paralyses destitute Auckland students
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Josie Adams
A study released this month suggests that 15% of students suffer from “absolute” financial distress and are unable to afford basic accommodation, food and clothing requirements. The Graduate Longitudinal Study, which produced the findings, sampled nearly 9,000 sutdents in their final year Read more...
Army Never Been to War, Are GCs nonetheless
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Imogen Whyte
Christchurch’s Student Volunteer Army has been awarded the 2012 Returned Services’ Association Anzac of the Year Award, in recognition of its contribution to the Christchurch community following the Christchurch earthquakes. The award was presented on the eve of Anzac Day by the impressively-titled, Read more...
International students aware that Dunedin is not Christchurch
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
The University of Otago International office has noticed a drop in international students enrolling or arriving on exchange in the past year. However speculation (mainly by the Otago Daily Times) that the drop was caused by the Christchurch earthquakes appears unfounded. International Pro Read more...
“What would you do?” no longer a hypothetical question
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Claudia Herron
The University of Otago has announced an operating surplus of $26 million last year, the highest recorded surplus since the figure peaked in 2007 at $26.35 million. The surplus was $9.22 million above what was initially budgeted; however, the likelihood of maintaining future operating Read more...
Thousands of Invisible activists invisibly paint the night
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Sasha Borissenko
Invisible Children’s much-anticipated “Cover the Night” event “took place” on April 20. Despite this, the citizens of Dunedin were surprised to wake up on April 21 to find that global injustice and international human rights abuses continued around the world. Online documentary KONY 2012 Read more...
249 lose their place in the world
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Imogen Whyte
249 students were suspended from the University of Otago last year for failing to pass an adquate number of papers, compared to 84 suspensions in 2010. This increase comes as the as the University shifts its focus to producing “quality” students, Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne told the Otago Read more...
Craccum to remain shit
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
Craccum editor Thomas Dykes is here to stay after a vote to remove from his position at the Auckland students’ magazine failed on Thursday April 26. The vote was held at an Auckland University Students’ Association (AUSA) Special General Meeting (SGM) to consider a motion of no confidence Read more...
Logan and Jono Rowe to Victory
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Claudia Herron
Last week’s University Council Election saw Logan Edgar and Jono Rowe retain their seats. From the voter turnout of 5,296, Edgar received 1,957 votes. Rowe came a close second with 1,756 votes. The Council’s Constitution requires the two members to be current or former students of Otago, and Read more...
Sowing the Seeds of the Money Trees
Posted 4:56pm Sunday 29th April 2012 by Callum Fredric
At the Audacious business competition launch on Tuesday, everyone agreed – Dunedin needs more businesses if we want to keep young, talented graduates from flying off to brighter prospects in Wellington, Auckland, or overseas. The University of Otago is aware of the problem, and has thrown its weight Read more...
Time to Shoot the Easter Trading Bunny
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Callum Fredric
The Easter Trading Bunny has myxomatosis. He’s stumbling around, bleeding profusely, spreading chaos year after year. It’s time to put him out of his misery. Parliament has attempted to shoot him 14 times in the last 20 years, but they’ve been using a water pistol. A conscience vote is never going Read more...
The defamatory guide to NZ’s political youth wings
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Callum Fredric
To put a more positive spin on this article, think of it as a guide to help you decide which political youth wing you would be best suited to. Here’s a description of the stereotypical member of each of the youth branches of NZ’s political parties: Young NatsHoping to get hooked up with some Read more...
Unigames Happened, Otago Won Fair-Play Award. Yay!!
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Gus Gawn
Over the Easter break a team of Otago athletes picked competition over chocolate and sport over spicy hot cross buns when they represented Otago University at the New Zealand Unigames in Wellington. Otago has won the Unigames shield an impressive 35 times. This year the marketing gurus dubbed the Read more...
Students Exploit Environment for Personal Gain
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Staff Reporter
Students for Environmental Action (SEA) celebrated the inaugural autumn harvest from the campus community garden with a festival last Wednesday May 18, with a barbeque, some live music, and a bit of gentle gardening. SEA, which has been active at Otago since the 1960s, worked with OUSA and Read more...
Med students hate sausage, raise money by tutoring instead
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Gus Gawn
Med student Chrystal Diong is putting her ample spare time to good use by organising a student-tutoring programme that raises funds for World Vision. The scheme, simply entitled Tutoring for World Vision, allows second- and third-year med students with excellent grades to donate their time Read more...
MASSIVE FRAUD! UNIVERSITIES LIE!
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Callum Fredric
Playas gon’ play. The Tertiary Education Union has accused New Zealand’s universities of using dodgy (but legal) tactics to push themselves up the national rankings table. The Performance Based Research Fund (PBRF) is a complicated system for allocating funding to universities based on the Read more...
Battle of the Bollards
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
A kerfuffle took place last week in the election campaign for the student seats on the University Council, with confusion over whether candidates were, or were not allowed to use the bollards around campus for publicity purposes. After student council candidate Margi MacMurdo-Reading Read more...
One Week of Volunteering
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Bella Macdonald
The Otago University Students’ Association (OUSA) is filling up their bag-o-karma with the introduction of the OUSA Volunteer Week. The programme, which ran from April 16 to April 22, was organised by OUSA alongside a separate volunteering scheme, scarfiecard. It gave students the Read more...
OUSA finally clicks, World War One happened
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Imogen Whyte
The University of Otago and OUSA will hold its first ANZAC remembrance ceremony this Wednesday April 25, to mark the contribution of University students and others who have fought for New Zealand. The ceremony will begin at the Memorial Walk outside the Clocktower at 1.30pm and end at the Read more...
Nine-year courtship ends in tears and late night drunken txt messages
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
The Employment Relations Authority (ERA) has recently ruled against the University of Otago following a complaint over the University’s failure to confirm Dr Jane Millichamp as a lecturer, after nearly ten years on a fixed-term employment agreement. Dr Millichamp began working as a lecturer Read more...
OUSA sells Unipol shares for cash monies
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
OUSA no longer has a stake in Unipol, after selling the last of its shares to the University last week. OUSA will be paid $296,000 for its shares, and receive a settlement return of $370,000 from a loan dating back to the 1980s, putting the total amount that OUSA will receive at $666k. When Critic Read more...
Three students arrested over gnome raid
Posted 5:04pm Sunday 22nd April 2012 by Claudia Herron
Three Otago University students were arrested in Oamaru on April 12 after executing a garden gnome raid in broad daylight. A member of the public witnessed the thefts and alerted the Oamaru Police, who later stopped a car, to find the students in possession of the seven new gnome friends. The Read more...
Scarfie Wins South Island Surfing Champs
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
If you ask a surfer where the best waves in Dunedin are, don’t expect a friendly response. For a group of people that are laid back to the point of being horizontal they become notoriously cagey if they think their doggedly kept ‘secret spot’ may be revealed. Surfers generally can be divided into Read more...
Unbreakable
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
The Breakers have been the best team in the ANBL all season. They went up against their closest rivals the Perth Wildcats in the grand-final series on the Thursday and Friday just gone and depending on results a possible game three on Tuesday (April 24). To help you bandwagon jumpers out even Read more...
Rising from the ashes
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
To help you bandwagon jumpers out there Critic has done some homework and come up with three comments you can make that will make it sound like you know something about the Phoenix, other than that they wear Black and Yellow. “The Yellow Fever are the Phoenix’s loyal supporters group. When Read more...
Playoff time. Jump on the Band Wagon
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Gus Gawn
The start of April is playoffs time for trans-Tasman sports. The Wellington Phoenix have had their A-League (football/soccer) playoff run ended by a heartbreaking extra-time goal to the Glory in Perth on Easter Saturday night. And by the time you read this the New Zealand Breakers will have either Read more...
New Zealand Wastes Bucketloads on “Justice”
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
It was revealed this week that the legal bill of everyone’s least-favourite tutor Clayton Weatherston has surpassed $440,000 and is expected to rise, with more invoices still to be filed. Because Weatherston relies on legal aid, the taxpayer will pick up this expense. The former University Read more...
I Can Has Moar Vigilantism?
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
The wild frontiers of North Dunedin are soon to be defended by a band of “Scarfie Sheriffs” whose role will include protecting saloon-goers from shoot ’em ups, Indians and gold train robberies. Although a little older than the average Toy Story 3D fan, scarfies have the potential to benefit Read more...
University collegial, if not universal
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
The University of Otago has received a generally positive review in an Academic Unit Report published on 20 March. The New Zealand Universities Academic Audit Unit (NZUAAU) undertakes a review of each of New Zealand’s eight universities every five years and with Otago getting its turn this year. Read more...
See Spot Rot
Posted 3:53pm Sunday 15th April 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield
An Otago Polytechnic student caused a stir after he displayed a piece of artwork last month featuring the carcass of a dog. The second-year student’s sculpture consisted of the remains of the dog draped over a beer crate and installed as part of an assignment at the Polytech’s sculpture Read more...
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