Archive

Choose Your Political Poison

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Callum Fredric

The 58% have spoken, and the MMP voting system is here to stay. But several key aspects of the system are up for review, and the Electoral Commission is calling for submissions from the public. Some of the issues you can give your two cents on include: The threshold for a party to get into Read more...

University grads flee country to find jobs, avoid crossbow violence

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Gregor Whyte

University students have identified not finding a job after graduation as one of their greatest fears, and as one of the most stressful factors affecting them during their studies. A Colmar Brunton poll reported in the New Zealand Herald found that 21% of students identified being unable to Read more...

Stupid students spark search

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Claudia Herron

Two third-year students had to be rescued after their O-Week raft expedition down the Taieri River ended in a major Search and Rescue operation involving more than 40 personnel. In an attempt to turn their O-Week into O-Creek, the pair set out on a homemade raft fashioned out of plywood and Read more...

Otago's Manhood Swallowed by Giant Hole

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Gus Gawn

The Otago Rugby Football Union is officially broke. They can’t afford SoGos, they can’t buy ramen, they can’t even pay the power bill. And they certainly won’t be springing for the whole team to get tuggies down at Lucky Sevens on Friday night. At the time Critic went to print on Thursday Read more...

Orientation Huge

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Josie Adams

Orientadium 2012 was the biggest orientation ever, and, for the most part, saw good behaviour from students with few incidents of note. With the Union building and lawn out of commission (it’s being prettified to the tune of $5.7 million) the week’s events moved to the Forsyth Barr Stadium. Read more...

Dole-bludgers told to get job, haircut

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Callum Fredric

Xbox sales have crashed after the Government announced the first stage of its welfare reforms on Monday February 27. Solo parents on the DPB will be expected to look for part-time work once their oldest child hits five, and full-time work once their oldest child hits 14. Having another kid while on Read more...

Execrable

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Callum Fredric

Welcome to a new year of Execrable, the column that gives you an insight into the spiffing world of OUSA. The year has got off to a great start already, with the old OUSA logo that made the S look like a J being gradually phased out, allowing the Japanese Association to call off its Yakuza Read more...

The Rise of the Lady Referee

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Gus Gawn

For five long minutes Brigitte Tyler was the darling of the New Zealand sporting universe. It was Wellington Sevens weekend. You were probably drunk, wearing a stupid costume you cobbled together in 5 minutes. Or you were drunk somewhere else. You were drunk. That’s all there is too it. It was a Read more...

Single White Cricketer

Posted 4:53pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Gus Gawn

Neil Wagner is a driven man. Since the age of 14 he has dreamed of playing international cricket, but things just kept standing in his way. He wanted to play for the Proteas, but he couldn’t. He wants to play for the Black Caps but he can’t (yet). It’s all he wants to do. Please New Zealand let this Read more...

Critic goes to the Rugby

Posted 4:08pm Sunday 4th March 2012 by Gus Gawn

Apparently a part of my job as sports reporter for Critic this year involves actually going to sports and reporting on them so, here we go. Joe (the editor) and I went and mixed it up with the other media types in the press box up the back of the main stand. That guy from 3 Sports with the massive Read more...

Summer Political Roundup

Posted 3:39pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Callum Fredric

Summer isn’t all backyard cricket, beer and barbecues. In fact, New Zealand’s politicians have been working hard all summer to take away your freedom to engage in those activities. Here’s a roundup of what happened while you were away over the break ... Tea tapes Biggest letdown of 2012. The Read more...

Remember the Highlanders

Posted 3:06pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Gus Gawn

Whatever happened to the Highlanders? They were a force to be reckoned with at the start of last year and then disapeared into a green oblivion. Well, this year, they are your new favourite rugby team. They have new, better players (cheers Mark Hammet), including an experienced campaigner to do the Read more...

Re-Union

Posted 2:59pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield

Otago students are about to receive a snazzy new space to study and socialise. Those in the know, including a certain Student President, have hinted that the space will be well worth the interim annoyance from the construction currently covering the heart of the campus. The Student Union, Read more...

Freshers run about in meaningless bid for physical prestige

Posted 2:56pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Gus Gawn

Last Tuesday hundreds of freshers packed Logan Park in their colour-coordinated and wittily-branded hall T-shirts, to take part in semi-formal passive-aggressive athletic pursuits. Plenty of skills were on show in volleyball, touch, netball and soccer but many chose to keep it casual to avoid being Read more...

North Dunedin Street Drinking Culled?

Posted 2:52pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Callum Fredric

Beverage-loving students are breaking down in tears after the Dunedin City Council took the first step towards a permanent ban on drinking in North Dunedin streets. The ban, if it goes ahead, will cover the area bordered by Queen Street, Opoho Road, Logan Park, and the railway line. Currently, Read more...

Break out your flat-peaks, the Octagon just got gangsta.

Posted 2:34pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Gus Gawn

A gang-related stabbing occurred near the Robert Burns Statue in the Octagon early on the morning of Saturday the 18th of February. One man was hospitalised with stab wounds and another was arrested and faces charges. It is believed the long-standing rivalry between Black Power and Mongrel Mob gangs Read more...

Proctor Chokes Freedom of Expression with COC

Posted 2:28pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Charlotte Greenfield

A student flat has received a warning from police over the controversial name of their flat. As is common practice among scarfie flats, the residents of 584 Castle St erected a sign to announce their flat’s identity to the North Dunedin community. This particular group decided to name their Read more...

Dunedin Remembers Christchurch Quake

Posted 2:18pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Claudia Herron

A contingent of 400 Otago students and Dunedin residents gathered on the Museum Reserve, united as one in red and black, to commemorate the first anniversary of the February 22nd Christchurch Earthquake. The memorial service was organized by OUSA, which had also initiated a similar service last Read more...

Knox Knocks. Who's there? Change.

Posted 2:06pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Zane Pocock

2012 looks to be a vastly different experience for residents of Knox College, following a review by the University of Otago and the New Zealand Presbyterian Church, which privately runs Knox in affiliation with the University. The review involved interviews with students to analyse the culture of Read more...

Burning Down the Castle

Posted 1:57pm Friday 24th February 2012 by Bella Macdonald

Otago students have returned to the streets of Dunedin in full force. Following an impromptu street party and several couch fires last Monday at around 10.30pm, police arrested six students involved on Castle Street. A crowd spilled out from a flat-warming and gathered around the fires, Read more...

John Stansfield from Oxfam

Posted 3:18am Monday 17th October 2011 by Critic

John Stansfield worked for a number of non-profit organisations including the Problem Gambling Foundation and sustainability projects on Waiheke Island, he even founded and headed a Department of Non-Profit Studies at Massey for a number of years, before picking up his position at Oxfam New Zealand. Read more...

Proctology -28

Posted 2:42am Monday 17th October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

In our last meeting of the year, the Proctor was very keen to “blow Campus Watch’s trumpet.” We were a bit taken back by this statement, but really what consenting adults get up to in their own time is none of our business. And Otago’s finest have been protecting the student community Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 28

Posted 2:33am Monday 17th October 2011 by Lozz Holding

What a year it has been. The naïve, innocent little first years who joined us in February are now all grown up. In fact it’s hard to believe that less than eight months ago these shameless, grubby little creatures were STI-free, respectable members of society whose parents still loved them. Read more...

New Unipol facility to open January 23

Posted 2:31am Monday 17th October 2011 by Lozz Holding

Unipol Recreation Centre will reopen in the new location of the University Plaza Building on January 23 next year. The move to the new facility has been a long time coming and will provide students and paying members of the public with new and improved recreational facilities.   The Read more...

ODT makes aggressive move against University

Posted 2:29am Monday 17th October 2011 by Gregor Whyte

The Otago Daily Times has delivered the first strike in its long-rumoured move to destroy the University of Otago, after the mediocre daily newspaper moved to summarily wipe out the ‘Campus Life’ section of its unpopular website. Version:1.0 StartHTML:0000000169 EndHTML:0000005013 Read more...

Pensioner trades in Gold Card for Critic Editorship

Posted 2:24am Monday 17th October 2011 by Staff Reporter

Mature student and ex-University of Otago dropout Joe Stockman has been appointed to the position of Critic Editor 2012 It is unclear when Stockman began his tenure as an Otago student, as the faded papyrus records of his original enrollment have faded beyond repair. However, his references to Read more...

Another year of Edgar; females and farm animals rejoice

Posted 2:21am Monday 17th October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The election results for the 2012 OUSA Executive were announced last Thursday evening at 5pm in the Gazebo Lounge. Incumbent President Logan Edgar retained his position as the most powerful scarfie on campus, with another full year in office to look forward to. Edgar dominated the Presidential Read more...

Gareth Badger

Posted 4:41am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic

For those of you who don’t immediately recognise the name, Garth Badger is a New Zealand photographer. Specializing in the area of fashion photography, Badger has taken the scene by storm since embarking on this career path four and a half years ago. His images are now featured in Remix Read more...

The Candidates: OUSA Presidential Election 2011

Posted 4:35am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic

Logan Edgar: "I'm smart as fuck" Where are you from? I originate from the thriving Southern metropolis of Manapouri which is nestled firmly in the bosom of the majestic Fiordland National Park.   Age? 20   Why do you want to be President? I know OUSA and VSM Read more...

The Candidates: OUSA Presidential Election 2011

Posted 4:33am Monday 10th October 2011 by Critic

Dan Benson-Guiu: The Contender Where are you from? Half-English, half-Catalan but I went to Logan Park High School in Dunedin.   How old are you? 19   What are you studying? Philosophy, Politics and Communication Studies.   Why do you want to be Read more...

Chronicles of Castle - 27

Posted 4:31am Monday 10th October 2011 by Sam Reynolds

It is with great sadness that I come to you in this, the last “Chronicles of Castle”; what a year it’s been. Before we get to nostalgic, this week’s news. Last weekend saw a constant stream of people heading to the hospital to be stitched up due to glass cuts. It also Read more...

Execrable - 27

Posted 4:29am Monday 10th October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Critic greatly appreciated the brevity of last week’s meeting, especially in light of the fact that this week’s meeting is apparently cancelled due to lack of business to discuss. That’s either efficiency of the highest order, or total and utter laziness, depending on your Read more...

Otago gooder at finances stuff

Posted 4:27am Monday 10th October 2011 by Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago leads the university education sector in New Zealand in fiscal responsibility, maintaining the lowest debt-to-equity levels of all the country’s universities.   Otago managed a debt-to-equity level of just 14.1%, with the Auckland University of Read more...

PMS a Myth

Posted 4:25am Monday 10th October 2011 by Staff Reporter

According to a new University of Otago psychiatric study, the effects of PMS on women’s moods may be exaggerated.   Based on data collected from 76 women, the study found that a woman’s mood doesn’t change substantially during the pre-menstrual phase (when PMS Read more...

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times…

Posted 4:24am Monday 10th October 2011 by Julia Hollingsworth

As anticipated as Next Top Model, OUSA’s next top flat was announced last week, recognising both the good and the bad of student living experiences.   The best flat was 543/5 George Street, which OUSA Welfare Officer Shonelle Eastwood described as “a great quality Read more...

University culls Portugese

Posted 4:23am Monday 10th October 2011 by Gregor Whyte

The University of Otago will halt the teaching of 100 level papers in Portuguese in 2012, after perennially low enrolment figures meant that teaching the subject had become financially untenable. Portuguese papers have been offered at the University since 2003 through the Department of Read more...

Study suggests lazy drunks do not outperform diligent nerds. Everyone deeply surprised.

Posted 4:21am Monday 10th October 2011 by Lozz Holding

A recent study has crushed the age-old myth that binge drinking and afternoon classes are the most effective method of achieving excellent grades at university. The research, conducted by two psychologists at St Lawrence University in America, studied the habits of 253 students and found that Read more...

Another mind-blowing referendum

Posted 4:17am Monday 10th October 2011 by Lozz Holding

Students can hardly contain themselves   Critic was literally frothing at the gash when they found out the details of the upcoming OUSA referendum, and undoubtedly the rest of our readers are equally hot and bothered about getting their sticky little fingers on the scoop.   Read more...

Annual measure of student apathy this week

Posted 4:15am Monday 10th October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

Voting opens for the OUSA Elections for the 2012 Executive this Monday October 10 at 9am, and runs until 4pm on Thursday October 13. Incumbent President Logan Edgar has been running an aggressive campaign, with posters around campus and a Youtube video featuring endorsements from various Read more...

Dai Henwood

Posted 3:44am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Georgie Fenwicke

Dai Henwood is a man of stock, stocky. His now familiar face and 5”5 frame are common to our television sets streaming in as they do every Friday night on 7 Days. Henwood is a member of the “new wave” of New Zealand comedy. He started out in Wellington before migrating to the big smoke and then Read more...

Execrable - 26

Posted 3:23am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

At an Exec meeting that briefly threatened to leave the realms of interminable boredom, the Exec finally passed the 2012 OUSA Budget. The savvy Exec had recommended two different budgets, since at the time of the meeting the VSM bill still hadn’t been passed. The next day it passed, Read more...

Bouncing off the Halls - 26

Posted 3:21am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Lozz Holding

This edition of “Bouncing off the Halls” was supposed to appear in next week’s Critic, but at short notice senior management sent us out into the field to see what we could find, and they weren’t disappointed. Kicking things off, we were told that a little while ago some eager little UniColian Read more...

Best of a bad bunch

Posted 3:19am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Charlotte Greenfield

Entries have flooded in for OUSA’s second annual Next Top Flat competition, with the majority of entries aiming to lose. Judging took place last week, and the winning, losing and greenest flats will be announced today. The idea of the competition, aside from giving students free stuff, Read more...

ODT headlines hit new lows. Stats on the up though.

Posted 3:18am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Teuila Fuatai

The ODT managed to title a story about a University of Otago statistics lecturer being elected the head of the International Association for Statistical Education with the unbelievably stupid headline, “New President knows statistics”. Did they think it was a possibility that he Read more...

OUSA cuts down on coke and hookers in light of VSM. Lucky Sevens to go bust?

Posted 3:17am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Aimee Gulliver

The OUSA Executive has put the 2012 budget to notice, ahead of a referendum timed to coincide with the OUSA Elections, in which students will vote on whether to pass the budget. Following the successful third reading of the VSM Bill in Parliament last week, the budget reflects the possible Read more...

Student Art Exhibition a success

Posted 3:13am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Staff Reporter

The OUSA Student Art Exhibition and Sale is being hailed as a great success, after luminaries like OUSA President Logan Edgar were among the purchasers of student art. The People’s Choice awards, sponsored by the University Book Shop and Art Zone, were decided after the event had run Read more...

BMW-driving meth head threatens students with bat after unrelated driver toots lightly at his terrible parking. Critic short on snappy titles this week.

Posted 3:12am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Staff Reporter

Two University of Otago students had the fright of their lives last Tuesday, when a man chased them in his car before following them into a driveway and menacing them with a baseball bat. The incident started when the suspect was trying to park his ‘reasonably nice BMW’ on a Read more...

Critic wins big.

Posted 3:10am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Staff Reporter

Critic took home the largest number of awards at this year’s Aotearoa Student Press Association (ASPA) awards, held in Wellington on September 24, gaining five first place awards, and narrowly missing out on the major award for ‘Best Publication’. The awards ceremony, which honours the best Read more...

Presidential candidates debate the numbers. Yes they were maths-debating.

Posted 3:08am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Julia Hollingsworth

The OUSA election trail kicked off last week, with a lacklustre attendance at the Presidential debate, and a number of nominations that is laughably low, even by Otago’s usual poor standard. This year there are only two candidates for the role of OUSA president: newcomer Dan Benson-Guiu, and Read more...

VSM passage inspires postmodern Cubist poetry

Posted 2:58am Monday 3rd October 2011 by Gregor Whyte

VSM here to stay, Students no longer need to pay, ACT on Campus very gay, Dinosaur-cunt shouts hooray? The Education (Freedom of Association) Amendment Bill, colloquially known as the VSM bill, finally passed its third reading in Parliament last Wednesday September 28, ushering in Read more...