News

A blog authored by former OUSA Executive member James Meager has received disparaging comments from an author claiming to have access to the Postgraduate email account within OUSA.
Meager’s blog, “Mydeology”, is described by the author as “where reasonable people disagree”. In a March 20 post entitled “Crumbling student empire continues to crumble”, Meager blogs about the downfalls of OUSA and shares his first formal complaint to the association. At length.
 

Meager’s main concerns involve the treatment of OUSA members, both in relation to the OUSA Facebook page and the Postgraduate Committee.

 
The following comment appeared on the post: “James, why don't you just set up your own Voluntary Organisation for gazeebo [sic] lovers and then you can keep the problems of this irrelevant vocal minority to yourselves”. The comment came from someone calling themselves “Postgrad”, registering their email address on the blog as postgrad@ousa.org.nz.

 
Current Executive member Francisco Hernandez noted that “this could totally
be someone just using [the address] to stir shit”, adding “I could post claim[ing] to be ‘John Key’ and post under his moniker and use his email… to claim to be him”. You could indeed, but Critic speculates that not many people would believe that the Prime Minister has enough spare time on his hands to go around commenting on blogs about our students’ association, riveting as OUSA and its squabbles are.

 
After the comment was posted, a screenshot of this was posted on the OUSA Facebook page and a bunch of individuals began to attempt to trace the IP address of who made the comment. Hardcore tech shit yo.
 

With the recent controversy in the postgrad community, including the resignation of Postgraduate Representative Stephanie Ruddock, and issues over the Gazebo Lounge functions, speculation is rife as to the identity of the author of the comment.

 
Meager told Critic that it was likely to be either “someone within OUSA who is very stupid, or someone external to OUSA who is very, very smart to take advantage of the situation and further undermine the association” at a time when OUSA is already receiving criticism over censorship issues on its Facebook page.
 

Former OUSA President Simon Wilson commented on the Facebook post: “this isn't the kind of disagreement which has attracted a lot of outside attention. There can’t be all that many people who would even consider posting a response”. Student Support Manager Matt Tucker confirmed in the same thread that the Postgraduate email account is disabled and IP traces seem to be able to prove that the source of the comment is a home address.
 

Meager’s response to the issue has been to change the commenting settings on the blog “so that now a user can only comment through a verified avenue”. He comments further down the thread that as someone unverified “with knowledge of the Postgrad issue and knowledge of the Postgrad email wrote a disparaging comment towards the Postgrad group”, the administrators of the blog have “acted swiftly and promptly to alter the settings and ensure that, if somebody is posting without authorisation of an email address, they can no longer do so. If OUSA showed such responsiveness to their members, they wouldn't be crumbling as they are, leaving them open for another association to take student mandate”.
 

Ouch.
 

Critic would just love to know what Lex has to say on the matter. This story has conspiracy theory AND politics – all the elements of a great rant over a flat white.