Proctor Asked Police to Arrest Students for Couch-Burning

Posted 4:29pm Sunday 10th May 2020

The Proctor asked police to arrest and charge students with couch burning offences, according to emails released to Critic under the Official Information Act. A spokesperson for the University of Otago said that they “continue to expect the Code of Student Conduct to be the principal means Read more...

Agnew Street 2020 Will Be An Uphill Battle

Posted 3:44pm Sunday 10th May 2020

Agnew Street Party organisers will face an uphill battle against concerns from emergency services, emails released to Critic under the Official Information Act show. Suggestions to stop or mitigate the risks of Agnew include an eight month alcohol ban in the area. “Numbers attending the Read more...

University Broke Its Own Rules With Delayed Exam Timetable

Posted 11:07am Friday 8th May 2020

Not only has the delayed exam timetable frustrated students, it also breached clause 3(e) of the University’s Administration of Final Examinations Policy. The Policy states that the exam timetable will be provided “six weeks before the first day of final examinations for first Read more...

Vice-Chancellor’s “Frustrating” Response to Exam Timetable Complaint

Posted 12:50pm Wednesday 6th May 2020

Otago University has not yet released their semester one exam timetable. A commerce student went straight to the Vice-Chancellor with his complaint and received a response.   On May 5, Tim Lamb wrote an email to Vice-Chancellor Harlene Hayne outlining his “total dissatisfaction Read more...

RAs Get Pay-out After Controversy

Posted 2:09pm Friday 1st May 2020

RAs who stayed in their residential colleges for the lockdown are now receiving $20 more per week than RAs who left their residential colleges.  The $140 pay-out was announced following the outrage from RAs who remained in their colleges for lockdown and were ineligible for a fee rebate. A Read more...

Uni Releases Details of Covid-19 Special Consideration

Posted 1:33pm Thursday 30th April 2020

Grades of 47.5 can be rounded up to a pass for this semester, according to a staff memo on Covid-19 special consideration. University staff received a memo on 28 April with details of the special consideration they can apply to students. The memo was sent to all academic staff by Academic Deputy Read more...

Illegal Employment and “Toxic” Work Environment at ReBurger

Posted 11:53am Thursday 16th April 2020

Former employees from ReBurger Dunedin have spoken to Critic about illegal employment practices, a lack of training in food safety, inappropriate comments made by the owner, and a high-pressure work environment. The eight employees who spoke to Critic worked at the restaurant from the end of 2017 Read more...

Opinion: The Government’s Tertiary Package Is a Joke, Not Support

Posted 4:26pm Wednesday 15th April 2020

The government’s tertiary student support package for Covid-19 dropped yesterday. To get support, students need to take on $1000 of debt that cannot be used to pay rent or buy food. The government has also made changes so that Studylink will not penalise students for dropping courses by Read more...

Students Resort to Typing Assignments on Phones

Posted 1:34pm Saturday 4th April 2020

Students left to type assignments on their smartphones feel that universities have failed to consider accessibility in the transition to online learning. Mapihi, a student at Otago, said she had to make “major adjustments to [her] learning”. Her laptop broke the week before the Read more...

International Students Locked Down In Dunedin Blame Uni

Posted 4:37pm Friday 3rd April 2020

Some international students stuck in Dunedin for lockdown are frustrated by the lack of Covid-19 communication from the University. Anthony is a dentistry student from Canada. He lives in a Uni Flat with two other international students. Their Kiwi Host left for the lockdown. In the week of the Read more...