Columns

Welcome to the last issue of Critic before the break.

Most of the news section this week is otherwise engaged, so here are some stories that failed to make the cut:

Exec plays with fire.
At the last OUSA Executive meeting, Postgrad Rep Keir Russell asked for – and was given – funding for the Dunedin Fire and Juggling Club to go to an event in Wainuiomata in early September. Russell is a member of the club in question, and funding requests of this nature are usually taken to the grants panel rather than the full Executive. Welfare Officer Ruby Sycamore-Smith and International Rep Kamil Saifuddin kicked up a stink, but $1,500 “bridging finance” was approved.

Sports to be improved.
Time reports that a growing lobby of golfers are advocating the reduction of games from eighteen to nine holes. This is a commendable initiative: most of the problems with golf stem from the fact that it exists, so any measure to cut down on said existence is bound to help.

Fun Party update.
The Fun Party had another meeting to discuss the future of OUSA’s governance structure. There were complimentary chips and condoms on offer. Half of the group was absent.

Mark Baxter was very insistent that he be allowed to finish his point, whatever it was, and took the meeting miles off track in the process.

Of the 13 or so stakeholder consultation forums that the Fun Party was planning to hold, it has so far held one. There is one week remaining in the two-month consultancy period that Francisco Hernandez had set aside. Oh, and Fran is now running for Council. They’re totes going to finish in time.

DCC race gets petty.
On that note, no sooner had Fran announced his candidacy for the DCC than mayoral candidate and Central Ward rival Aaron Hawkins weighed in with a bitchy Facebook status.

“First Press Release I have received all year from OUSA President Francisco Hernandez and it is to tell me that he is running for City Council. That’s what we call priorities,” he wrote (#realpolitik!). As Hawkins knows, OUSA has a communications person who sends out press releases on Fran’s behalf. His name’s AJ, and he’s quite good.

Ooh snap!
Pry-minister John Key contacted Critic about our last cover. “It’s a bit niche,” he said. “Why didn’t you run a picture of a snapper instead?”

Unavercity of Otargoh
A new Facebook page called “Unavercity of Otargoh” was formed. The page featured amusing MS Paint illustrations that satirised life at Otago, and rapidly attracted thousands of likes. Then shit got racist. Then shit got racist and sexist. Well, that was disappointing.

As I’m sure you’ll agree, getting three-quarters of the way through our 89th year is a pretty momentous accomplishment. Thinking about this milestone has made us all a bit nostalgic, so we’ve decided to commemorate with a look back through some of the more notable incidents in the history of Critic, the University of Otago, and Dunedin. Happy perusing, and we’ll see you again in two weeks.

-Sam McChesney