In lieu of an available smoke machine for Ori’ 2025, OUSA roped in a group of 100 or so students to continually blow vape clouds from either side of the Union Lawn stage. Volunteers (who the Critical Tribune has been assured were fully consenting) were recruited at OUSA’s annual Tent City with the help of Shosha and the promise of free vape products for the rest of the year.
The vapers were rostered onto a runsheet to cycle through shifts to get the health and safety tick of approval. “I got some pretty mean headies, aye,” one of the volunteers, Ben, said to the Critical Tribune. He’d been midway through his bi-annual nicotine-break when he’d spotted the Shosha tent and “couldn’t resist” the student bargain which also promised free entry to all of the other O-Week events.
The sheet-wrapped freshers of the Toga Party had a mix of opinions on the inventive operations solution. For one first-year Health Sci student, it all came down to the smell: Shosha’s recently released Peach Bomb Creaming Soda was the flavour of the evening. “Much better than smoke [...] I want to reuse this sheet so I’d much rather it smelt like something nice.” Others pointed out the irony of Otago campus being “vape free”.
“At the end of the day it’s one to tell the kids,” said another vaper. “It made for some pretty sick pics too.” Do it for the ‘Gram, brother.