Issue 20 | August 13,2012 | critic.co.nz
Issue 20 | August 13,2012 | critic.co.nz
Issue 20 | August 13,2012 | critic.co.nz
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NEWs<br />
By Staff Reporter<br />
OUSA has set the voting dates of September<br />
24 to 27 for the election of next<br />
year’s OUSA student executive. Nominations<br />
will be open from September 17 to <strong>20</strong>,<br />
with the results to be announced on the evening<br />
of the 27th.<br />
Each of the ten positions on the executive is<br />
up for grabs, and with current OUSA President<br />
Logan Edgar unable to run again due to term<br />
limits there will no doubt be fierce <strong>co</strong>mpetition<br />
for the top spot. Critic understands that current<br />
exec members Francis<strong>co</strong> Hernandez and Ryan<br />
Edgar (younger brother of Logan) are <strong>co</strong>nsidering<br />
a tilt at the top job, and there are rumours of<br />
a few OUSA outsiders taking a run. Critic asked<br />
Admin VP Jono Rowe if he had any intentions<br />
studENt PrEsidENt<br />
You da Boss, except not really. As the official<br />
spokesperson for OUSA, you are the national<br />
face of Otago students. You interact with the<br />
University, the City Council, and the media.<br />
You also get to sit on a whole bunch of different<br />
boards (but you get paid for it, so it’s sweet),<br />
and act as a director of a few <strong>co</strong>mpanies.<br />
It’s a full-time gig – you’re expected to work at<br />
least 40 hours per week – so it means taking<br />
a year off from study, but it looks pretty fancy on the CV. Calling old men<br />
“dinosaur cunts” is optional.<br />
AdmiNistrAtivE vicE-<br />
PrEsidENt<br />
If the President is the face of OUSA, the Admin<br />
VP is the brains. Your first duty is to assist the<br />
President in carrying out theirs, so you can<br />
see where this gig is heading. You do get to<br />
play big dog if the President is absent. You’re<br />
the policy person, the organisation person, the<br />
one who knows what everyone is up to. You<br />
also get to sit on boards and act as a director<br />
and stuff. At <strong>20</strong> hours per week, you’re working pretty hard. But shit looks<br />
good when you leave uni, y’all.<br />
10<br />
somEWhErE<br />
to further his political career, but he responded<br />
with a nonsensical rant about politics being “all<br />
about getting in the backdoor”. At this point<br />
Critic backed away slowly and stopped asking<br />
questions.<br />
Nominations require signatures from two OUSA<br />
members (all University of Otago students are<br />
members unless they have requested to be<br />
struck off), and Critic understands that Rowe<br />
is championing a suggested policy change<br />
which will prevent sitting executive members<br />
from nominating candidates themselves. This<br />
follows allegations that Logan Edgar breached<br />
election rules at this year’s OUSA by-elections<br />
by nominating candidates that he supported.<br />
OUSA has been plagued by a lack of internal<br />
political debate this year, with President Edgar<br />
<strong>critic</strong>.<strong>co</strong>.<strong>nz</strong><br />
an exeCu<br />
admitting that he cannot remember anyone<br />
casting a single vote against a motion in <strong>20</strong>12.<br />
It remains to be seen whether this flaccid executive<br />
will be replaced by student politicians with<br />
fire in the belly, or whether their political tepidness<br />
is a symptom of greater student apathy.<br />
Critic will be hosting an election forum on<br />
Friday September 21, where students can grill<br />
the potential candidates on their experience<br />
and qualifications for the role. When asked if it<br />
was true that the forum would be hosted at a<br />
student drinking establishment, Critic Editor Joe<br />
Stockman was too drunk to respond.<br />
If you’re interested in running for the student<br />
executive, here are the job descriptions for the<br />
ten positions available:<br />
FiNANcE ANd sErvicEs<br />
oFFicEr<br />
It’s all about the Benjamins. Third in line to the<br />
OUSA throne, you’re the go-to person whenever<br />
anyone is looking for those cash dollars, or<br />
wants to spend some. OUSA has some serious<br />
cash reserves, and actual assets, so it’s not a<br />
nothing role. You help set the budget, organise<br />
audits, sit on <strong>co</strong>mmittees, and report back to<br />
the rest of the exec on why you spent every<br />
last dollar at Lucky7. Want to be a CFO one day? Get this gig and you’re<br />
golden. <strong>20</strong> hours per week.<br />
EducAtioN oFFicEr<br />
It’s getting a bit easier now. You’re still cranking<br />
<strong>20</strong> hours a week, but it’s more about sitting<br />
on <strong>co</strong>mmittees, and sitting in on the Uni’s<br />
Senate. You’ve got a bit to do with overseeing<br />
the class reps system, and you interact with the<br />
Uni’s Academic Service peeps. You’re expected<br />
to reach down and help the other members of<br />
the exec, and with <strong>20</strong> hours per week, you’ll<br />
probably have time.