Bailey
Drawing by Zoey Crispens (2025). Pencil portrait featured in The Navigator Vol. 57, No. 2.
Welcome to Volume 57 of The Navigator.
We're back in business, baby. Get ready for six new issues fall through spring with content fresh off the boat.
That's right—no more waiting on the tides. Sink into the latest monthly print issue or wade with us as each story surfaces.
NOW ON NEWSSTANDS: Volume 57 | Issue No. 4
Headlines
What’s New…
04
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Elke’s on the Island, Ep 4: Kappa Sigma Arrives at VIU
For this month’s edition of Elke’s On The Island, Sorensen met with Vancouver Island Kappa Sigma President Ethan Johnson and Vice President Kyle Osipov to discuss Kappa Sigma’s presence on VIU’s Nanaimo campus. Johnson and Osipov share about their...
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The Art of Making Friends as an Adult
Making and maintaining friends in university is no easy task. VIU students share stories on the difficulties and successes they’ve experienced while making friends as an adult.
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Bridging Cultures in Transition
As VIU prepares for upcoming changes to its exchange offerings, students are looking back on recent experiences abroad—and forward to what global learning will look like in the years ahead. For some, programs like the short-term Japan exchange have...
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In the Woods West of Westwood
Noticing how people may use a space differently is something of great interest to archaeologists. Perhaps a space is used differently over time by a society.
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Should Students Pay Fees?
Every semester, students turn to scholarships, bursaries, RESPs, and empty their pockets for the sake of education in Canada. But who should pay for our education?
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Sewing Project
Francis kicked the shiny pebble down the dirt track, one hand lazily stuffed in his hoodie pocket and the other wrapped around a moisture-stained slushy cup. There was no sidewalk on this stretch of road, barely even a bike lane, only a narrow...
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Meet Mauro
Multidisciplinary artist Mauro Dalla Costa, founder of UFF Screen Printing Studio, sits down to chat about his work, process, and achievements in screen printing.
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Better Pretender?
Every January arrives with a fresh start of resolutions about who we should become. This is a look at how “New Year, New Me” sells us the idea that we need to start over.
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New Years Goals with The Navigator
Staff of The Nav share what they hope to accomplish in the new year!
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Whale Crisis
Recent and ongoing whale strikes and deaths have come to the attention of Fisheries and Oceans. It’s getting harder for the marine mammals to navigate the ever rising traffic and human activities in the waters surrounding Vancouver Island. Is there...
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Grounding Into Spring
As students return to campus for the first week of the spring semester, many are reflecting on how they used the quiet stretch of time between December and January to reset. What used to feel like a traditional holiday break has increasingly become...
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Naming the Elephant Together: The Death Café Phenomenon
In a Death Café, folks gather to engage in open-ended conversations about death. Coats rustle as people settle into their chairs, balancing paper cups of tea and small slices of cake from a local bakery. The term café here isn’t meant...
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A Week in the Life of VIU’s Dance Team
Dancing into his fourth feature, Liam Prendergast teams up with the VIU Dance Team to explore what a week in the life of a team member looks like. He joins them for an action-packed schedule: starting with an early morning practice, followed by a...
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In the Crowd: Ladysmith Festival of Lights
During the holiday season on Vancouver Island, it’s unfortunately dark outside most of the time, and when the sun goes down before 5:00 pm, what better than a colourful display of lights to stave off the darkness? This issue, Daxton Comba tours...
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Elke’s on the Island, Ep 4: Kappa Sigma Arrives at VIU
For this month’s edition of Elke’s On The Island, Sorensen...
-
The Art of Making Friends as an Adult
Making and maintaining friends in university is no easy...
-
Bridging Cultures in Transition
As VIU prepares for upcoming changes to its exchange...
-
In the Woods West of Westwood
Noticing how people may use a space differently is...
-
Should Students Pay Fees?
Every semester, students turn to scholarships, bursaries,...
-
Sewing Project
Francis kicked the shiny pebble down the dirt track, one...
-
Meet Mauro
Multidisciplinary artist Mauro Dalla Costa, founder of UFF...
-
Better Pretender?
Every January arrives with a fresh start of resolutions...
-
New Years Goals with The Navigator
Staff of The Nav share what they hope to accomplish in the...
-
Whale Crisis
Recent and ongoing whale strikes and deaths have come to...
-
Grounding Into Spring
As students return to campus for the first week of the...
-
Naming the Elephant Together: The Death Café Phenomenon
In a Death Café, folks gather to engage in open-ended...
-
A Week in the Life of VIU’s Dance Team
Dancing into his fourth feature, Liam Prendergast teams up...
-
In the Crowd: Ladysmith Festival of Lights
During the holiday season on Vancouver Island, it’s...
Back Issues
IN THIS ISSUE:
We embrace visual diversity, ice-cold immersions, parental guidance, raw poetry, and extrasensory artwork. Beacons illuminate community leadership, a star setter, food insecurity, and discriminatory policies behind blood donation. Contributors also share fantastically fiery tales, four drinks in five stanzas, and a funny little crab comic. Remember to take it easy, tiger.
05
01
VIU Mariners Upcoming Season
Get ready to put your game face on! Varsity sports teams are back fighting for a PACWEST championship title. Mariners hockey will return to defend their BCIHL title, while Mariners baseball will have a strong start in the spring season.
Destruction Over Dialogue
In the wake of Vancouver Island University’s removal of the Palestinian Solidarity Encampment, Lee Groen speaks with Sara Kishawi about the school’s handling of the situation, the Canadian government’s hypocrisy, and what’s next for Palestinian...
What is Neurodiverse Love, Teigan & Padraig?
Teigan and Padraig share their experience as neurodiverse people in love. With the longest standing relationship of anyone we’ve talked to so far, their relationship has grown from living in a tiny-home, to graduating university, to building...
Saying “Goodbye”
Saying goodbye is never easy. Staying in touch can be even harder. University students share how they maintain meaningful friendships while attending university away from their hometown.
From Textbooks to Tuscan Tales
Signing up for my first Liberal Studies class felt like an accident, but it led me straight to Florence. Between the endless reading and shared apartments, I discovered two things: Renaissance art is mind-blowing, and bonding with fellow students...
VIU Mariners Hockey ft. Matthew Fleet and Maxwell Struss
The Nav’s Grace Penner asks two VIU Mariners—a goalie and a defenseman—about hockey superstitions, what the team does to prepare for games, and more!
Island Time Axe Throwing
Discover one of the best things to do in Nanaimo. Today we’ll visit Island Time Axe Throwing, a small business aiming to create a safe space for young adults and youth alike. Have fun at this alcohol-free establishment where you can throw...
Discovering Mocktails and Mixology
What makes a good mocktail? What makes them more than just fruit juice? Join me on my exploration into the world of non-alcoholic cocktails.
Tale of Two Danielas
Two Danielas discuss the importance of building a supportive community and how finding your group of friends makes all the difference—especially when studying abroad.
Saplings of Hope
I planted trees for three summers in the heat of the fire season from May to the end of July. It was a physically demanding job. I had countless scrapes and cuts, tendonitis in my elbow, and a hand swollen twice its size. Despite these physical...
Meeting Jesse Roper
Jesse walks into the Rhino Coffee House in Victoria at nine in the morning. He’s wearing flip-flops and gives off an overall Billabong vibe that matches his infamous bluesy tunes.
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What to Do When You Get SAD
Living in Vancouver may feel like a dream in the summer, but once fall hits, the shift from West Coast to ‘Wet Coast’ is a harsh reminder that no sun comes without its share of rain. As the colder seasons roll in, it’s easy to get dragged down by...
Students on VIU’s Education Program
Homeschooler Jack Corfield asks students in VIU’s Education Program about their experiences in their practicums and classes. What skills do they learn to use? What do they learn on their feet? How can they help each other succeed? Find out in...
Renewable Hydrogen Energy
Advancement of Turquoise Hydrogen Energy Production Through Methane Pyrolysis.
Buried Connections
We’d hate to spoil this contributor’s shroomy short story….
Navigating Thanksgiving
Elke meets two VIU Elders and an Indigenous Studies student to discuss how they observe a holiday that harbours complicated origins. How do they celebrate this historically tense holiday? Do they celebrate at all?
A Summer to Remember
Eamon and I decided that if we were going to die, we were going out with good music. I cranked the Guardians of the Galaxy Awesome Mix Volume 1 and we held on for dear life.
VIU Mariners Soccer: WOMEN’S MIC’D UP WARM-UP!
Grace Penner heads over to Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium to watch the women’s soccer match as VIU Mariners face the Douglas College Royals. After meeting Courtney Ingram, Tori Hauptman, and Mya Creed to talk team dynamics, we have Ingram mic up and...
The Spectre of Haven Hall
Mysteries. Manuscripts. Mansion-sitting. Fran Bacon faces distraction once again. With fresh signs of an intruder and the safety of her bedroom compromised, she has little choice but to risk detection in search of her missing cell phone.
Polls? In My Province? TODAY? It’s More Likely Than You Think
If you’re reading this, it’s not too late. Probably. Sure, politics can be scary, but it’s time. Time to vote in BC’s 2024 General Election.
Joyride
Whether I was struggling my way through life as a single mom driving a boxy Volvo, or on top of the world in a muscle car, what I drove represented the yardstick of how I was doing. I’ve been driving since I was fifteen, and who I am can still be...
Hullo Re-Review
Follow The Navigator’s Alonso Ortiz to ‘sea’ what the Hullo ferry service has to offer. Find out how this fast ferry is different from previous attempts, discover its positive impact on the Nanaimo community, and say ‘hullo’ to Xander France in an...
Meet Thrive
Join Daniela for another episode of The Navigator Podcast as guests Paola and Hannah from VIU Thrive discuss the mental health support programs available to VIU students. Discover how Thrive’s events and resources empower students to prioritize...
03
Reviving Girls on Fire
Join Jack, Becca, and Frankie as we discuss the return of VIU’s feminism club, a space for everyone! In this short update, we explore the exciting prospects for community creation and education that forming a club like Girls on Fire provides....
To Bed for the Winter
It’s important to not only care for the plants in the garden, but the garden itself.
Breaking Barriers
As a woman in a world of sports, journalism is challenging for not only Nav Reporter Grace Penner, but other journalism students Noelle Suzuki and Emily Brandstaetter. Follow their story and discover how these women conquer the scrutiny.
Welcome to the Tip-ocalypse
We’ve all had that awkward standoff with the tip screen; it’s man versus machine all over again. You’re standing there, staring at it like it’s some moral quiz you didn’t study for. Thoughts start spinning. This person probably needs the...
VIU Students Vote Yes for CHLY
VIU students voted to increase fees to support campus radio station CHLY 101.7FM. Find out how the CHLY Fee Referendum result benefits campus culture and how to get involved.
Local Theatres Take Centre Stage
Phones off please—we’re about to take a look at whether local theatre is an endangered artform, if it’s alive and well, or if it’s something somewhere in-between.
Paying Lip Service
Alyona Latsinnik interviews BC Conservative Candidate Marina Sapozhnikov during an election night. As an Indigenous Studies student, she is appalled by the shocking news she obtains during her interview. This is the exclusive, expanded...
Theatre After Dark
Join Daniela for another episode of The Navigator Podcast as guests Max Rukus, Alex Bhargava, and Jenna Bigmore discuss their experiences in VIU’s Theatre department. They explore themes like work/life balance, building friendships, and...
VIU Companions
Follow The Navigator into the small world of VIU’s favorite companions, the bunnies! Explore campus with our fluffy friends and take a minute to relax with us.
VIU Mariners Court Highlights ft. Max D’Amato and Kai Leighton
Grace Penner dribbles over to the gym to watch the VIU Mariners Men’s Basketball team win against the CBC Bearcats on October 25, 2024. Forwards Kai Leighton and Max D’Amato give us a recap and discuss plans to keep up the winning streak for the...
Stomaching the Landscape
Beatrix Taylor may be our Business Manager, but she’s also a poet and we didn’t even know it. Enjoy this treat we snuck into the magazine for The Nav’s return to print. (Everyone say “Thank you, Bea.”)
More, More, More
Beyond Words
Videos
Episodes
Creative Writing
Short Stories
Poems
Gallery Deck
Sea Cue #2
Comic by David Harvey (2025) featured in The Navigator Vol. 56, No. 4.
Castle
Photo by James O’Reilly featured in Vol. 55, No. 2: Trick or Treat.
Nightmare Approaching
Illustration by Charlie Szafron featured in Vol. 55, No. 4: Dreamer.
Playing with Heartstrings
Illustration by Charlie Szafron featured in Vol. 55, No. 5: Heartstrings.
Sea Cue #1
Comic by David Harvey (2025) featured in The Navigator Vol. 56, No. 4.
Dozer
Drawing by Zoey Crispens (2025). Pencil portrait featured in The Navigator Vol. 56, No. 6.
Autumn’s Beacon
Illustration by Charlie Szafron (2024). Digital Art featured in The Navigator Vol. 56, No. 2.
Moongazer
Photo by Ann Hoffmann (2025) featured in The Navigator Vol. 56, No. 4.
Corvus Macrorhyncos Japonen
Illustration by Micha Marie (2025). Sketch featured in The Navigator Vol. 56, No. 4.
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