Spenser Smith graduated from VIU in 2019 with a major in Creative Writing and a minor in Journalism. In addition to growing mushrooms, he writes poetry. His first poetry book, A brief relief from hunger, will be published by Gordon Hill Press in 2023.
Last year, I watched Fantastic Fungi, a documentary about mushrooms on Netflix, and something mushroomed inside me.
The surreal timelapses of mushroom growth—tiny, indistinguishable blobs exploding into vivid bouquets of fungi—were mesmerizing.
(The movie took 15 years to film because of how painstaking these timelapses ...
VIU’s Culinary Arts students, Microbiology students, and three Urchins walk into Malaspina Theatre.
No, this isn't the start of a bad joke.
It's a look at the first-ever Urchin Tank event that took place on Wednesday evening, November 23 on VIU’s Nanaimo campus.
The Urchin Tank is the grand finale of the Seaweed Challenge, a semester-long collaboration between the Biology and Culinary Arts Departments where teams develop and test fermented seaweed products.
Dishes using each seaweed product were presented to judges, or “Urchins,” as part of the Urchin Tank finale.
Olivia ...
Lucy, my family's cocker spaniel, sits beside me on the loveseat. Mittens the Siamese-tuxedo cat gazes out at the snowy backyard from behind the living room curtains.
I’ve missed this.
Lucy and Mittens are back with my family in Kamloops, where I spent my Reading Week. I feel the acute lack of pet companionship in my current residence in Nanaimo.
I live with one other student in pet-free off-campus housing. We're both animal lovers, though my roommate is a dog person and I prefer cats. If we want pets, we’ll need to move somewhere else. But with the high cost of living, could we ...
University life is expensive, especially during inflation. And one of the priciest things right now is food.
I didn’t pay much attention to my grocery bill until this year. Nowadays, I plan out my week’s meals more carefully to make the most of my food.
The following list includes ingredients that I have in my kitchen and that every student should, too.
Side note: if you have allergies, dietary restrictions, or don't believe in the consumption of animal products, feel free to substitute with another ingredient of your choice where you can.
Let’s dig ...
A gathering of students listens attentively inside the student lounge in building 355 on VIU's Nanaimo campus, myself among them. Though a cold rain pelts the windowpanes, it's warm and comfortable inside the blue-walled lounge.
Some students occasionally write in notebooks, while others keep their hands in their laps, fully focused on the words of NourbeSe Philip, the guest poet at the front of the room.
I try to listen closely and rest on the sound and the expanding space of every word. People like Philip are my heroes: they've made a living doing what they love.
Do I have ...
This is part one of a two-part inquiry into the restraints placed on women's bodies and sexuality.
I sat in my doctor’s office at 15-years-old.
I’d barely been on a first date—let alone kissed anyone—but there I was, getting a prescription for a pill I couldn’t pronounce.
“This will help you,” my doctor said.
And I didn’t question her.
I went home and started to take a pill each day, the ten-page pamphlet of side effects collecting dust in my bathroom cabinet.
My doctor didn’t mention any side effects, so I thought: who cares?
I was on hormonal birth ...
I’m waist deep in the waters of Departure Bay with The Nav’s Megan Zolorycki.
It’s November and the year’s first snowflakes fall around us while we struggle to breathe in the icy water.
My entire body is screaming at me to run to shore, but I force myself to stay. I try to inhale deeply through my nose and out through my mouth.
It doesn’t work. My breath is rapid and shuddering. We manage to stay in the ocean for over a minute before going back to the safety of our towels.
*
Does the name Wim Hof sound familiar?
He is known as the notorious “Iceman” who climbed Mount ...
It’s tough being a teacher.
Unruly students, detailed planning, a less-than-perfect workplace—any one of these factors can cause a burnout.
All of them together can create a breaking point for teachers.
Teachers in BC are dealing with many challenges, such as low wages, and high housing and food costs, according to Chair of the Association of the BC Deans of Education, Allyson Jule.
As a result, some educators are leaving the province or retiring altogether.
“The teacher shortage is a significant crisis for the country,” Jule said.
Enter VIU’s Education ...
Who are the people running VIU's clubs?
Audio Editor Jack Corfield speaks to Gen, the Supreme Hierarch of Unconquerable Dungeons and Ancient God Dragons (President) of the D&D Club, and Elizabeth, the Minister of Internal Affairs for the History Club.
Later, he sits down with power couple Sam and Katrin, Co-Chair of the History Students' Association and Vice-President of the Phycology Club, respectively.
https://open.spotify.com/show/2xCViD6kkYZBRLUFCpfzmE
https://thenav.ca/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/From-Club-to-Community_final-mixdown-1.mp3
https://youtu.be/_iaKNRyBkzI
Meet Austin Heidt, The Nav's brand new Sports Editor. Follow along with Austin as he gives an update on the recent action from the Mariners women's volleyball team, a review of last year's women's basketball team, and a look ahead for both squads.
https://youtu.be/IDtVf1a7jyo
Follow along with The Nav's Mike Duddy as he speaks with VIU's Thrive and fellow student Lindon Lennox to find ways to reduce stress as a student during a difficult semester.
If you're in need of help, call VIU's Counselling Services at (250) 740-6416 to book an appointment. Visit www.here2talk.ca for 24-hour confidential messaging.
Kuu-us Aboriginal Crisis Line: 1-800-588-8717
Vancouver Island Crisis Line: 1-888-494-3888
Nanaimo's very own Andrew Butler of Antler stopped by the Nav office to play us a few tunes and chat about the Nanaimo music scene. Stay tuned for future episodes of The Navigator Sessions where we will be highlighting the very best musical acts that the mid-island scene has to offer!
0:00 - Intro
0:10 - What is Antler?
1:14 - "A Way Out" by Antler
5:53 - What's the deal with the Nanaimo Music Scene?
6:53 - "Be Quiet and Drive" by Deftones
9:24 - "Destroy Your Dreams" by Antler
13:39 - Outro / Where to find Antler
Check out Antler: https://linktr.ee/AntlerBand
I’ve always been fascinated by owls. Their eyes look like two annular solar eclipses, rings bursting with a golden flame, lighting their way through the night.
I have nothing but my cellphone to light my way through the thick dark forest at the end of Galloway Gulch Road, Nanaimo—just off Jingle Pot Road behind the VIU campus.
The sun has just set, and all I have with me is a notebook, a pen, and my camera. I’m looking for the Northern Saw-whet Owl.
My friend Kenzie, a Biology student at VIU, invited me to tag along on an owl banding trip, something I had never done ...
October is a rough month with midterms, assignments, and cool weather kicking in. Luckily for students, there’s a new event this year: Beats Beyond Borders, organized by Cultural Connections. And it’s all about electronic dance music (EDM)!
The Beats Beyond Borders Global Electronic Music Festival is a free-admission concert on Thursday, Oct 20 in the RBC Royal Bank Plaza on VIU's Nanaimo campus and is the second part to the Beats Beyond Borders event series.
The festival features four DJs of different cultural backgrounds: Njoki Njoki, a University of Fraser Valley student from ...
[A previous version of this article implied the VIU Students' Union does not offer resources to students who have experienced instances of sexual misconduct. The updated version (published October 27, 2022) provides clarity on the subject.]
When I was younger, I was afraid of the dark.
I was a timid kid, night light on and my bedroom door wide open.
I believed there were monsters hiding in the walls, the boogeyman under my bed, and the only escape: the comfort of my mother’s embrace.
But I’m not a kid anymore.
The monsters I thought hid in my room are now ...
Last April, my classmate invited me to the 2021/2022 Mariners’ Spirit Showcase by VIU’s Dance Team. Usually, I don’t attend dance events, but I wanted to show her my support.
What followed was an amazing evening of routines—solo and group, cheer and dance, jazz and contemporary—with emceeing by coaches Elissa Miranda and Payton Berrigan. At the end of the event, they handed out awards and certificates to the graduating students.
I’ll admit I didn’t know too much about the Dance Team before that night. I’d seen them perform at the Mariners’ games, but I hadn’t considered what being ...
The lights turn on. The stage is set.
Actors take their place, and the story unfolds. The crowd stands and applause echoes off the theatre’s old walls. The curtains close and I watch as lines of people form, one by one stepping out the doors.
I stay behind and wait.
No one comes to tell me that the show is over. I wonder if I have become a ghost.
The theatre is empty except for the actors and director. They laugh and cheer, celebrating the show’s success as they too walk through the doors. I think that I’m alone.
I look up and see a man leaning against the metal railing of ...
Do you like cycling? How about film? If you said yes to either, then the Bicycle Film Festival (BFF) is for you. The festival is stopping at VIU's Nanaimo campus this Saturday, October 1 with evening screenings in Malaspina Theatre.
The BFF started in New York in 2001. It’s been to over 100 cities worldwide, featuring live music, art, and films from across the globe. This week’s showing coincides with the City of Nanaimo’s Fall GoByBike (October 3-16).
Founding director Brendt Barbur got the idea for the BFF after being hit by a bus while cycling. He decided to turn his negative ...
There is a new bench outside the Education and Social Sciences building on the VIU Nanaimo campus. On it is a plaque that reads: “In memory of Dr. Tony Robertson. Well-loved and respected professor, teacher, and friend.”
The bench was officially dedicated on Friday, September 23, in memory of Dr. Tony Robertson, who passed away suddenly on June 28, 2021 at the age of 71.
Robertson taught in the Department of Psychology at Vancouver Island University for over 30 years. Like the plaque says, he impacted countless lives along the way, whether students, faculty, friends, or ...
Alli, an Iranian MBA student attending VIU stands behind a table outside the campus library in Nanaimo. Melted wax candles dot the table’s surface in memorial.
“How can I live in this beautiful country when my brother and sister are being killed?” he says. “There is a sense of feeling guilty when I am here while my family lives in tough situations.”
Several other Iranian students stand with Alli, speaking to students who pass by. One reaches down and lights a candle on the table and adjusts a framed photograph of a young woman.
The woman in the photo is Mahsa Amini, who died ...
