It will be astounding. Time will fly by. Madness will take its toll.
The VIU Satyr Players will bring back The Rocky Horror Picture Show for their 25th run of the cult classic. The student cast will perform their annual production on March 12 at 7 pm through the live stream platform Twitch.
The VIU Satyr Players is a student-run theatre club operating out of Malaspina Theatre that takes pride in supporting the community and giving students hands-on learning experiences.
Although the theatre is closed, the club has found new ways to continue to showcase its talent and keep ...
Personal energy levels and how to maintain them can be different for everyone. With the pandemic still in full swing, acknowledging when your energy levels are low, and knowing how to build them back up is more important than ever.
Noelle Hanuse, VIU counsellor, is giving a workshop on Wednesday, February 24 to help people manage their energy levels. The event is titled Holistic Energy Care: Understand, Transform, and Energize Your Whole Being with Noelle Hanuse (Wuikinuxv) MA, CCC, Counsellor, and is hosted by the Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement.
The workshop will be ...
2021 marks the fifth year in a row that the provincial government has declared a public health emergency due to illicit drug toxicity.
The BC Coroners Service reports that 2020 was the province's worst year in terms of deaths due to toxic drugs.
In 2020, there were 1716 toxic drug-related deaths, which equates to about 4.7 deaths per day in the single year. This is a 74 percent increase of the 984 deaths that were recorded in 2019.
Following the BC Coroners Service’s latest report, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Sheila Malcolmson released a statement about the 2020 ...
The movement to ban plastic grocery bags on Vancouver Island has been an arduous one, but various obstacles haven't halted its progress.
In January of 2018, Victoria instituted Vancouver Island's first bylaw banning plastic bags. Unfortunately, having failed to receive provincial approval for the ban before its implementation, Victoria repealed the bylaw in October of 2019 following a challenge from the Canadian Plastic Bag Association (now known as the Canadian Plastics Industry Association).
Rather than a crippling blow, this defeat was the push for additional municipalities to ...
Aries (March 21 to April 19)
Aries are always determined to finish whatever project they start. They are optimistic people and will always work hard for the best mark. So, when looking for the perfect group project partner, make sure you look out for your fellow Aries classmate.
Taurus (April 20 to May 20)
Being a sign ruled by Venus, it’s no surprise that you love love. Ruled by the planet of love, you will find satisfaction in love, attraction, and creativity. This month might inspire you to use your creativity to seek satisfaction by finding ways to express your love to those ...
In November 2019, students studying in British Columbia achieved a hard-fought victory—the elimination of interest rates on government-issued student loans.
Well, the provincial portion, anyway. Students in BC still have to pay interest on the portion of their loan that comes from the federal government—which was roughly a 60/40 split between federal and provincial interest, respectively.
That’s why the VIU Students’ Union (VIUSU), along with 39 other students’ unions representing over half a million students across Canada are participating in the Knock Out Interest campaign. The ...
Okay, so it might sound strange that the main ingredient in these cookies are chickpeas. I thought so too, but since finding this recipe from plant-based influencer Andrea Hannemann’s new cookbook, Plant Over Processed, I've made these cookies seven times. That might not sound like a lot, but that’s all within about a month and a half.
The cookies are soft, gooey, and bursting with chocolatey peanut butter flavour—you'll easily forget it's made out of chickpeas. They are made up of only seven ingredients, naturally gluten-free, vegan, and full of protein and fibre. They are pure ...
The opioid epidemic has worsened all across North America in recent years, mostly due to fentanyl-related deaths. Both medically prescribed and illegal opioids have propelled the crisis. The Public Health Agency of Canada states, “Since the early 1980s, the volume of opioids sold to hospitals and pharmacies for prescriptions in Canada has increased by more than 3000 percent.”
Fentanyl was first reported in British Columbia’s street drugs in 2011. By 2016, the Government of British Columbia had declared a public health emergency due to major increases in drug-related overdoses and ...
A single marathon is equal to 42.195 km.
Over the course of 30 days, Danielle Groenendijk ran 250 km—roughly six marathons—to bring awareness to, and raise money for, Parkinson’s disease.
Groenendijk is a fourth-year Bachelor of Science student at VIU with plans to become a veterinarian following graduation. She is very passionate about animals, and having grown up on a dairy farm near Chemainus, BC, one of her aspirations is to become a large animal vet.
At 21, Groenendijk likes to keep herself busy and active. She enjoys spending her free time dirt biking, hiking—especially ...
BC’s need for mental health support has never been more critical than during the COVID-19 pandemic. People are struggling with fear about their own health and the health of their loved ones, financial anxiety, the social isolation that comes from gathering and physical distancing restrictions, and working on the frontlines.
COVID-19 has only exacerbated this need for support, but Canada’s Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) states the country was already in the midst of a mental health crisis prior to the pandemic.
VIU Professor of Nursing Dr. Shannon Dames has been ...
“People who choose to take this stuff can die. The answer is to choose not to take them. It’s a choice.”
—R. D.
This is a comment on a CBC story written late last year on the overdose crisis in BC. Of the 554 comments the piece received, the one calling for the death of drug users is the third most liked. In fact, the two with more likes offer similar pitiless remarks—the dominant view being that drug users control their own fate when it comes to overdosing.
There are dozens of comments like this one. With nearly every major news story, the top comments were, for the most part, ...
If I could name only one place that really screams “Nanaimo,” that place would be The Vault Café. Before moving to this city, I never thought I would step through the pink walls of what used to be an early twentieth-century bank and emerge into a bohemian paradise.
The space is eclectic to say the least. A themeless spread of art makes a gallery of much of the wallspace and mismatched vintage furniture spans the floor. The tall-arched windows and beautifully carved wooden beams of the former bank mesh seamlessly with the earthy tones and various plants that inhabit the space.
With ...
As part of VIU's Global Citizens Week, Juno-award-winning poet Lillian Allen will be delivering this year's Gustafson lecture, as well as hosting a student-oriented poetry reading.
Coined the "godmother of dub," Allen is VIU's Gustafson Distinguished Poet for 2020-21. The reading will take place on Wednesday, February 10 at 10 am, followed by a Q&A. Allen will then deliver VIU's annual Gustafson Lecture on Thursday, February 11 at 5 pm. Both events will be held on Zoom.
Allen is a Canadian dub poet, educator, and spoken word artist who grew up in Jamaica. She moved away from ...
Nanaimo based artists, collectives, and non-profit organizations can now apply for the City of Nanaimo’s 2021 Resilience Grant.
The Resilience Grant will provide the recipient(s) with a one-time award of $1k to $5k to support Nanaimo arts and culture among the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting community resilience.
Julie Bevan, Nanaimo’s manager of culture and events, said, “Though the past months have presented hardship and uncertainty, it’s also been a time of learning, creativity and opportunity."
“This program prioritizes projects that build ...
VIU will be opening the conversation around Indigenous-specific racism in the health care system that is happening close to campus and around Vancouver Island for its Engaged Citizen Speaker Series.
VIU will be welcoming Dawn Thomas Aa ap waa iik, Associate Deputy Minister for Indigenous Health with the BC Ministry of Health, to speak on the important topic following the publication of the report In Plain Sight: Addressing Indigenous-specific Racism and Discrimination in B.C. Health Care.
The report was published in November 2020 after Health Minister Adrian Dix appointed Mary ...
From February 8 to February 12 you'll be able to see the world and learn about many different cultures from the comfort of your own home.
VIU will be exploring topics of systemic racism and unconscious bias during this year’s Global Citizens Week, a week devoted to exploring issues of global development.
This year’s theme is "Equity in Action"—its intention is to start conversations that challenge inequity and showcase efforts that make meaningful change.
Many departments from VIU will be hosting events, shows, and screenings throughout the week. Some of the feature events ...
With COVD-19 numbers in BC averaging over 400 new cases a day, the conversation around "double masking" is starting to grow while the waiting game is still on for vaccine administration to all willing British Columbians.
At the end of January, the medical advisor to President Joe Biden, Anthony Fauci, spoke with TODAY about double masking against the variant strains that are starting to come to North America. Fauci said wearing two masks “likely does” help protect against the strains.
“It just makes common sense that it would be more effective,” Fauci said.
Although everyone in ...
Over the last three years, I have spent a significant amount of time at the VIUSU Pub; I regard it among my favourite places.
I’ve had a lot of firsts at that pub: The first group of friends I made in Nanaimo, the first time I sang in front of a crowd, the first time I wore a toga, the first time I wore a seashell bra (I was raising money for the swim club, of course)—all at the pub.
The pub has been a quintessential part of my university experience, and I know I’m not the only one who feels that way. If you were over 19 on campus and looking to study, lounge with some friends, or ...
British Columbians can soon look forward to gatherings, concerts, and family barbecues as the timeline for the large-scale and complex rollout of COVID-19 immunizations in BC was announced.
On January 22, Premier John Horgan, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry, Minister of Health Adrian Dix, and the executive lead for BC’s immunization efforts, Penny Ballem, announced details of the next four phases in the BC COVID-19 Immunization Plan.
The plan outlines that approximately 7.4 million doses of vaccines will be administered to every eligible British Columbian by September ...
Six BC non-profit and not-for-profit organizations received a total of $833,293 to support mental health, substance use, and wellbeing programs for BC youth.
This funding comes from the BC Government Capital Project Grants, part of the Community Gaming Grants program, which provides $140 million annually to BC non-profits and not-for-profits supporting their communities.
In a news release on January 21, BC's Minister of Municipal Affairs Josie Osbourne expressed the need for these grants:
“Young people are experiencing increased stress and mental health challenges as a result of ...
January 15 marked the first unofficial Black Shirt Day in BC, and government officials marked the day with some important commitments.
Black Shirt Day—which coincides with Dr. Martin Luther King Junior’s birthday—is a day to don a black shirt and stand in solidarity with Black Canadians against racism.
The day has been heavily advocated for by Anti-Racism Coalition (ARC) Vancouver, an organization committed to combatting systemic racism.
While ARC Vancouver did not manage to have Black Shirt Day officially recognized in 2021, they are working to make that a reality for 2022. ...
There seems to be a new buzz in the air now that groups can start receiving funding from the provincial government to help protect the health and habitat of bees around BC.
Eligible beekeepers, beekeeping associations, and regional and community-based organizations are now able to apply to receive up to $5,000 to fund projects to enhance the province's bee health. Applications opened January 11, 2021.
The projects can range from public education, helping with bee forage (food supply) growth, and bee health. Some of the projects that were made during the last round of funding ...
Aries (March 21 to April 19)
With January being a cold, rainy, sunsets-before-five-o’clock kind of month, it’s important to avoid falling into a gloomy funk. While stuck inside, why not purchase some colour changing lights, turn up that “best of the 70s” playlist and get into the right type of funk while moving and grooving to them far out beats?
Taurus (April 20 to May 20)
Take this month to learn a new hobby, because why not? New year, new hobby. Practice being less stubborn and finally get out of your comfort zone. Try something new!
Gemini (May 21 to June 20)
Being a ...
If you are reading this, you did it! You made it through 2020. I don’t know about you, but after the chaos last year brought, I’m feeling a little more relaxed and ready heading into 2021. Okqy, not completely relaxed, but at least more adjusted to online classes and how to manage my time. Winter solstice has passed, which means the days are getting longer and nights shorter; we’re on the come up! I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
In my downtime, I like to make playlists and am excited to share “lounge around” with you! With over seven hours of good vibin’ easy listening ...
