Celebrating 15 Years of VISFF
For fifteen years, the VISFF has been showcasing filmmakers from around the globe; but its core mission has always been to promote local talent.
A Walk Among the Green
No one outgrows the need for nature, and van der Stoel speaks to the endless benefits that she has experienced herself and has seen others experience.
2019 Walter Owen Book Prize Winner Announced
A media release, via Globe Newswire, has announced the winner of the 2019 Walter Owen Book Prize.
The Canadian Foundation for Legal Research has selected Jonathan Rudin as the winner of the 2019 Walter Owen Book Prize for his book, Indigenous People and the Criminal Justice System: A Practitioner’s Handbook.
The award honours its namesake, who was a significant member within the Law Society of British Columbia. He was Lieutenant Governor of BC, a past President of the Canadian Bar Association and the first President of the Foundation for Legal Research, according to the Canadian ...
Marginalized Music
CBC Music's Top 19 Canadian Albums of 2019 came out this December. Four of the featured groups are composed of marginalized musicians who have made their own way without the typical mainstream support: Riit, Rae Spoon, Kimmortal, and Tegan & Sara.
Musicians make almost all their revenue from being on tour and performing shows, after having usually spent more of their own money recording and marketing their albums. These 2019 releases break musical barriers and criss-cross genres and their voices deserve to be heard far and wide across the country.
Riit hails from Panniqtuq, ...
Library Construction
The VIU Library Commons (AKA the third floor) will be undergoing some changes in the coming months. There will be incremental upgrades over the winter break and throughout next semester.
As you’ve probably already noticed, all the bookshelves on the third floor have been emptied and dismantled. The audio/video resources from those shelves have been relocated among the books on the fourth floor. Some of the new space opened up on the third floor will be used for an increase in student study seats from 320 to 450 and an additional 37 computers. There will also be a centralized station ...
Best of the City: Axe and Grind
With the passing of the fall semester classes and exams, students at VIU are bound to have a little bit of pent-up aggression. There’s no better way to let that out than a bit of friendly competition with your friends.
Dreaming of a Green Christmas
The last holidays of the year can be a doozy on students’ wallets. It can also be a doozy on our trash cans. Black Friday came and went and now Christmas sales are popping up, and next will be Boxing Day prices; how can we get nice things for our friends and family, not stress about paying tuition in January, and not accumulate twice as much garbage as any other month of the year? I have no fear in sounding like a broken record: bring your reusable bags, shop local, be conscious of packaging, and wrap presents with recyclable materials.
No, wrapping paper is not recyclable. If it has ...
VIU’s New President Gives Installation Speech With A Revolutionary Vision
Dr. Deb Saucier, the new VIU President and Vice-Chancellor, was bestowed the powers and responsibilities of office on November 15 at the Snuneymuxw First Nation Longhouse in Cedar.
At her installation ceremony, the previous president of MacEwan University presented her contemporary and revolutionary vision of what she hopes to accomplish in her five-year term as President. Dr. Saucier proposed that VIU is the type of university that can, and already is, breaking the conventional archetype of who can participate in post-secondary education and how the key to a successful community is ...
Awards Honour Legacy of VIU Alum Micah Messent
The family of Micah Messent, a VIU graduate who passed away in a plane crash last spring, is honouring his memory through a set of two awards that will support Indigenous students in need.
Messent, who graduated from Georges P. Vanier Secondary School in Courtenay in 2013 and from VIU in 2018 with a Bachelor of Arts in Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies, was on his way to the United Nations Environmental Assembly in Nairobi, Kenya, last March when the Ethiopian Airlines plane he was on crashed shortly after takeoff, killing all passengers on board. He was only 23 years old.
Friends and ...
National Addictions Awareness Week: #StigmaEndsWithMe
An update from the Canadian Centre on Substance Use and Addiction (CCSA), through Globe Newswire, has released information on 2019’s National Addiction Awareness Week.
The Canadian National Addictions Awareness Week takes place from November 25 to December 1. This year, the CCSA will be focusing their attention on stigma, with the theme ‘Stigma Ends With Me.'
Prompting this theme are the facts that substance use disorder is a health condition, not a choice or a moral failing, and the stigma surrounding substance use is one of the biggest barriers for people recovering from ...
Unwrapped: Students Showcase Sustainable Alternatives
Nancy Pagé, VIU Graphic Design Professor, posed a question to the students in her third-year Package Studio class: Is product packaging nothing but beautiful garbage? Then, she issued a challenge—redesign an existing product’s packaging so it is more ecologically responsible.
Each student chose one product, and their resulting creations are now on display during Unwrapped, the new exhibit at The View Gallery, located in Building 330 at the Nanaimo campus.
“Designers have a chance to make an impact in the way a product is packaged, reused, and eventually recycled," Pagé said. She ...
VIU Planned Elevator Outages
A series of planned elevator outages will occur at VIU’s Nanaimo and Cowichan campuses in the upcoming weeks.
In compliance with a required five year maintenance plan, the outages will occur on both the Cowichan and Nanaimo Campuses of VIU. Each targeted elevator will be out of service for the entire day; from 7:30 am–5:00 pm. The upcoming planned outages are as follows:
On Wednesday, November 27, the elevator located in the Centre for Sturgeon Studies (Bldg. 395) at the Nanaimo Campus, will be out of service.
The elevator located on the Cowichan Campus in Building 700 will be ...
Light It Up for the Holidays with VIU
The Christmas holidays are creeping up on us, and it’s time to get festive. If you’re looking for more ways to celebrate this year and get in the Christmas spirit, VIU is inviting students to join them for the parade (on board the VIU float) at the Ladysmith Light-Up and the Nanaimo Lions Christmas Parade.
Thursday, November 28 is the Ladysmith Light-Up, and if you don’t have a ride out there, the Fun at VIU community has you covered. Departure time is 5:00 pm, and all you have to do is sign up and RSVP at lightitupviu2019.eventbrite.ca to be included in the round-trip transportation. ...
VIU gives back to its students this holiday season
On December 3, VIU will host its sixth annual Giving Tuesday celebration, starting with giving back to the community.
Craft Fare: A Review
Craft Fare is Nanaimo’s newest food and beer spot. It’s a tight space along Commercial Drive in Nanaimo's downtown. The front is all windows and inside, it's decorated with textured whitewashed walls, mirrors, and a small succulent garden. There’s bar seating, a few tables for two, and a couple long tables with benches for groups. They’ve got 16 beer taps (sometimes cider) that rotate on Wednesdays.
Their menu is mostly appetizers, which I have absolutely no complaints about, with a few sandwiches for their mains. I ordered a Pint o’ Fries, deep-fried pickles, and marinara ...
Mariners Dance Team Hosts Beer and Burger
The VIU Mariners Dance Team host their Annual Fundraiser.
On Tuesday, November 19, from 7 pm–11 pm, the VIU Mariners Dance Team will be hosting their annual Beer and Burger Fundraiser at The Queen’s Pub. The event is open to those 19 or older. Tickets for admission cost $18 at the door, but can be purchased for $15 from any team member of the dance team, or through the event page on Facebook.
One ticket for the event provides admission, one burger (beef or vegetarian), fries, and one drink, including beer, highballs, or house wine. Those in attendance may also participate in the ...
Former CBC Radio Host Comes To VIU For A Hands On Workshop
This month CHLY radio is sponsoring an event that will give VIU students the chance to learn from the first host of CBC Victoria’s On The Island.
On November 25, CBC Radio alumni Lisa Cordasco will be presenting the workshop “News Radio and The Art of the Interview,” from 4:30–7:30 pm, giving the ambitious or curious radio lover a chance to listen to one of Western Canada’s pundits in a live experience.
The workshop's platform offers participants a chance to create and deliver news for radio audiences using effective practice of timely, relevant, and engaging presentation. It ...
The Environmental Impact of the Textbook Industry
Between the paper manufacturing, printing, and binding, as well as this cross-continent transportation chain, the carbon footprint and environmental cost of a single textbook has the potential to be massive.
Faces Behind the Food
"Seeing our students overcome challenges, develop that work ethic, learn new skills, then step up to shake your hand after week 42 is what makes me happy to be here.”
Impressions of Japan
Shinkansen
Silent sleek ghost train
Slices through so much busyness;
Inside all is calm.
Tokyo Izakaya
Tasty snacks sizzle,
Tipsy salarymen smile,
While Chet Baker sings.
Karakuen
Autumn colours blaze,
Streams burble, scent of pine wafts;
Perfect harmony.
Fujisan
Sacred peak reflects
In the smoothness of the lake;
Eternity looms.
Zen Garden
Lonely rocks stranded
In a sea of rippled sand;
Now mind chatter stills.
Kyoto
Swish of kimonos,
Through narrow cobblestone alleys;
Cherry blossoms bloom.
Shinjuku by Night
Teeming crosswalks surge,
Dazzled by ...
Student Spotlight: Meet Janelle Resendes
She is a force to be reckoned with, so take note. You might see her blowing up the literary scene and art galleries across the nation before you know it.
Sober Nights in Nanaimo
As Nanaimo’s population marches past 90,000, and businesses note the growing influx of university students, the need for an accessible night-life for various demographics grows. While some venues are beginning to accommodate this need, there are still hurdles to overcome.
Start of the Season: Women’s Basketball
Even if you’re not a mega-fan, sports can still unite people. It’s fun to fall into the fabric of the culture, and uniting people is something I can get behind.
Backstage with Dark Matter Theatre Group
Dark Matter is a Nanaimo based group—and no, they’re not sponsored by Hoyne Brewing Company—that was originally formed by Brianna Wiens in 2015.
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