In 2017, the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League (BCIHL) introduced its sixth team, the VIU Mariners. The Mariners will see action against opponents from Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland, and Washington state. They had their work cut out for them playing the 2016 BCIHL champs, the UVIC Vikes, to get the preseason rolling—the men’s hockey team kicked off their inaugural season with a pair of exhibition games against the Vikes.
Game one of the doubleheader was held on Friday, September 22 at Ian Stewart Arena in Victoria. The Mariners started off with a bang, and kept ...
It’s often said that getting out into nature is one of the best ways to reduce stress. Take a break from studying, relax, and recharge in one of these beautiful locations:
Westwood Lake
An eight minute bus ride from VIU, this beautiful lake boasts a 5.5 km trail, as well as a public beach. Walk or run the trail, swim or kayak the lake, or hike to the bluffs on the east side of the park and enjoy an unobstructed view of the water.
Buttertubs Marsh
One of the top locations for birdwatching in Nanaimo, Buttertubs is within easy walking distance of campus. Walk or run along the 2 ...
October is here, and it’s not just the leaves that are turning red. You may have noticed the signs already: copies of the communist newspaper People’s Voice appearing on campus, and the Trotskyists selling their Marxist literature in the Upper Cafeteria.
This fall will mark 100 years since the Bolshevik Revolution,the second revolution to take place in Russia of 1917. The first revolution in 1917, known as the February Revolt, was when workers, peasants, and soldiers protested against the war, food shortages, and low wages. Thousands revolted by marching onto the streets in the ...
Moments after I sat down to chat with Ava Crabbe, owner of the Charcoal Eclectic Art Emporium and Henna Lounge (Charcoal Henna Lounge), customers began to wander in off the bright Old City streets. Located directly across from the historic St. Andrew’s United Church on Wesley St., Charcoal Henna Lounge’s warm, inviting collage of local colours, textures, and scents draw the passersby.
When asked how she arrived at the name for her shop, Crabbe said, “I really like the word charcoal for a few reasons. First, it’s a medium used in created art. Second, I remembered reading somewhere that ...
Home to prickly pines and Douglas fir,
Hoh rain forest, a carpet of licorice fern.
Emerald beards coat every surface
over-grown facial hair or mask?
Timbers moistened by sulfur rain, exudes
rich cedar, ripe pine and old oak’s fragrance.
It was through wandering along over-grown paths,
I discovered:
A brook that gave birth to melodies of calming
harmony, freely flowing lyrics rising
from nature’s moving mirror.
A woodpecker pecks above
and the chips from the pine
blanket my shoulders; the sound echoes
from tree to tree.
I followed a muddy trail strewn with ...
Mariners athletes across various disciplines have been hard at work preparing for what will undoubtedly be another year filled with accolades, improbable comebacks, and unbelievable moments. Our clubs and organizations are suited up and ready to bring high-level sports to our campus for the 2017/2018 semesters.
The puck has dropped on the inaugural season for the Men's hockey team. After years of community fundraising and the backing of sponsors, the squad is set to compete amongst five other universities in the BCIHL. Home games will be held at the Nanaimo Ice Center with admission ...
Death doesn’t feel real when you read about it on Facebook
which is why I keep looking for your face in pedestrians near campus
because I saw you biking last month outside our journalism class.
Death doesn’t feel real when you read about it on Facebook
which is why I keep remembering you alive, breathing,
sitting across from me at the table in high school art class.
Death doesn’t feel real when you read about it on Facebook
which is why I asked our mutual acquaintance about you today;
he spoke to you two days ago… your life is closer to him than your death.
Death doesn’t ...
Whether you're a long time reader, or checking out the Nav for the first time, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for picking up the first issue of the brand new Navigator.
The team has been hard at work over the summer to bring in some great new changes to our format and editorial mandate. The Navigator is now a monthly magazine instead of a bi-weekly newspaper. We've also upgraded our website where, in addition to what gets printed, we will be publishing new content on a regular basis.
The content we publish has also changed. Our focus is now on publishing the work of ...
This summer I spent five weeks in Thailand, and learned how to be the sort of person I’ve always admired—kind, grateful, laid-back, and a girl who doesn’t take anybody’s BS. Unfortunately, these lessons derived from a lot of mistakes.
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Prepare Yourself for Bangkok
Bangkok was bonkers. After a 17-hour flight, my boyfriend, Jake, and I landed in Bangkok. We stayed in a hotel near Khao San road, A.K.A. the place to be if you’re traveling, due to its busy nightlife and tasty street food. Khao San is a bustling street that stretches for kilometers, with stands that sell ...
Five years ago, VIU became a leader in campus sustainability by successfully banning the sale of bottled water on campus—the first university in BC to do so. The Vancouver Island University Students’ Union spearheaded the campaign, called “Ban the Bottle,” which quickly gained support from students, administration, and labour groups at VIU. The joint Water Pledge between VIUSU and VIU was signed in September of 2011. That pledge was fully implemented in June of 2012.
The Ban the Bottle campaign, launched in the fall of 2010, had two main goals: to enhance the university’s commitment ...
This year is Canada's sesquicentennial. It is also the 100th anniversary of the very first jazz recording, and it is the first year of the Nanaimo International Jazz Festival. Greg Bush, Department of Music, will bring these events together in the first Arts & Humanities Colloquium presentation of the year. His talk is entitled “A Jazz Birthday Party: One Hundred Years on Record”. The presentation will take place on September 29 at 10am, in the Malaspina Theatre.
Canada's jazz history includes many prominent composers and artists. Most famous is Oscar Peterson, who was an ...
Scott sits on his light blue arm chair and sips a steaming cup of coffee–this coffee is more bitter than what he drank in his youth. The morning news comes into focus. Sounds from the television start to make their way to Scott. He looks to the window to catch a glimpse of the sunrise. Beyond the surrounding houses, he sees light glowing off the top of snow-capped mountains. It brings a smile to his face.
“Any second now,” he says. He waits for the warm sun to cascade through his half-drawn window shades.
“Ah, there it is,” he says. In a moment, his feet are cloaked with blankets ...
Our ears were blessed with heaps of new music this summer—Lana Del Rey, Jack Johnson, Lorde, Arcade Fire and Tyler, The Creator all released amazing new albums. It’s hard to compete with the music we jammed to all summer, but have no fear; I’ve got new songs for you to plug into while you’re heading to class this September.
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Lorde – Perfect Places (Peking Duk Remix)
Both Lorde and Peking Duk can do no wrong! Lorde’s new album tells the story of heartbreak and trying to navigate her new world of fame and parties. Peking Duk puts a fun twist on “Perfect ...
Do you love science? Are you interested in learning more about science?
From September 18 to September 22, Science Literacy Week will be hosted at the VIU campus for the first time. Science Literacy Week is a nationwide celebration of science for all ages. The event includes a science-themed book display, several guest speakers, films, presentations on coding, prizes, and more.
On August 31, 2017, Jesse Hildebrand, founder of Science Literacy Week, spoke out on what the event is for.
"It's a chance for all [groups] to join together with a big book of activities and to ...
When we start to think about masculinity, what are some ideas that come to mind? Are they qualities we like? Qualities we’ve chosen? Qualities we feel are unattainable, unpleasant, or even alienating? If internal definitions of masculinities are something that we don’t even like, well, then who the hell is making the playbook anyway? Feminism is asking men to look critically at the ideas we hold about masculinities. If for nothing but the sake of our love lives, it behooves us that we might listen to the growing body of social advocates. As the wheels of our progressive society continue ...
Bill C-244, also known as the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act, is a law which protects against charges for simple possession while calling in an overdose and seeking medical assistance.
On May 4, 2017, the Good Samaritan Drug Overdose Act became law. On August 29, 2017, Health Canada posted on their website showing concern for people's safety. With university orientation weeks coming up, Health Canada is trying to spread awareness on the rising opioid crisis.
Supriya Sharma, chief medical advisor for Health Canada, explained that the post was intended to spread awareness of what ...
long and crooked are his fingers
like his smile
they’ve been broken
his lips taste like iron from the blood that
drips from his nose and rusted roses bloom from
the lapels of his shirt
a cross-stitched madness that
ekes out the marble pattern of his
muscle
his hair is star-faded
dying at the ends where the follicles
spl it
but polished brass in
colour and curled
wood shavings
the scar upon his chest
pink and ridged
a chasm
it alludes to the cancer
they found it in his bones
and he has eyes the colour
of a moonset at dawn
the gold of the sun ...
School is back in session and many of us are looking to jumpstart the year with healthy snacks before autumn kicks into gear. Don’t know what to bring for lunch but want a quick and easy meal? Make this tangy salad to add some zest to your day.
You’ll need:
3 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 ½ tsp grated peeled fresh ginger
1 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp honey (agave is also an option)
½ tsp minced garlic
3 tbsp olive oil
¼ tsp salt
⅛ tsp pepper (or more to taste)
2 cups shredded red cabbage (green works too)
2 cups shredded Napa cabbage
2 cups thinly ...
Deep forest of velvety green
Dinosaur redwood.
Ancient, wise,
Silence, serenity,
Blissful, calm
Secret pathway
Sprinkled with golden leaves
Raindrops of sunlight
Bouncing playfully
Among tree boughs.
Smooth silken moss,
Damp under my feet.
Scrambling high
Tumbling low
Muted voices of long ago.
Spirit guides me.
Onward I go,
Descending to
Gems of dripping water
Glistening from rocks
Root ladders
Lead me down to
A secret place
Magical wonder,
few will ever see
Eyes slowly adjust,
Drinking in this vast echoing space
Intricate tapestries woven with ...
Back in September 2014, my inaugural semester as a VIU student, I submitted work to the Navigator for the first time: a poem about fishing with an accompanying photograph. On the one hand, I was excited at the opportunity to have my first-ever poem published. Before I had even submitted, I daydreamed about seeing my name in print and sending a couple of copies home to my family in Saskatchewan.
On the other hand, I was nervous about the dreaded two letter ‘N’ word, and what rejection would feel like only a few weeks into my university career. Would having my work turned away be too ...
What does it mean to be a Mariner? Beyond simply donning a jersey on game night, making the buzzer-beater shot to win the game, or cheering from the stands, what are the values and cultural tones being transmitted by the program? Ask the players, coaches, and fans, and they’ll tell you it’s the prioritizing of three things: academics, athletics, and community engagement.
Balancing the daily grind of athletic competition and the responsibilities that come with student life can be challenging. The Mariners Athletic Department insist that student athletes make academics their top ...
The 2017 Mariners men’s golf team will be headed by returning 2016 PACWEST league all-star Dallas Jones. Two of his teammates from last year will join him on the squad—Jacob Bland and Tony Trozzo. Trozzo is coming off a successful summer schedule that included playing both the BC Amateur Tournament and the Canadian Amateur Tournament. Bland was able to defend his title at the Sunshine Coast Men's Amateur Tournament.
Taylor Henderson, who last played for the Mariners in 2015, is back for another season. Henderson most recently finished 4th overall at the Nanaimo Men's Amateur ...
Photography. The art of creating images by recording light. A monumental media capable of shaping human perception and the frameworks of society. Single photographs often become emblematic of entire wars and social movements, forceful in their supposed truth and objectivity.
In Lisa Bird-Wilson’s debut book of poetry, The Red Files, she challenges this notion by breathing life into the nameless and voiceless children trapped inside archival photographs taken at residential schools. These photographs (rows of “well-groomed”, brown-skinned children, standing or sitting in perfect ...
Above: ???? via www.atlascorps.org
By contributor Chantelle Spicer
There is nothing like farm fresh food bought from the market—potatoes and carrots with soil still clinging, strawberries juicy and ripe all the way through, tomatoes still warm from the sun. It’s a reminder of the heart of food—a gift, a life given for sustaining your life, something slightly miraculous. In the winter months, particularly this long cold one, it’s easy to forget these things. I go to Costco or Country Grocer to buy food that has been shipped from afar, food that resembles the plastic food my ...
