If you have made a New Year’s resolution to gain more professional experience or showcase your hard work, VIU’s CREATE Conference might be just the thing you need.
With the intention to represent the diversity of student work, the annual VIU CREATE Conference gives students of all programs the opportunity to showcase their major projects. On March 30, students are invited to present displays and participate in oral presentations to highlight their efforts and accomplishments.
The event aims to give students a chance to earn experience; credentials; networking opportunities with ...
Campus Rec has you covered when it comes to keeping those New Year’s Resolutions this semester. Chock full of activities that will inspire anyone to remain active through this rough patch of snow, the Spring 2016 calendar classes are filling up fast.
Programs like Outdoor Recreation, with caving at Horne Lake, snow shoeing and Tofino surfing day-trips are cheap, convenient and tons of fun for students wanting to remain active this semester, without having to be bound by weekly classes. Though cancelling is an option, the class itself will run regardless of weather conditions which ...
There’s no better way of saying hello to the new year than taking all the money you received at Christmas and using it to buy textbooks, right? But even all the money you received won’t cover the cost of your textbooks—those babies are expensive. Don’t worry, though, because we’ve got you covered. And by that I mean we can help you find cheaper textbooks; we won’t buy them for you (sorry).
Hands down, the best way to buy textbooks is online. There are a multitude of websites that sell textbooks new or used, and some that even rent textbooks. There are also websites that will do all ...
by philip gordon
i’m continually baffled in a mostly passive way
by the way in which ‘normal’ people have conversations.
two guys sitting next to me in starbucks are talking
and guy one (big ears, black leather jacket, blue shirt, scruffy black
facial hair, high-ish voice) has been talking
for like five minutes about basically just irrelevant things
people he knows have done recently and guy
two (white/grey hair, grey/green sweater, playing with his
iphone in a blue case they’re both wearing blue
jeans did i mention that) is smiling and
resting his chin in ...
By contributor Farida El Sheshing
Back home, my family and I have always celebrated Christmas. I never asked why, but I often wondered. We would buy a foldable, plastic Christmas tree and spend days decorating it with whatever we came across, along with many colourful lights. After years of storing and reusing it, we would replace the tree just to keep it looking as decent as any Christian would want it to look. Growing up as a Muslim, my parents taught me to respect others, regardless of their identity. There is a popular verse in the Qur’an in Islam that says, “You have your ...
“We’ll take it easy,” my Storm the Stairs partner said. “I’m pretty tired today.” I don’t know why I agreed to do this anyway. When it was all said and done, though, I didn’t have any regrets—not bad for a self-professed couch potato.
The weather was cloudy and it was around that time of day when you’re not really sure if the sun is setting or if it was just the autumn skies messing with you.
I was bundled up in my thickest pair of sweatpants (in all its baggy, high school logoed glory), my favourite blue sweatshirt, and bright pink running shoes—the image of sportiness and ...
By contributor Reid Eccles
With November fading into December, the Nanaimo Clippers are nearing the halfway mark of their 60-game season. The Clippers’ 33 points in their first 27 games earned them the top spot of the British Columbia Hockey League’s (BCHL) five-team Island Division. The Clippers currently rank fifth league-wide. A large part of the Clippers’ success so far has been the scoring output generated by the Clippers’ first line forwards Sheldon Rempal, Devin Brosseau, and Matt Hoover. Clippers captain Brosseau and point-scoring leader Rempal are returning players who played ...
This is the latest in a contributor column by Zoe Lauckner. Check back next issue for the latest in Mental Health issues.
Last issue’s column talked about stigma—what it is, why it happens, and how it affects those who are experiencing mental health issues. The thing is, we can talk all we want about stigma and why it is damaging to individuals and society at large, but just talking about it is not going to extinguish it. The most important thing you can do to rid our society of stigma around mental health issues is getting involved. This is a common mantra for many mental health ...
With frost littering the ground, exams around the corner, and mittens and scarves abounding, everyone is struggling to shake
off the cold.
The winter and holiday season typically means one of two things: mint or apple. Spice up those long winter nights with a steaming mug of your own home-brewed apple cider—whether it be in the slow cooker, stove top, or in your very own coffee maker, the sweet, tangy taste of cider brings comfort in a cup.
Coffee maker cider:
Ingredients:
¼ cup brown sugar*
½ tsp whole all spice
1 tsp whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
¼ teaspoon salt
1 ...
Craig Hanson’s idea for Thriving Locally, an online marketplace with all local products, came to him in 2010 in downtown Nanaimo’s quaint, rustic Old City Organics. The store had only recently opened its doors when blond-haired, blue-eyed Hanson walked in to peruse their wares.
With the elderly shopkeeper eagerly looking on, Hanson was left to his own devices without another soul in the store. After settling for some Busch tea, he went to the counter and paid. It is only when he went home and browsed the internet that he discovered that his delicious new purchase was made by a local ...
By Web Editor Antony Stevens
It’s that time of year again: the season of obligations. You just spent the last three months breaking your metaphysical back
in order to get those papers in on time, and now they expect you to spend your only free time in months Christmas shopping with your ramen-ration money. Forget that—you know how the mall gets this season. Your best bet is to throw 20 bucks into a card, sign your name, and enjoy your winter break under a blanket on your couch.
“But wait,” you say. “How am I supposed to choose between all the different fonts on the Hallmark rack ...
By contributor Chantelle Spicer
On December 15, VIU will host the film Fractured Land in the Malaspina Theatre, co-sponsored by Solutions: A Sustainability Network and the Aboriginal Students’ Union. A film rich in the beauty of the BC landscape and cinematography, it won two awards at the Vancouver International Film Festival in 2015.
The documentary, now on tour across the country, is the moving story of Caleb Behn, a young Dene First Nations man who is exploring the relationship between humanity and the landscapes we live on. Filmed in northeastern BC, this could be a story ...
By contributor philip gordon
Several months after receiving it in the mail, my copy of Lost Levels is a bit torn up. The pages are falling apart and my cat threw up on the back cover and it dried there. On the inside of both covers there are screenshots of an iPhone conversation about old men in a sauna and Zelda music. This is all poetry. In a way, I want to avoid that word, because it has so many
negative connotations these days. It’s hard to say looking at the cover of Lost Levels that it’s a conventional book of poetry—or just a conventional book full stop. The cover is a ...
By contributor Sarah Togerson
The Nanaimo music scene has been evolving over the past few years, and Thursday’s show was a true testament to the
positive changes downtown is witnessing. On November 19, The Cambie welcomed the Born Ruffians, a post-punk indie band from Midland, Ontario, who have met great success in the music industry. The band, formed in 2004, has risen from having a small online fan base in Ontario, to touring with Hot Chip and Franz Ferdinand.
The Cambie’s doors opened at 9 p.m., and I arrived around 8:50 to get a good seat. Sadly, arriving early meant waiting ...
As you stand in front of the shelves, your eyes glaze over the familiar labels while you look for something new to try. The craft beer section at the Cold Beer and Wine has expanded to an encompassing wall, giving you hundreds to choose from. You recognize your favourites, seeing the similar themes of each brewery. But from the corner of your eye you spot a tall bottle, the bright blue of the water, with Noah’s Ark in the background, standing out against the deep brown of the bottle. The “new” sticker next to the price pulls you in, and you know it’s a must-try.
In the last few years, ...
By contributor Shanon Fenske
Meet Kyrsten Carlson: Musician, writer, autism paraprofessional, chef, dancer, and emcee; big hearted, quick-witted, wide smiling, and funny as hell—a confident, fun-loving spirit, pierced and tattooed, with a gorgeous smile and warm sparkling eyes.
Nine years ago, 15-year-old Kyrsten is at an all-ages music venue with trusted friends. Her closest girlfriend lures her into the washroom and away from her other friends. Kyrsten is offered a drink, which, being underaged, she accepts. A short while later, she starts to feel dizzy. The drink has ...
Above: Seal Bay Beach in Courtenay provides a respite from city life and travel. It is home to many species of waterbirds and, of course, seals.
By contributor Chantelle Spicer
In this time of looming deadlines, all-nighters, and end-of-term stresses, moments of psychological well-being appear to be a dream. I am here to tell you that this is possible. All it requires are things which are abundant around us—trees, waterways, scenic landscapes, and quiet spaces. Bring your own breath.
More and more studies show that time spent in the natural environment refocuses our attention, ...
How many thousands of dollars have you spent on textbooks for university? What do you do with your textbooks when you’re done with them? Do they just sit on your bookshelf forever, never to be read again? Wouldn’t it be nice to get at least some of the money back?
VIU’s bookstore offers to buy your used books. They buy books required for courses at VIU, as well as books being used at other Canadian universities. How much you receive back for your books ranges from two per cent to 50 per cent.
If the book you are returning is required at VIU for the following semester, if the VIU ...
Above: Trudeau and Snowie enjoying the northern Canada weather in Yellowknife. Photo by Adam Scott of the Liberal Party of Canada.
By contributor Denisa Kraus
“There are few things stranger than being asked for an interview from your university paper,” Mat Snowie commented on our recent talk, but maybe also on the almost surreal path he has been following for over a year and a half.
A Creative Writing major, Snowie graduated from VIU in 2013, and faced the reality of unemployment and cheerless job hunting, once interrupted by a Staples gig which he quit after four days.
Life ...
You don’t need a Scrooge or ghosts to glimpse into Christmas’ past.
For the month of December, the Nanaimo Museum is featuring an exhibit called Christmas in the Golden Age of Radio.
The exhibit includes radios from the museum’s collection and highlights popular culture from the 1920s-1940s, including Christmas traditions. The exhibit opened on December 1 and will run until January 4.
“We have an extensive collection of radios,” said Aimee Greenaway, Interpretation Curator at the Nanaimo Museum. “Most of them came from Fletchers, a music and furniture store that was a fixture on ...
By contributor Alison Cheung
VIU professor Tracy Samra has been appointed as Nanaimo’s Interim City Manager. She is the first woman and Aboriginal person to hold the position; as such, she hopes to bring a fresh new perspective to the role.
“I’m hoping to use a collaborative approach to problem solve,” Samra said. “Hierarchy is not how I want to do it.” Samra believes that everybody should be invited. Everybody “has a role to play and can be a leader.” By meeting with staff working throughout Nanaimo and “getting to see what others do,” Samra hopes it will allow her to really take ...
After a province-wide consultation process this fall, the Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services has endorsed students’ call for more accessible education and the restoration of funding to Adult Basic Education (ABE).
This endorsement comes from a recommendation to the government by the Liberal and NDP members of the Committee
to build the budget based on what citizens have shown they want to see. “We hope to see a lot of these recommendations reflected in February when the budget is released,” said Michael Olson, Executive Director of the VIU Student’s Union ...
“The power of our vision must be so much stronger than the power of our fear,” said ecofuturist and founder of the BC Sustainable Energy Association Guy Dauncey when speaking as a guest at a VIU political studies class. “The challenge is huge, but it’s mostly achievable.”
As Canada and the world meet in Paris for the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) to create a universal agreement on climate for the first time in 20 years, Nanaimo locals are also advocating to raise awareness about climate change.
On November 24, a diverse group of VIU Arts and ...
Mental health awareness month is over, but stress continues to grow as final projects are due and final exams are creeping up on us all. But don’t worry, my friends—the semester is almost over.
A student’s stress is often underrated by those who have never attended university. Those people can include our parents, bosses, and significant others. Sometimes, though, it seems like even our professors underestimate how stressful university is.
When under as much stress as we students often are, it’s easy to lose our minds a bit and go a little crazy. Sometimes we take things out ...
