A decision by the Liberal Government to cut Adult Basic Education (ABE) funding and bring back tuition fees has caused outrage among many VIU students and staff.
“This is largely affecting people who already have so many obstacles in their life,” said Patrick Barbosa, Chief Returning Officer of the VIU Students’ Union. “Up to 20 percent of VIU students started in ABE.”
Need a simple Math 11 or 12 credit to take a science class? Prepare to pay tuition fees on it now thanks to @AmrikVirkBC .
— Patrick Barbosa (@Patbarbosa) December 5, 2014
It is estimated that 300-500 students will ...
Left to right: Caleb Rosenthal, Sebastian Barkovic, Avery Bonner
VIU’s first ever political studies club has been founded as the VIU Political Society.
Until now, students of this department have not had an organized peer group they could confront about their post-graduation concerns. The VIU Political Society aims to improve that.
The initiative of the Society is to be a resource where students can network to find things such as work opportunities, volunteer experiences, contacts, and ideas for post-graduation, public relations manager Sebastian Barkovic said.
“Then, it ...
As the Vancouver Island JR Hockey League regular season enters its final week, the playoff picture is starting to become clearer for the Nanaimo Buccaneers. It’s starting to look as though the team will begin the playoffs on the road as the third seed in the North Division.
It has been apparent for a while that the Buccaneers would be playing the Comox Valley Glacier Kings in the first round of the playoffs. The question was which team was going to have home ice advantage. Now, with only a week left in the season, it’s looking like home ice will probably go to Comox Valley. The two ...
The Mariners’ men’s volleyball team remains in a tight race with the Camosun Chargers for second place in the PacWest standings, and a bye into the semifinals of the provincial championship.
The team faced their toughest test of the season as they traveled to New Westminster to take on the first place Douglas College Royals on February 6 and 7.
The Mariners got off to a good start in the first meeting between the two teams, winning the first set in a thrilling 31-29 tiebreaker. The Royals took over the game in the second set, winning 25-23 to tie the game at one set apiece. After ...
The Mariners’ men’s basketball team hasn’t been on the losing end of many games this season—just one to be exact. On February 7, the Mariners exacted revenge on the only team to beat them this season; the Mariners defeated the Langara Falcons 82-67.
The game featured the last two CCAA national champions, with the Mariners winning in 2013 before Langara went on to win the title last year. The Falcons won the last meeting between the two teams 76-69 back on January 16.
The game got off to a fast-paced start, with both teams guarding tightly. But, as the quarter progressed, the ...
As the PacWest basketball season enters its final few weeks, the VIU Mariners are playing some of their strongest basketball of the year.
The team traveled to the mainland for games against the Kwantlen University Eagles and Columbia Bible College Bearcats on January 30 and 31.
The Mariners jumped out to an early lead against the Eagles and kept the pressure on. At halftime, the Mariners had built a 31-16 lead. The Eagles came out strong in the third quarter, determined to cut into the Mariner lead. As the fourth quarter began, the Eagles had cut their deficit to 35-30. But the ...
With only seven games left in the British Columbia Hockey League season, the Nanaimo Clippers have all but officially clinched first place in the league’s Island Division. The Clippers’ record of 35-13-0-3 gives the team 73 points on the season, 11 more than the second place Powell River Kings, who have also played two more games than the Clippers.
The Island Division title will be the first for the Clippers since the 2007-2008 season. The team will also be searching for its first playoff series win since the 2009-2010 season when the Clippers beat the Victoria Grizzlies in six ...
The VIU Mariners’ women’s volleyball team got off to a slow start to the season, losing five of their first six contests. But since the slow start, the team has been on fire climbing up the PacWest standings.
The Mariners traveled to the mainland for their most recent games. The team was in New Westminster to take on the Douglas College Royals on February 6 and 7.
In the first game between the two teams, the Mariners won the opening set by a score of 25-13. VIU expanded their lead to 2-0 by winning the second set 25-12. The third set was a more tightly contested affair, but the ...
Renovations on campus have been underway since October 2014 to make improvements on both the exterior and interior of bldg 200.
Inside the building, the top floor is being renovated to accommodate a new Health and Wellness Clinic, which will serve as a walk-in clinic for VIU students, said project manager Craig Hanson.
“The desire to have a health clinic on the campus has been identified for a few years and with the partnership of Island Health it has now come to fruition,” Hanson said.
The opening date is yet to be determined and will depend largely on the training processes ...
There’s nothing white about a Common-Law wedding. No proposal, no ring, no breathy engagement announcement. No planner, no shower, no stag. No limo, no walk, no giving away. No “now you may kiss.” No wedding DJ, no rice-strewn sendoff. No honeymoon. I now pronounce you Common-Law. Done.
From the moment you and your best love shack up in a “conjugal relationship” the clock starts ticking, and after only 365 days your carefree days as Live-Ins magically transform into the everyday of Common-Law Partners. In the eyes of the law, you are wed. In the eyes of the Canada Revenue Agency, you ...
At least, it should be. The Foundation Skills Assessment (FSA) was introduced to grade four and seven BC students in 1998 to replace the census tests that were given to a random sample of students. And, apparently, the BC Teachers’ Federation (BCTF) has opposed the FSA ever since, arguing that the test disrupts classroom learning, adds unnecessary stress to students, creates an unhealthy feeling of competition/comparison between schools, and is not a fair assessment of students’ knowledge or their teachers.
According to a report from the Vancouver Sun in 2013, the BCTF predicted the ...
If you haven’t already gone to your app store to download the app, you should. OOHLALA Mobile Inc., the company behind many other Canadian university mobile apps, has provided VIU with a platform for their students since 2013.
It wasn’t until this year that the app was rebranded, and now includes the VIUSU symbol on the app itself. After a quick search of “Vancouver Island University Students’ Union” on your smartphone, you’ll soon have “student life at your fingertips.”
“There’s a social aspect to it,” said Michael Olson, Executive Director of the VIUSU.
The new main screen is ...
His Excellency talks with International student Ashafu Lawal during the luncheon on January 29
During his tour of Western Canada, the Right Honourable David Johnston stopped in Nanaimo to receive an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from VIU. During his visit, VIU held a luncheon for students to meet with his Excellency.
Held in the Vancouver Island Conference Centre on January 29, the luncheon provided a chance for the Governor General and his wife, Sharon Johnston, to meet students from each faculty.
The students were also given the opportunity to speak with VIU’s new chancellor, ...
Opening February 2 and running until May 1, the Nanaimo Museum will have a new, eye-catching feature offering another glimpse into the Harbour city’s history.
The feature exhibit, “Red Lights and Roulette," displays stories from the 1890s to 1920s, including photos and biographies of women from the era, and a corset collection from a private collection out of Vancouver.
The exhibit is intended to “tell the story of a different part of Nanaimo’s history,” according to Aimee Greenaway, interpretation curator for the museum.
“These are women that, when you open up the history ...
By contributor Dr. Gordon Hak
“By challenging contemporary understandings of eating disorders. I invite you to think more critically about our pervading cultural current of ‘healthism,’” Janis Ledwell-Hunt says.
Although most of us would never question the value of “health,” one of the most important things that a university does is create a space to question the things we generally don’t even think of questioning. Ledwell-Hunt’s presentation entitled “Disordered Eating: How Can Feminism Help?” promises to do exactly that. The talk will be held in the Malaspina Theatre on ...
Those who are familiar with British director Carol Reed will likely remember him for his multi Oscar-winning adaptation of the musical, Oliver! (1968). Reed is one of the best British directors to have worked in the industry, and his ground-breaking, film-noir The Third Man is a testament to that.
Teaming up with Nobel Prize-winning author Graham Greene, Reed portrays the twisted structure of Vienna, Austria following WWII. American novelist Holly Martins (Joseph Cotton) is visiting Vienna to see an old friend, Harry Lime (Orson Welles), only to discover that his friend was recently ...
By contributor Spencer Wilson
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Vancouver Island Short Film Festival (VISFF). The festival was created in 2005 by Johnny Blakeborough and John Gardiner with the goal of creating an event where local filmmakers would have a venue to showcase their films. This goal quickly spread to including films from all over the world, such as Ireland, Switzerland, Iran, the Netherlands, and France, but the focus has remained mostly local. This year, all 14 films being screened are from Canada: One from London, Ontario; three from Winnipeg; four from the ...
The 10th Annual, VISFF happening in February, will be the last one under the leadership of Johnny Blakeborough. The festival co-founder and director is stepping down to pursue new projects, but will retain a “mentorship” role in training and advising the new management team next year. The Navigator sat down with Blakeborough, and reviewed the decade of careful planning and accidental successes.
How would you sum up the 10 years of running the VISFF?
When John Gardiner and I started talking about doing this 10 years ago, we didn’t have any idea what it was going to become. I was ...
One of the perks of local film festivals is the opportunity to see the familiar faces of returning artists. This year, The Vancouver Island Short Film Festival (VISFF) welcomes the return of award-winning filmmaker-multitasker Todd Jones showcasing his fifth short film, a twisted dark comedy “At Death’s Door”. When asked about the beginning of his love of filmmaking, Todd Jones travels back 20 years in memory to his student days in a TV production school.
“One of our big assignments was to make a 30-minute drama movie. I was in charge of cinematography and lighting, and as I watched ...
By contributor Jess Reale
It would be a bit rough perhaps, especially in the nape of my neck or the small of my back, but deliciously rough. Rough the way I like it. Sensual ecstasy. The whole thing was real in my mind. Enveloping me, embracing me, caressing my skin, sultry, and titillating.
Perhaps a simple raglan yoke, but no cables or lace or colour work; just humble stockinette and classic lines, nothing to detract from the glory of the yarn itself. The sweater would be like a pie made with freshly picked apples, or a kaolin clay mug made by a pottery artisan. It would be ...
“What time is it, please?”
Grandfather, the German patriarch, has ruled the family for four generations. Standing proudly in the front hall, rich wood polished to a shine, he chimes on the quarter and strikes at the top of the hour with thundering tones echoing through the house. He relies on our hands, someone to pull the heavy chain, to wind him daily, or he will fall silent.
Across the hall hangs Stepmother. Dressed in cheap fabricated burgundy “wood”, her pendulum and chains are only for show—she runs on a single C-battery. Her chimes are mechanical—tinny—and easily overpowered ...
Above: This Sitka Spruce in the Port Renfrew area represents one of the top 10 largest of its kind. Measuring 62.5 metres high and 11.6 metres in diametre, this specimen was originally documented in 1984 by Registry founder Randy Stoltmann. Photo by TJ Watts.
By contributor Chantelle Spicer
Every day I ascend the stairs to class, I always take a moment to enjoy the trees that are part of our campus. As small as this group of trees may be, it’s a habitat for many bird species, a source of beauty, and, of course, the fresh crisp air of the season. Humanity is so lucky to share ...
By contributor Shaleeta Harper
A stereotypical student lives on Mr. Noodles, Kraft Dinner, coffee, and, occasionally, McDonald’s as a treat. The notoriously healthy student lives life shopping on the edges of the grocery store, and goes to a restaurant featuring fresh, local, and scratch-made food when they’re up for a night out. If that’s what you’re looking for in the north end, you’ll find it at Frankie’s Modern Diner, across the highway from Woodgrove Mall. Diner fare blends with a bit of an upscale attitude in a classic environment. The pub style chairs are upholstered in a deep ...
