News Stories
Tla’amin Nation gifts ʔayʔaǰuθəm name to local VIU campus
September 20, 2022
VIU’s campus in the qathet region will now be called tiwšɛmawtxw.The Tla’amin Nation Executive Council has gifted Vancouver Island University (VIU) the name tiwšɛmawtxw (teew-shem- awt-xw), which means House of Learning, for its campus located in ɬaʔamɩn ʔəms gijɛ (Tla’amin Territory). The gift is in the spirit of decolonization and reconciliation. Following a renaming ceremony on... Read more
VIU Hosts a Conversation on the Future of Reconciliation in Canada
April 13, 2022
What: The Future of Reconciliation in Canada: A VIU ConversationWhen: Wednesday, April 20, 2022, 10-11:30 am Where: Online (Zoom webinar) Reconciliation is a complex concept with a variety of definitions, meaning different things to different people, but one thing many agree upon is that for reconciliation to become a reality, significant structural and societal changes are needed.... Read more
Provincial Government Funds Expansion of Shq’apthut, VIU’s Indigenous Gathering Place
April 8, 2022
Investment will enhance on-campus learning experience for Indigenous and non-Indigenous studentsIndigenous students at Vancouver Island University (VIU) will soon have access to more space as Shq’apthut (A Gathering Place) is expanded at the Nanaimo campus.The building is a home away from home for Indigenous students where cultural, academic, recreational and social activities are promoted... Read more
UVic and VIU Deepen Relationship with Special Gifting Ceremony for New Chancellor
March 28, 2022
Cloy-e-iis, Dr. Judith Sayers, received a Talking Stick from UVic officials in a ceremony that followed Coast Salish protocol on March 24.A Talking Stick gifted by University of Victoria officials to Vancouver Island University’s Chancellor, Cloy-e-iis, Dr. Judith Sayers, solidifies a longstanding relationship between the two institutions and reaffirms a mutual commitment to reconciliation.Sayers... Read more
VIU Indigenous Speaker Talks About Journalism’s Role in Reconciliation
November 10, 2021
Investigative reporter Connie Walker is the keynote speaker for VIU’s seventh annual Indigenous Speakers Series on November 22.Connie Walker has devoted the past decade of her investigative journalism career to exposing the truth about the impacts of residential schools, and helping Indigenous people tell their own stories. “We’ve all been touched by this legacy, our lives have been shaped... Read more
VIU’s Malaspina Theatre Hosts Winds of Change Art Exhibit
September 22, 2021
Featuring works by Stz’uminus First Nation artist Daniel R. Elliott, the exhibit explores the impacts of colonization and how healing can be achieved.Indigenous artist Daniel R. Elliott wants to take people on a healing journey. But first, he’s asking people to confront the history and impact of residential schools head on, and not look away.His paintings are on display in the Malaspina Theatre... Read more
VIU Professor Appointed to Reference Group for Review of Indigenous Research
November 12, 2020
Georgina Martin is the only BC representative to be elected to a national group responsible for providing direction on building mutually respectful relationships between Indigenous communities and researchers.Dr. Georgina Martin, a VIU Indigenous/Xwulmuxw Studies Professor, has been elected to a newly established, national group for the culturally appropriate review of Indigenous research and is... Read more
VIU Indigenous Speaker Shares a Story of Joy
November 12, 2020
Jesse Wente, an Anishinaabe writer, broadcaster, speaker and arts leader, shares his perspective on Canada’s truth and reconciliation process during VIU’s sixth annual Indigenous Speakers Series on Wednesday, November 25.Jesse Wente is taking a harm reduction approach to the truth and reconciliation process by amplifying the voices of Indigenous peoples.The Anishinaabe writer, broadcaster,... Read more
Hope, Inclusion and Access to Education: VIU President Shares Vision at Installation Event
November 26, 2019
Dr. Deb Saucier, VIU President and Vice-Chancellor since July 2019, was formally endowed with the powers and responsibilities of office in a ceremony at the Snuneymuxw First Nation Longhouse in Cedar on November 15.A regional institution such as Vancouver Island University (VIU) can change what it means to be a university, challenge longstanding perceptions on who goes and what can be taught... Read more
In Search of the Promised Land: Freedom, Prosperity and #Landback for Indigenous Peoples
November 6, 2019
Max FineDay, Executive Director of the Canadian Roots Exchange, will share his perspective on what reconciliation looks like during VIU’s fifth annual Indigenous Speakers Series on Monday, November 25. When Max FineDay graduated from university in 2015, his grandmother sat him down and told him he had a duty to explain Indigenous peoples to the rest of Canada by telling the kinds of... Read more