VIU Plants for the Future with Local Partners
June 19, 2018
1,000 Trees Planted in the Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region In an effort to limit the environmental impact of the G7 Summit in La Malbaie, Quebec, in June 2018, the Government of Canada entered into an agreement with the Charlevoix Biosphere Reserve to make the summit an environmentally responsible event by reducing its carbon footprint. One of the highlights of this agreement was the planting... Read more
VIU Awards Honorary Doctorate to Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia
June 5, 2018
The Cocchias to be recognized at VIU’s June 6, 10 am Convocation Ceremony As well as their work overseeing a varied business venture through the Crew Group of Companies, focused on hotel, spa and property management, Sergio Cocchia and Wendy Lisogar-Cocchia are dedicated to 'building a village' for families living with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). For their work in the field of children... Read more
VIU Student Researchers and Faculty Organize Annual BioBlitz Event
April 13, 2018
Community volunteers sought to survey flora and fauna Community members have the opportunity to contribute to biodiversity research during the third annual Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region (MABR) BioBlitz. The event is organized and run by student researchers from Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) and student and faculty... Read more
Global Citizens Week Weaves Local and International Issues Together
January 29, 2018
Annual week of events celebrates change-makers and allies in struggles for social justice Every year, Vancouver Island University (VIU) hosts Global Citizens Week – a week filled with visiting speakers, films and campus events, including live music and classroom dialogues that explore issues of global development at home and abroad. This year VIU is inviting students, staff... Read more
Fighting for Justice Exhibit Brings to Light Lesser Told Stories
January 26, 2018
Travelling display a collaborative effort between VIU, UVic and community partners Wing Hay Young, a popular Port Alberni-born boxer, decided to enlist in the Canadian Army in 1940 during the Second World War. He was denied entry based on his ethnicity, prompting his white boxing friends to descend on the enlistment office, refusing to sign up until their friend was accepted. Young, who became... Read more
Syrian Refugees Find Welcoming Community at VIU Cowichan
January 19, 2018
Baraa Mohammed and Fanar Sheikh Zein are taking adult upgrading courses at the campus A Syrian couple who spent four years living at a residential complex for refugees in northern Iraq are finding a welcoming new community at Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Cowichan Campus. Baraa Mohammed and Fanar Sheikh Zein, Kurdish Syrians from Qamishli, in the northern part of the country, came to... Read more
VIU Community Members Gather To Make Placards for Women's March
January 19, 2018
VIU is honoured to be a sponsor of Nanaimo Women March On Members of the Vancouver Island University (VIU) community gathered Thursday, January 18 to make placards for the approaching Nanaimo Women March On event. The March is Saturday, January 20 from 10 am to noon. Participants are asked to meet at Diana Krall Plaza at 10 am and then march to Maffeo Sutton Park. People are also welcome... Read more
Mental Health Awareness Initiative Launched at VIU Cowichan
January 17, 2018
The Friendship Bench aims to stimulate conversations and encourage student-to-student connections An educational experience at Vancouver Island University (VIU) changed Adaline Russell’s outlook on life. In 2008, Russell was severely depressed when she joined a handful of other students at the first Clemente Course offered at VIU – a rigorous, university-level course that offers a doorway into... Read more
Project Between VIU and Snaw-Naw-As Preserves Traditional Plant Knowledge
January 16, 2018
Garden of Spiritual Healing connects Snaw-Naw-As Community Members A Garden of Spiritual Healing is taking root at the Snaw-Naw-As Community Health Centre thanks to a partnership between the First Nation and Vancouver Island University (VIU). VIU’s Mount Arrowsmith Biosphere Region Research Institute (MABRRI) representatives met with the Snaw-Naw-As Community Garden Committee to develop a... Read more
VIU Community Honours 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence
December 19, 2017
Vancouver Island University Faculty Association, VIUSU and ResTide spearheaded events on Nanaimo campus Hanging a shirt with an anti-violence message, donating a warm coat or lighting a candle to remember a victim of gender-based violence may be small gestures, but these actions can cause powerful ripple effects in communities. These gestures can lead someone to step up and become involved in a... Read more