In the Community

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VIU Media Highlights: November 30 - December 13, 2021

December 13, 2021

A bi-weekly roundup of VIU students and employees in the news. Note: This will be the last edition of 2021 - look for media highlights again in January 2022!  Top 10 News Stories Nanaimo News Bulletin: BC man who struggled with substance use, crime seeks to end drug addiction stigma. Features story on Christopher Lamoureux who is about to become a student at VIU. Picked up by multiple Black... Read more


Someone holds a white candle with a tag that reads December 6th, National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

16 Days Campaign Calls on Community Members to Speak Up on Gender-Based Violence

November 24, 2021

Orange lights will shine in VIU’s Nanaimo campus quad to encourage people to unite against gender-based violence. The Vancouver Island University Faculty Association (VIUFA) Status of Women Committee is asking individuals and organizations on Vancouver Island to call out, speak up and reflect on immediate actions they can take to end gender-based violence during the 16 Days of Activism Against... Read more


Croft_world-Record

The World-Record Holder Among Us

November 11, 2021

By Aly Winks Vancouver Island University is home to a world-record holder. This is not one of the records that only people who love the Guinness Book of World Records cares about. It’s not for the longest moustache or the most Simpsons tattoos. Margot Croft holds the world record for her age and weight class for the deadlift. What does this mean? That she can deadlift more weight than any other... Read more


Aly mask selfie

Bumpy starts and a busy “comeback” semester

November 10, 2021

By Aly Winks, Editor, VIU Voices It is Fall semester Reading week, which means mid-terms are basically complete and students are readying themselves for the last push of assignments before studying for final exams and working on final projects. It has certainly been a semester like none other. With the return to campus in September, emotions and anxieties were running high – it’s fair to say it... Read more


Winds Of Change

Winds of Change Art Exhibit Brings Hundreds to Malaspina Theatre

November 9, 2021

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 in the Winds of Change exhibit series were on display in the Malaspina Theatre lobby at VIU’s Nanaimo campus from October 1 to 13, 2021. More than 600 people, including several school groups... Read more


Joe Lyons in front of the mural project

WorldVIU Days Returns with Official Unveiling of Campus Community Mural

October 25, 2021

More than 300 people participated in creating the mural. A campus community mural project first envisioned in 2019 will officially be unveiled at Vancouver Island University (VIU) as part of the kickoff to this year’s annual, multi-day event known as WorldVIU Days. Taking place from from November 1 to 5, WorldVIU Days explores how culture influences the way people make sense of the world. It is... Read more


Dr. Jennifer Griffiths smiles while crossing her arms.

Colloquium Series Shines Light on the Importance of Arts and Humanities in Today’s World

September 21, 2021

Lectures return to the stage at VIU’s Malaspina Theatre this fall. Vancouver Island University’s (VIU’s) Arts and Humanities Colloquium Series returns this fall with an engaging lineup that explores women’s contributions within the avant-garde movement, gender roles and expectations of strong female characters and how the T. Eaton Company’s marketing strategies commodified youth culture. The... Read more


Seven members of the Mid-Island Stewardship Caucus stand in a forest.

New Stewardship Group Creating Formal Space for Organizations to Collaborate

August 5, 2021

The Mid-Island Stewardship Caucus, which includes a VIU research institute, will enhance opportunities to connect and share resources. A newly formed stewardship group is allowing environmental organizations in the mid-Island region to connect, collaborate, and share resources and expertise. The group – the Mid-Island Stewardship Caucus (MISC) – was initiated by the Nanaimo & Area Land Trust... Read more


Dr. Deb Saucier: Reflections on a Pandemic

April 30, 2021

If you had told me last April, as I sat in the room above the garage, that I would now be referring to it as ‘my office’ this April—I wouldn’t have believed you. Last April, I thought pivot was a move in basketball, this year—well, you know, you have the t-shirt. I have had to make decisions for VIU that I had not contemplated making, decisions that had to be made in the moment with imperfect... Read more