New Students Ready to RockVIU

Welcome events at VIU help students build their stories and share their experiences 

School will be back in session soon, and at VIU the fun is just beginning – especially for the 1,000 new students arriving from all over the world to attend university this fall. They will kick off their school year with VIU’s biggest annual event – RockVIU – facilitated by VIU’s new Office of Co-Curricular Engagement & Learning.

On Thursday, August 30, new students will attend a full day of activities designed to familiarize them with the campus and give them the opportunity meet peers, make friends, learn about the services and resources available, and, above all, have fun. It is also the first opportunity for students to connect with faculty and learn what to expect from their education experience at VIU.

RockVIU starts with an official welcome message from an Elder-in-Residence. This will be followed by a welcome speech by VIU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Ralph Nilson and an introduction to the schedule of event activities by a member of the Office of Co-Curricular Engagement &new Learning.

The Drum Café and a short performance by Box of Beats will kick off the orientation.

Facilitated by VIU’s new Office of Co-Curricular Engagement & Learning, RockVIU is organized around the theme: Connect, Engage, Discover. Discover features Pecha Kucha Sessions presented by a range of upper-level VIU students on the topic “My first year at VIU”; Engage includes a Build your Story activity designed to help students engage and collaborate with each other as well as a Connect Fair where students learn about services available to them on-campus and in-community; and Connect offers a barbeque lunch, giving students the opportunity to mingle and make friends, while Campus Connect offers a mini campus tour for students to get acquainted with their faculty area.

Additional activities include Block Party: Meet Your Faculty; a RockVIU Carnival powered by Brandon Martinez, Box of Beats, and the international talent show to launch the new student engagement space, The HUB; and a President’s Reception to give parents an opportunity to network and get to know VIU faculty and department representatives and campus services.

A special event to welcome new Indigenous and non-Indigenous students called Theyul’shenum Tseep will be held at Shq’apthut: VIU’s Aboriginal Gathering Place.

Complimentary parking is available for parents and students for this event in parking lot A – entrance off of Fifth Street.

VIU’s Cowichan and Powell River campuses also have a full day of events planned for Rock VIU.

The Cowichan event will take place on Wednesday, August 29, featuring the same entertainment as the Nanaimo event – the Drum Café and Brandon Martinez, Box of Beats – and many of the same activities such as Pecha Kuchas, Build Your Story, Connect Fair, and Campus Connect. The event will also include a traditional welcome by a VIU Elder, an official welcome by President Nilson, a campus tour and lunch. All students in attendance will receive swag bags.

Powell River Campus will be communicating their Welcome to Campus event to students directly and students will have the opportunity to become familiar with campus and enjoy a free lunch and prizes.

For more information, visit RockVIU.

RockVIU Nanaimo Schedule and Highlights:

• 8:30 am to 9:45 am: Sign in
• 9 am to 9:45 am: Theyul’shenum Tseep – Traditional Welcome
• 10 am to 11 am: Official Welcome Featuring Drum Café
• 11:15 am to 2:15 pm: Participate in a range of activities including Pecha Kucha Showcase, Building Your Story | Connect Fair and Barbeque Lunch | Campus Connect
• 2.15 pm to 3 pm: Block Party – Meet Your Faculty
• 3 pm to 5 pm: RockVIU Carnival Powered by Box of Beats and the International Talent Show

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MEDIA CONTACT:

Jenn McGarrigle, Communications Officer, Vancouver Island University

P: 250.740.6559 | C: 250.619.6860 | E: Jenn.McGarrigle@viu.ca | T: @VIUNews