VIU Media Highlights: July 19 – August 23, 2021

A roundup of VIU students and employees in the news.

News Stories

Top performing article for the last month:

• CTV News: BC funds rapid drug-checking technology amid opioid crisis. Reach: 19.5 million. Story also published by BC Government News, Times Colonist, Nanaimo News Now, CFAX, Black Press Media, Chek News, Voice Online and Education News Canada.

Other stories:

• Abacityblog.com: Top 10 Canadian Universities with Low Tuition Fees for International Students. VIU is mentioned as one of them.
• Alaska Highway News: Northern Lights College, UNBC share in Indigenous education grants. Mentions VIU received $35K to support Indigenous program development, student supports, community engagement, cultural events, and other initiatives.
• Antelope Valley Press: Living in a big, small town. Profile piece on Mage Lockwood, who has a bachelor’s degree in Jazz Studies from VIU and is now a Commercial Music Instructor at Antelope Valley College and a musician.
• BC Government News Release: Attractions get support to anchor their communities. Funding provided to Milner Gardens & Woodland. Story shared on VIU News.
• Black Press Media: BC university groups petition for masking, vaccination mandate. Article mentions VIU as one of a number of BC post-secondary institutions who do not have a vaccine mandate.
• Black Press Media: What was said to me. VIU Anthropologist Helene Demers partnered with linguist Ruby Peters on this book, the first of its kind to be published by the Royal BC Museum.
• Boundary Creek Times: Grand Forks, Boundary game warden moving on to Williams Lake. Story on VIU alum Mark Walkosky.
• Canadian Literature: Leavings Just Source: Stephanie Burt, literary critic and English Professor at Harvard University, reviewed VIU Professor Dr. Sonnet L’Abbé’s book, Sonnet’s Shakespeare.
• Chek News: Anti-racism car rally originally postponed held without incident in Nanaimo. The rally started in VIU’s lower parking lot.
• Cowichan Valley Citizen: Business notes. Kw’umut Lelum Foundation has announced the hiring of Dr. Sharon Hobenshield, currently Director of Indigenous Education and Engagement at VIU, as its Executive Director.
• Cowichan Valley Citizen: Duncan athletes among ISPARC Premier’s winners. VIU student Kristine Williams, now a criminology student at VIU, received the 2020 Premier’s Award for Indigenous Youth Excellence in Sport.
• Drug and Alcohol Review: A new quantitative drug checking technology for harm reduction: Pilot study in Vancouver, Canada using paper spray mass spectrometry. Authored by VIU Applied Environmental Sciences Lab faculty & students Scott A. Borden, Armin Saatchi, Gregory W. Vandergrift, Jan Palaty, Mark Lysyshyn and Chris G. Gill.
• Education News Canada: Vice-Provost Carrie Chassels joining Northeastern University in Vancouver. Carrie Chassels was Associate Vice President of Student Affairs at VIU.
• Hakai magazine: The ingenious ancient technology concealed in the shallows. Story features VIU Alum Nancy Greene and her archaeological work studying fish traps on Vancouver Island.
•  Ladysmith Chemainus Chronicle: Coles Notes: It’s hard to leave Ladysmith. Chronicle editor Cole Schisler is a VIU graduate.
• My Powell River Now: MLA Simons says skills training will help people on the Sunshine Coast get back to work. Article mentions VIU will deliver the Pre-Employment Services Program.
• Nanaimo News Bulletin: VIU poetry prof Sonnet L’Abbé to perform new music at the Port Theatre.
• Nanaimo News Bulletin: City of Nanaimo creates framework for new economic development corporation. VIU is one of five shareholders in the new corporation.
• Nanaimo News Bulletin: Graffiti to greenery: VIU grads journey as a visual artist. Story profiles Shawn O’Keefe, a Visual Art alum.
• Nation Talk: Two-eyed seeing network sets out to redefine workforce development for Indigenous youth. VIU is a network partner.
• Parksville Qualicum Beach News: Parksville Royals Nicoll, Jackson receive inaugural David Wallace Memorial Scholarship. Nicoll is joining the VIU Mariners.
• Ponoka News: First Recipient of Bob Hepp Memorial Culinary Scholarship announced. Brody Harder is the receiving $500 to support him as he enters VIU’s Culinary Arts program.
• Powell River Peak: Powell River Villa ready for new soccer season. Mentions exhibition game against VIU Mariners.
• Reader’s Digest Canada: How to Understand – And Like – Poetry. Features interview with VIU Creative Writing and Journalism Professor Sonnet L’Abbé.
• Richmond News: Former MLA, ‘class of ’91,’ Allan Warnke passes away. Allan Warnke was a VIU professor.
• The Cinemaholic: Hallmark’s Chesapeake Shores: Filming and Cast Details. Story mentions filming at VIU and Milner Gardens & Woodland.
• Times Colonist: ‘I felt hands coming and lifting my head up’: First Nations leader recalls float plane crash. Nuu-Chah-Nulth Tribal Council President Judith Sayers is VIU’s Chancellor.
• University Affairs: Where truth and reconciliation stand at Canadian universities. VIU hired its first full-time elder-in-residence eight years ago.
• Victory Sports Network: Andreychuk named head coach of UPIKE baseball. Story on Cody Andreychuk becoming head coach for UPIKE Baseball mentions he began his playing career at VIU.
• VIU Blog: Achieving excellence.
• VIU Blog: Connecting with Culture remotely: Jamie Coukell.
• VIU Blog: Charting a new career path with Fundamentals of Forestry Harvesting Practices.
• VIU Blog: VIU grad spotlight: Meet Lurana McClure Rodriguez.
• VIU Blog: 10 Tips to Make the Most of Your Campus Tour.
• VIU Blog: From accounting student to graduate researcher.
• VIU Blog: Finding her fit with VIU’s Women in Trades Training Program.
• VIU Blog: Finding freedom of expression through art.
• VIU Blog: Info on COVID-19 vaccinations for post-secondary students.
• VIU Blog: The dos and don’ts of writing a student résumé.
• VIU Blog: Returning to campus.
• VIU News: Alum of the Month Dom Dawson. Story picked up by Tech Register.
• VIU News: Recognizing Canada’s National Day for Truth and Reconciliation.
• VIU News Release: New Stewardship Group Creating Formal Space for Organizations to Collaborate.

Top-performing Broadcast Story

• CBC Radio Vancouver covered the story about the BC government funding rapid drug-checking technology developed at VIU’s Applied Environmental Research Lab. Reach: 236,000 people.

VIU Student Pulse

• VIU Student Pulse: July 28 Edition: Open rate: 93%
• Most-clicked link: RockVIU event registration.
• VIU Student Pulse: August 11 Edition: Open rate: 88.6%
• Most-clicked link: Mariners Athletics and Recreation Student Life Activity Guide.

Social Media

• Top Tweet: A post about VIU’s return to campus guidelines earned 1,600 views.

• Top Facebook post: A post congratulating this year’s Governor General Gold Medal winner Monir Shahzeidi was seen by more than 7,000 people.

• Top Instagram post: An August evening campus view picture was viewed more than 5,000 times.