In the Community

VIU’S ‘CUPE CARES’ EVENT FOCUSED ON CLEANING UP MOUNT BENSON

May 15, 2013

On May 4, 31 volunteers gave up their Saturday in order to pull on their working gloves and remove garbage from the lower slopes of Mount Benson. It was the annual CUPE Cares Day, started two years ago by VIU employee and CUPE member Rob Campbell, who was getting tired of having to look at, and sometimes dodge around, the garbage that had accumulated on his regular hiking route. “I started to... Read more


VIU PROMOTES LINKS BETWEEN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AND UNIVERSITY

May 14, 2013

On May 15, more than 150 students from Bayview Elementary School will visit Vancouver Island University’s Nanaimo campus to explore what happens in a university environment. The visit is part of Bayview school’s “I Can” initiative, which encourages students to think about life’s possibilities. “We’re trying to plant the seed early among kindergarten to grade 7 students to see what’s possible... Read more


VIU’S NEW CHAIR OF ABORIGINAL EARLY CHILDHOOD DEVELOPMENT IS APPOINTED

May 14, 2013

Danielle Alphonse is Vancouver Island University’s new B.C. Regional Innovation Chair in Aboriginal Early Childhood Development (AECD). B.C. Regional Innovation Chairs are designed to support research, development and innovation at special purpose, teaching universities such as VIU, and are funded by the Leading Edge Endowment Fund (LEEF). Alphonse, whose Cowichan name is Qwul’stun’a’wat, is... Read more


VIU IN THE NEWS - INTRO TO TRADES PROGRAM TURNING LIVES AROUND

May 9, 2013

By Lexi Bainas, Cowichan Valley Citizen Published: Friday, May 10, 2013 Intro to Trades. It's a deceptively simple name for a program that is having a big impact on the lives and futures of local First Nations students. "We've got former gang members who've thrown all that away because we are making a difference. They don't need that false security they thought they had," said Joe Thorne, as he... Read more


VIU COWICHAN CAMPUS OPEN HOUSE/DISCOVER TRADES DAY MAY 23

May 9, 2013

High school students, parents and all curious learners in the community are invited to discover and explore the education and trades opportunities offered at Vancouver Island University’s Cowichan campus. VIU Cowichan is hosting an Open House/Discover Trades Day on Thursday, May 23 from noon to 6 pm. “This is an opportunity for community members of all ages to visit VIU’s beautiful Cowichan... Read more


IT’S ‘RHODO’ TIME AT VIU’S MILNER GARDENS & WOODLANDS

May 9, 2013

The Rhododendrons are in full bloom at VIU’s Milner Gardens & Woodlands, which means that more than 10 acres of this seaside retreat are bursting with a forest of colour. Some of the plants are more than 70 years old, and have grown to tree-sized proportions, bearing hundreds of blooms, as the garden’s Rhododendron collection was started in 1950 by the original owners of the property... Read more


FACULTY PERFORM COLLABORATIVE WORK ON REGIONAL & NATIONAL STAGES

May 8, 2013

A quartet of faculty from VIU’s Art & Design and Media Studies Departments has been collaborating for more than a year on an innovative performance piece that involves electronic imaging, spoken word, ambient sound and improvised vocals and instrumentals. The piece, entitled *Meridian*, immerses the audience in a visual and aural soundscape challenging them to give up their impulse to make... Read more


STUDENT WINS CARTO CUP TROPHY FOR COMPUTER MAPPING SKILLS

May 7, 2013

Graduate Shaunda Devenport is the winner of the 2013 Carto Cup in a cartographic design competition held at Vancouver Island University. Organized by VIU’s Advanced Diploma Geographic Information Systems (ADGIS) Applications program, the competition invites students from all departments to submit an original cartographic design for judging. Devenport entered a poster in the competition after... Read more


COMMUNITY COUSINS – VIU’S ABORIGINAL STUDENT MENTORSHIP PROGRAM

May 6, 2013

For many Aboriginal students, making the transition to university can be a challenge. They’ve moved from tight-knit communities and are living in an unfamiliar city for the first time, far away from the support of their family and friends. They’re also trying to make it in a western academic world which for some is very different from the culture they grew up in. Enter VIU’s Community Cousins,... Read more


VIU LAUNCHES ALUMNI CONNECT CAMPAIGN

May 3, 2013

VIU’s Alumni Association is launching an exciting initiative to connect the more than 40,000 people around the world who have studied at the institution since it first started in 1936. The Alumni Connect Campaign asks all of the institution’s alumni to take a couple of minutes to update their profile and help build the growing alumni network. Everyone who does will be eligible to win some... Read more