The Bee’s Knees
Thanks to the VIU Eco Club, those looking to help out their local pollinators can get some native wildflower seeds for free at the VIUSU Pub. “[We] wanted to give wildflower seeds out, but just didn’t know how to get them to people,” Haley Andersen, event coordinator for the Eco Club, said in an interview. … Continued
Updating Gendered Language in BC and Beyond
If you haven’t heard the news, everybody’s favourite plastic potato is getting a rebrand. Hasbro’s Mr. Potato Head products will be sold as just Potato Head in the near future. Mr. and Mrs. Potato Head as characters will still be available for purchase, just sold under the brand Potato Head. This news came as part … Continued
Seeing Light at the End of the Tunnel
Exactly one year ago, on March 15, 2020, VIU’s University Relations team sent every VIU student an email with a subject line reading, “COVID-19 UPDATE: VIU transitioning to alternate course delivery and assessment.” VIU, along with other post-secondary institutions around the province, had finally decided that, for the safety of students, staff, and faculty, all … Continued
Perseverance on Mars
Perseverance, NASA’s fifth Mars rover, successfully landed on the Red Planet on February 18, 2021. The newest Mars rover is a product of NASA’s Mars 2020 mission. The mission’s primary goal is to investigate astrobiology by searching for signs of ancient microbial life in Martian rock and soil. Perseverance is the first Mars rover equipped … Continued
Nanaimo Parks, Recreation and Culture Spring Programs
Registrations for the City of Nanaimo’s Parks, Recreation and Culture spring programs will open Wednesday, March 3. If you find yourself feeling a little cooped up after a winter amid a pandemic, Nanaimo’s spring programs are a good solution. “If anything, this pandemic has shown us how important being active is for both physical and … Continued
Lights, Camera, Action:
Emerging filmmakers and storytellers will soon be able to dust off their cameras and start working on their creative endeavours again as the provincial government announces the Reel Focus BC program. Through the Ministry of Tourism, Arts, Culture and Sport, the Province will be launching its first development program with $200k targeted to up-and-coming and/or … Continued
The Rocky Horror Picture Show Must Go On
It will be astounding. Time will fly by. Madness will take its toll. The VIU Satyr Players will bring back The Rocky Horror Picture Show for their 25th run of the cult classic. The student cast will perform their annual production on March 12 at 7 pm through the live stream platform Twitch. The VIU … Continued
Holistic Energy Care Workshop
Personal energy levels and how to maintain them can be different for everyone. With the pandemic still in full swing, acknowledging when your energy levels are low, and knowing how to build them back up is more important than ever. Noelle Hanuse, VIU counsellor, is giving a workshop on Wednesday, February 24 to help people … Continued
BC Sees More than 1700 Lives Lost in 2020 due to Toxic Illicit Drugs
2021 marks the fifth year in a row that the provincial government has declared a public health emergency due to illicit drug toxicity. The BC Coroners Service reports that 2020 was the province’s worst year in terms of deaths due to toxic drugs. In 2020, there were 1716 toxic drug-related deaths, which equates to about … Continued
Nanaimo’s Plastic Bag Ban Receives Provincial Approval
The movement to ban plastic grocery bags on Vancouver Island has been an arduous one, but various obstacles haven’t halted its progress. In January of 2018, Victoria instituted Vancouver Island’s first bylaw banning plastic bags. Unfortunately, having failed to receive provincial approval for the ban before its implementation, Victoria repealed the bylaw in October of … Continued
Knock Out Interest:
In November 2019, students studying in British Columbia achieved a hard-fought victory—the elimination of interest rates on government-issued student loans. Well, the provincial portion, anyway. Students in BC still have to pay interest on the portion of their loan that comes from the federal government—which was roughly a 60/40 split between federal and provincial interest, … Continued
The New Drug Testing Method That Could Save Lives
The opioid epidemic has worsened all across North America in recent years, mostly due to fentanyl-related deaths. Both medically prescribed and illegal opioids have propelled the crisis. The Public Health Agency of Canada states, “Since the early 1980s, the volume of opioids sold to hospitals and pharmacies for prescriptions in Canada has increased by more … Continued
The City of Nanaimo: Resilience Grant 2021
Nanaimo based artists, collectives, and non-profit organizations can now apply for the City of Nanaimo’s 2021 Resilience Grant. The Resilience Grant will provide the recipient(s) with a one-time award of $1k to $5k to support Nanaimo arts and culture among the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting community resilience. Julie Bevan, Nanaimo’s manager … Continued
Global Citizens Week
From February 8 to February 12 you’ll be able to see the world and learn about many different cultures from the comfort of your own home. VIU will be exploring topics of systemic racism and unconscious bias during this year’s Global Citizens Week, a week devoted to exploring issues of global development. This year’s theme … Continued