VIU Student Pulse News: March 20, 2024

Did you know that last year, VIU had a total of more than $4.5 million in scholarships, awards and bursaries to distribute, with funds available to both domestic and international students? All thanks to generous community donors. Don’t forget to fill out your online Scholarships, Awards and Bursaries profile to get in the running for some of them! 

To complete your profile, go to your student record. Note: The VIU online student record will be unavailable between March 28 starting at 2 pm through to April 2 until 7 am for financial year-end processes. Due to this outage, the scholarship, award and bursary profile deadline has been extended until April 4, 2024, at midnight. VIULearn is not impacted by this outage. You can still access your profile before and after this outage period.  

Visit the Financial Aid website for tips.

Need to know

Embark funds food security initiatives at VIU

A new initiative funded through the generosity of Embark, an education savings and planning company, aims to address student hunger issues for VIU students. The $400,000 investment through the Embark Student Foundation Major Grant Program will fund:

• student-driven research,
• food security initiatives aimed at meeting immediate needs,
• cross-campus coordination to seek sustainable solutions to student hunger and
• increased access to emergency funding supports.

Stay tuned to the Pulse newsletter to learn more about this initiative and how to access resources!

CREATE Project Pitch 💵

Are you doing an innovative project between May 2024 and April 2025? Apply for CREATE’s Project Pitch. Innovative projects through research, technological, social change or design are welcome. The top five pitches will receive $3,000. The application deadline is March 25 at 8 am. Apply at the CREATE Project Pitch website.

2024 VIU Games 🏆

Join in the fun at the 2024 VIU Games on Saturday, March 23. Teams of 8-10 students and employees compete to win the prestigious Chassels Cup and other prizes. Highlights include a dodgeball tournament, funny relay race, trophy hunt with challenges to solve, spirit competition and much more. Register on Eventbrite.

Transgender Day of Visibility: Call for participants 🏳️‍⚧️

Join the Positive Space Alliance in celebrating Transgender Day of Visibility on March 25 in the Malaspina Theatre, from 12 to 1:30 pm. Together we’ll celebrate transgender, non-binary and genderfluid people with the VIU community to positively embody gender identity. This is an open mic-style event and a safe space. Do you want to contribute a poem, song or simply share your thoughts? Please email positivespace@viu.ca to let us know what you would like to share and send us an introduction for yourself.

Connect

Road trips 🚙

Join the Cultural Connections Road Trips team on adventures to awe-inspiring locations. Every semester a schedule of seasonal weekly activities is available to all registered VIU students. Sign up for Cultural Connections trips every Tuesday and Thursday from noon to 1:30 pm in Building 255 (International Education, on the second floor, beside the main lobby.
Upcoming trips:

• March 23: Go-karting and Coombs
• March 30: Seattle two-day city tour

Graduating? Send us a video! 🧑‍🎓

Want to be part of a class of 2024 compilation video? Submit a short video sharing a message for your classmates, a favourite memory or your hopes for the future. Videos should be no longer than 20 seconds and should be submitted to convocation@viu.ca by May 1. We can’t wait to share these messages with your family, friends and fellow graduates at convocation this June!

Local hikes 🥾

Join Cultural Connections and explore some of the most scenic and awe-inspiring local hiking trails Nanaimo has to offer! The Local Hikes program is designed to encourage confidence and creativity in participants, while at the same time aiming to forge a connection with nature and a desire to protect it. Each hike is only $2. Upcoming hikes include:

• March 22: Neck Point
• April 5: Abyss Trail
• April 12: Cable Bay Trail

Hotdog Day 🌭

Join Services for Aboriginal Students for a hotdog on April 2, 11:30 am to 1 pm (or until we run out!) in Building 255, Room 211.

Indigenous Sharing Circle

Join Indigenous Sharing Circles hosted by Leah Vaisanen, VIUSU’s Indigenous Students’ Representative. All Indigenous students are welcome. This safe and inclusive gathering provides a supportive space for sharing, connecting and strengthening our Indigenous community on campus. Snacks and refreshments provided. Sharing circles are on March 27 and April 4, from 3 to 5 pm, in Building 193, Room 217.

Nutrition Month 🍎

Share how food makes you feel while enjoying refreshments during Nutrition Month on March 26 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Trades Discovery Centre, Building 108. You can also win a nutritious prize. Learn more about VIU Thrive events.

Thrive DIY Day 🎨

Join the wellness promoters and release some creativity by participating in various crafts during Thrive DIY Day on March 28 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the VIU Library, Building 305. Supplies provided all you need to bring is your creativity. Learn more about VIU Thrive events.

Trades and Tech Showcase 🔧⚒️

Are you interested in learning about different trades? VIU is hosting a Trades and Tech Showcase on April 6 from 10 am to 2 pm at the Trades Discovery Centre, Building 108, at the Nanaimo campus. All 20 trades will have booths so you can learn more about the different trades and career outcomes. Sign up to join.

Transportation workshops and meetups 🚲

Attend transportation workshops and meetups on March 21. Learn about and work together to create possible solutions for transportation challenges related to VIU. Attend as many sessions as you like. Sessions run from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm and include:

• Transportation, Climate Change and Pollution, from 9:30 to 11:20 am
• Transportation and Community Planning, from 11:30 am to 12:50 pm
• Transportation Equity and Justice, from 1 to 2:20 pm
• Public Transit Solutions, from 2:20 to 4:30 pm

Science and Tech lecture series 🔬 🦠

Explore cutting-edge research during VIU’s Science and Technology Community Lecture Series this spring. Upcoming talks include:

• March 20 discussion on VIU Bird Banding project and Western Screech-Owl.
• March 27: Why algorithms are as foundational as physics and Bitcoin tracing,

Lectures in Building 355, Room 203 at 5:30 pm. Learn more.

Supports & services

Research assignment help 📚

Do you feel like you have a lot of research assignments due and not a clue where to start? Meet with a VIU librarian for research and citation support. Librarians are always happy to support you! Also don’t forget to follow our Instagram @viulibrary.

Cafeteria hours 🥗🥪

The upper cafeteria is closing from April 29 to August 16. Hours of operation from April 15 to 29 are 8 am to 6 pm, Monday to Friday. Grab and go items will be available at the Campus Store from April 29 to August 16 from 8 am to 1 pm, Monday to Friday.
The lower cafeteria will remain open until June 7:

• April 1 to 12, breakfast and lunch, available from Monday to Friday.
• April 15 to May 20, lunch is available Monday to Thursday, closed on Fridays.
• May 21 to June 7, breakfast and lunch, Monday to Thursday, closed Fridays.

March Madness sale

Come to the Campus Store for the March Madness sale and enjoy 30 to 70 per cent off select items. The sale is from March 18 to 27. The Nanaimo Campus Store will be closed on March 28 for inventory.

VIU Rent Wise session 🏡

Sign up for the VIU Rent Wise session on March 22, from 1 to 3:30 pm at the Nanaimo campus. You can include your certificate in your applications to landlords. The free two-and-a-half-hour session includes:

• learning about budgeting for rent and living costs
• applying to local landlords
• legal basics, being a good tenant and neighbour
• giving notice, and
• getting deposits returned. 

Women in technology scholarships 🧑🏽‍🔬 💵

Applications for the 2024 Women in Technology and Indigenous Women in Technology Scholarships are now open. The application deadline is May 16 at 4:30 pm. Up to 20 scholarships of up to $10,000 each will be awarded in July. Scholarships are available for women working towards a degree in mathematics, engineering, computer and data science and physics. Apply for the scholarships. For more information email info@bcscholarshipsociety.ca.

Sleuth out employment scams

What is an employment scam? Hunting for a side hustle? Employment scams are fake job opportunities targeting people looking for work. The scammer tells their potential victim that before they can get the job, they need to pay a fee first or provide banking or other personal information. Challenge yourself with the employment scams quiz! 

Save with TD Insurance 💰

Take advantage of your student benefits through the TD Insurance Meloche Monnex Program, which gives you access to preferred insurance rates on home, condo and tenant coverage. For more information or to get a quote visit TD’s website for VIU students.

VIU Experience Hub 💼

Log in to your VIU Experience Hub account, using your VIU single sign-on credentials, to access several student services. If you have any questions about the Experience Hub, please email cel@viu.ca. The Experience Hub is where you can:

• book appointments with educational and immigration advisors
• book appointments with the Career Studio
• view a job posting board where external employers are posting employment and internship opportunities
• view on-campus employment opportunities

Naloxone and harm reduction training

Learn how to save lives with Claire Dineen of AVI Nanaimo during this free naloxone and harm reduction training session. Training is on March 26, from 3 to 5 pm, in Building 193, room 217. This is your chance to gain essential knowledge on how to respond to an opioid overdose and potentially save a life. A naloxone kit will be provided to you. Advance registration is required.

Mark your calendars

Course withdrawal deadline

The last day for academic penalty-free withdrawal from a Spring Semester academic course, or an eight-month course started in September, is April 2. Or to change it from a credit to an audit, or vice versa. Switching to an audit could be a smart consideration if you will have to re-take the course in the future for your program. It’s a good idea to check with an advisor before making any changes to your timetable. Connect early and often with VIU Advising Team. We are available for appointments Monday to Friday, in-person at B200 or B255 or by Zoom, phone or email.

Register for CREATE

Last days to register for CREATE 2024. Don’t miss out! More than $25,000 worth of awards and prizes will be given out at CREATE this year! The deadline is March 25.

Language in the Library

Which one is the GOAT at basketball: LeBron James or Michael Jordan? Honestly, I am not sure. What I do know is that neni means goat in Hul’q’umi’num’. Come learn and speak Hul’q’umi’num’ at Language in the Library on Fridays from 12:3 to 1:30 pm in the Madrona Room. Register here. Light snacks and refreshments provided.

Shq’apthut well-being Wednesdays

Access services in Building 355, Room 211 every Wednesday from 10 am to 2 pm. Services include advising, Elders-in-Residence, Writing Centre, therapy dogs, library research assistance, reiki, Bannock, math tutoring and smudging.