Student Pulse News: Wednesday, September 13, 2023

September 13, 2023

Find your perfect part-time job 💼

Are you looking for part-time work this semester? Polish up your resume and head to two career fairs happening this week, one for on-campus jobs and one for off-campus work. To help you prepare, Ariann Sigsworth, a Career Practitioner Student, has some advice on how to stand out at a career fair.

In this issue:

Try a semester abroad
Get moving with Campus Rec
Food specials – this week and next

Need to know

VIU President’s welcome message 📜

“Thank you for choosing VIU for your studies. I wish you all the best for a successful year.” VIU President and Vice-Chancellor Dr. Deborah Saucier is excited to welcome everyone back to another academic year. Read her full message.

Career fairs on campus 💼

The Career Studio is organizing two career fairs this week:

The on-campus employment career fair is on September 14, 10 am to 2 pm in the quad. Learn about on-campus employment or volunteer opportunities with various VIU departments and faculties. Learn more.
A general career fair in the VIU gym on September 15 from 11 am to 3 pm features more than 60 employers. Connect with employers from a range of industries to learn about employment and volunteer opportunities. Learn more.

Every Child Matters/Orange Shirt Day 🧡

Join Services for Aboriginal Students, the Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement and the VIU Students’ Union to honour the children who survived Indian Residential Schools and to remember those who didn’t make it home on September 28 starting at 9:30 am. The event starts with an opening ceremony in the quad and then moves into the Malaspina Theatre. Lunch is provided. Orange T-shirts are available for purchase from the Campus Store.

VIU Mariners Soccer - Home Opening Weekend ⚽️

The VIU Mariners men’s and women’s soccer teams host Vancouver’s Langara College Falcons on Saturday and Sunday at Q’unq’inuqwstuxw Stadium (a five-minute walk from the VIU Residences). On both days, the women kick off at 2:45 pm with the men following at 5:15 pm and it is free to attend. Fans can also watch online.

Half-price poké bowls & $5 breakfast 🥣

Food Services is offering two food deals in September:

$5 breakfast all week, September 11 to 15 in the lower cafeteria (Building 185).
Half-price poké bowls September 25 to 29 in the main cafeteria (Building 300).

Connect

Join an intramural sport league

Our popular intramural leagues kick off on September 18! Put a team togetherwith friends or sign up as an individual participant for Monday night volleyball, Tuesday night indoor soccer and Wednesday night basketball. Paintball and dodgeball tournaments are also offered this semester.

Get fit with Campus Rec

Now that you’ve completed your moving day, it’s time to sign up for a “get moving” day! VIU’s semester-long fitness classes at the VIU Gym (Building 190) are discounted for students and filling up quickly.

Let’s Talk About Sex (& Consent), Baby!

Join your students’ union for an informative evening of fun featuring a consent-based panel discussion, complimentary dinner and a few rounds of trivia! A drag show takes place afterwards in the pub. Event is September 22, 4 to 10 pm. More info coming soon!

2SLGBTQ+ socials

The Positive Space Alliance hosts socials in Building 250, Room 402 from 12 to 1 pm every second Wednesday. Dates: September 13, 27. October 11 and 25. November 8 and 22. December 6.

All Nations Feast

This annual event features Indigenous cultural groups from across the Island. Event takes place Thursday, September 21 from 10 am to 3 pm in the VIU gym.

10 am: Nuu-chah-nulth protocol
11 am: Kwakwaka’wakw protocol
12 pm: Lunch
1 pm: Métis protocol
2 pm: Coast Salish protocol

Climate Action Fair

Do you want more tools and information to respond to climate change? Connect with other climate activists at the Climate Action Fair on September 21 from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm in the quad. Learn more.

VIUSU elections

Nominations for the VIU Students’ Union elections are officially open! If you want to run for a board position, swing by the VIUSU office (Building 193) to pick up your nomination form. The nomination period closes on Thursday, September 21 at 3:30 pm. Check out the Elections homepage or send an email to elections@viusu.ca to learn more.

Faith and Consent Workshop

On Thursday, September 14, room 507 in the library, Robyn Wilson will explore some of the spaces where she sees the topics of faith and consent intersect: childhood, free will and sexual ethics. Event starts at 3 in room 507 in the library. Learn more.

International Students’ Mixer

Join us in the pub from 4 to 6 pm on Friday, September 15 and enjoy happy hour specials and activities to help you meet others.

Open Mic Night

Every Thursday night at the students’ union pub enjoy late-night specials and open mic night. Sing your heart out or play a song on our house guitar. Open until midnight!

Try a semester abroad

Study in English at one of our partner universities around the world for one or two semesters and enjoy support from VIU to make it happen. Funding opportunities are available, come see us to learn more! Apply by September 25.

VIU WUSC (World University Service of Canada)

VIU’s WUSC Local Committee is a campus-based student group that supports student refugees in their integration to Canadian social and academic life, organizes fundraising events and engages the campus and community on migration issues. If you’re interested in joining this impactful student group, email wusc.viu@gmail.com today or check out VIU WUSC for more information.

Become a student ambassador

As a student ambassador, you are the link between students and VIU, fostering connections, a sense of belonging and community. Learn more about what being a student ambassador is like. Sign up by September 30.

Cultural Connections road trips and hikes

Every semester, Cultural Connections organizes road trips and local hikes for all VIU students. Hikes are only $2! September road trip and hike highlights include:

September 15: Nanaimo River
September 16: Wildplay Adventure Park
September 22: Saysutshun Island
September 23: Tofino bear or whale watching

Supports & services

Welcome to the new academic year

Irlanda Gonzalez Price, Associate Vice-President of Student Affairs, has penned a note to new and returning students. She wants to remind you about all of the supports and services available to you. Read her message.

Meal Deals are back

Order your Meal Deal today at VIUFoodServices@viu.ca for $55 taxes included! Food pickup is from 3 to 6:30 pm in the main cafeteria (Building 300) on Friday September 29. Free short-term parking is available outside of the Welcome Center (entrance 5C off Fifth Street). Payment upon pickup.

📚New school year, new you, new…laptop?💻

Make sure you and your devices are ready for the year ahead.

📱 And don't forget about your cell phone. Keep your phone number safe! We’re now on 𝕏/Twitter – check out SecureIT@VIU.

Work opportunities at the library

Looking for a part-time job? Apply to work as a Student Special Collections Assistant by September 15. Or join us as a Student Research Assistant for Indigenous Initiatives. Apply by September 18. More info.

Attention new students!

Make an appointment with an advisor in September or October and you will be entered in a draw for a set of Apple Air Pods. Advisors are available to support students in-person (Building 200 Nanaimo campus), by Zoom, phone or email. Connect Early, Connect Often with Advising.

Welcome Centre ramp replacement

The path between the quad and the main entrance and visitor parking area is heavily used, but the existing ramp does not meet current codes and standards. VIU is replacing this with a wide, gradually sloped ramp that includes several accessibility features. During construction, the pick-up/drop-off area will be partly blocked and alternate routes will be in place. Learn more about this project.

VIU Off-Campus Housing

Did you move into rental accommodation recently? Is your contract correct? Did you pay any additional fees? Did you do a condition inspection report? Avoid possible issues at the end of your tenancy by understanding these essentials. Find out more in our blog post on navigating rental agreements. Need more support? Visit the Off-Campus Housing homepage, email housing@viu.ca or book a meeting.

Parking on campus

During the semester, VIU’s parking lots can get very busy at peak times. Here’s what you need to know if you are driving to campus.

Extended health and dental deadline

Tuesday, September 19 is the fee due date and opt out deadline for most students on the Greenshield Extended Health and Dental plan. Check your student record to see if you’ve been assessed the fee. Visit VIUSU’s health and dental page to learn more about the plan and to review the coverage booklet.

VIUSU Days

The VIU Students’ Union is hosting VIUSU Days on September 25, 26 and 27. This will include an advocacy fair, club fair and services fair. More info available soon on the VIUSU website.

Are you interested in building digital skills?

The Information and Communications Technology Council is offering free, government-funded, e-Learning courses to eligible post-secondary students on subjects such as AI and cybersecurity. Learn more about course offerings and register.

Funding for conferences

Are you planning to present your research at a conference or other knowledge mobilization event? Check out SRCA Conference Funding. Next deadline for applications is September 22 for conferences between May 1 and December 31.

Graduate student learning series

The Office of Graduate Studies is organizing lots of events this fall, including lunch and learns and a GenAI series. For more information see the OGS Events’ Info and Registration.

Meditation, prayer and reflection rooms

Students have access to meditation, prayer and reflection rooms on the first floor of Building 200. These rooms are available to students and employees and are shared by people of a variety of religious, spiritual and other reflective beliefs and practices. Do you need after-hours access? Please email MedAndPrayer@viu.ca with your full name and student or employee ID number.

Student Affairs Foundation Plan

Have you checked out the 2022-27 Student Affairs Foundation Plan, Enter with Curiosity; Leave with Confidence? This plan outlines different initiatives that Student Affairs plans to take over the next four years to support you. Irlanda Gonzalez-Price, Associate Vice-President, Student Affairs, encourages you to look at the plan and share your feedback about it as your input can be used to shape the direction of the initiatives in the plan may take.

Connect with Accessibility Services

If you are student with a documented disability that impacts your learning, such as a learning disability, ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, mental health condition or chronic health condition, you may want to connect with Accessibility Services to explore possible academic accommodations. The service is confidential and your diagnosis is not shared with faculty.

ASIST workshop

ASIST is a two-day workshop that prepares participants to provide suicide first aid interventions. It is open to VIU staff and students on September 15 and 16, from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. For more information and to register, visit VIU Thrive.

Safer Campuses for Everyone – Students

Take this self-paced, online training to learn about the importance of consent in all relationships and how to intervene to prevent sexual violence. Visit the Thrive website to learn how to enroll in this free course. Send your completion certificate to thrive@viu.ca to be entered to win a $500 tuition credit.

Mark your calendars

Scholarships, awards and bursaries

Apply for scholarships, awards and bursaries from the finances tab in your student record. The online profile will be available from September 1 to March 30. Visit the Financial Aid website for more information and current deadlines.

Important tuition deadlines

Welcome back everyone! Important deadlines:

September 18 is the last day to drop a Fall semester course without having to fully pay for it.
Your fall semester fees are due on September 19.
Any unpaid Fall Semester fees will be assessed a 5% late payment fee on September 20.

Questions? Visit viu.ca/registration.

Stay in the know

Stay on top of what's happening at VIU. Find ways to get involved:

VIU Safety App

Get the VIU mobile app designed to let you know as quickly as possible if there is a safety issue happening on our campus and if so, what to do about it. Once you download, don’t forget to enable push notifications so you are notified immediately of campus closures and other safety issues. It also has other great features including:

Click to call for emergency contacts and campus security
Interactive campus maps
Safety toolbox alarm and location notifier
Up-to-date weather alerts

To download just go to the App Store, Google Play or Blackberry App World.