VIU Student Pulse News: April 21, 2021

On Monday, April 26, the timetable will be available with more information about how Fall 2021 courses will be delivered. To help explain what you’ll find when you open the site, we wrote a blog post describing the different delivery options that will be available this fall.

We are also hosting a VIU Student Q&A about Fall 2021 on May 4 to help guide you in your decision-making before registration opens mid-May. We ask that you please register in advance if you are able so we can try and ensure we have enough room for everyone in the Zoom Webinar. Students who register in advance will be in the running to win a VIU hoodie. We recognize that not all students are comfortable asking questions at a live event and invite you to submit your questions in advance to students@viu.ca. These questions will be asked anonymously during the event. You will also have the chance to ask questions live using the Q&A function of Zoom webinar.

Need to know 

Beating brain fog 🧠

We know exam season is a stressful time of year for students and thinking clearly can sometimes be difficult when you’ve got so much on the go. Sharon Kelly, VIU’s Success Coach, shares 8 tips to help clear your thinking and support your memory in her latest #VIUBlog article.

Looking for a summer job? ☀

External Student Employment Opportunities: The Centre for Experiential Learning works together with external organizations currently listing 168 open CareerVIU postings and more than 300 postings from Magnet, a Canada-wide job posting system. All VIU students and alumni simply log into the CareerVIU system with their Student Record System credentials to activate their accounts and take advantage of the job posting and events module, which includes career and personal development events for students including hiring fairs, professional development and online networking opportunities.

VIU Student Employment Opportunities: Explore new areas of study, work on specific projects with your professors and become a deeper part of the VIU community by becoming a work-op student. The 2021 Summer Work-Op program currently has positions available such as research assistant, tech support assistant, tutor, camp coordinator, web designer, and much more. These positions may be eligible for Co-Curricular Record credits. Visit Student Employment for more info.

Budgeting tips & resources 💰

Paying for university studies can be challenging. The good news is there are lots of options available to help you manage expenses and reduce costs while having a great university experience. Visit the Financial Aid & Awards Budgeting Tips and Resources page for a compiled list of resources and tips for students.

Let us know what you think about the #VIUBlog! 💭

To help us better serve our growing audience, please complete a short survey. It should only take 5-10 minutes.

Connect

Tips to catch more Z’s 😴

Sleep can help you stay healthy by keeping your immune system strong, improve your mood and make you feel less stressed. On the #VIUBlog, the Healthy U Crew has some tips and tricks to help you get the rest you need.

Student Research Wrap-up

Thanks to everyone who participated in CREATE research symposium and the Anti-Racism Arts Festival April 12-15. Check out the award winners. 

COVID fatigue radio segment 

Did you know that third-year Nursing students have their own radio show on CHLY 101.7 FM? Max & Kelly discuss COVID Fatigue in A Sound Constitution’s seventh and final episode for winter 2021. Listen on YouTube.

Virtual Trades Expo ✂️🔨

Do you know someone considering a career in the trades? Join us online on May 27 for VIU's first-ever Trades and Applied Technology Virtual Expo! Attendees will get the chance to ask questions and get a sense if a program is a good fit for their goals. Please share this sign-up link with anyone who might benefit from attending. 

Positivity Photo Project 📸

VIU’s Faculty of Social Sciences invites VIU students to take pictures on three themes – ode to joy, the positive power of pets and Spring has sprung – to win prizes. Submit entries, specifying the theme, and a caption or story (if you like) to viussphotosubmissions@gmail.com. Open until April 28. Submitted photos will be shared on Social Sciences social media accounts.

Anthropology Student Forum 

Check out current student research, alumni stories and a prestigious keynote speaker – Dr. Ruth Van Dyke, archaeologist and professor at Binghamton University (SUNY) at the annual Anthropology Student Forum. All students welcome. Pre-recorded presentations will be released by April 23, and the live event happens Friday, April 30. Register by going to the forum’s Eventbrite page.

Energize yourself 🤩

Feeling tired? Join Noelle Hanuse for holistic energy care on April 28, 12 - 1 pm. Understand, transform and energize your whole being! Perfect for end-of-semester stress. Register on Eventbrite.

Seeking students who identify as LGBTQ2S+ 🌈

If you are currently a student at Vancouver Island University and identify as LGBTQ2S+, student Deja Symington would love to hear from you. Participation in the survey is completely voluntary and will remain completely confidential. The study is examining how the transition to a hybrid learning model is impacting LGBTQ2S+ students’ sense of community. Take the survey.

Thrive at VIU

As the end of semester crunch hits, don’t forget to check out the Thrive Facebook and Instagram pages for lots of tips on staying well. And join our Move for Mental Health Campaign on Instagram starting April 6 to win some awesome prizes!

Symposium for Young Scientists ⚗️

The Society for Canadian Women in Science and Technology is hosting a national competition for women science students across Canada with a first prize of $1,000. Women enrolled in undergraduate, graduate and PhD STEM programs and who are 35 years or younger are invited to apply. Deadline is April 25 at 11:59 pm. Competition guidelines and eligibility requirements on SCWIST website.

Supports and services

Digital Survival Kit & Stressbusters 🐶🎼

Exam season got you stressed? VIU student ambassadors and staff from various departments have collaborated to put together some online resources, from pet therapy, to recipes, to playlists, to finance tips, to help you get through. Visit the Keep Well pages for the collection.

Tuition Tax Forms

A reminder that Tuition Tax Forms can be accessed and printed via your online student record and are now available for the 2020 tax year. 

Help us improve our website 💻

We are inviting you to help us re-organize the content on our website! We are looking for students to provide insights into how they search for information on the website, and what they search for most frequently. All of the information collected is confidential, and individuals are not identified in any reports resulting from this interaction. Help us out!

VIU Nanaimo Library reno update 📖

We have moved back to our newly refreshed service desk in the Learning Commons at the Nanaimo campus Library so drop by and visit us there. Use your VIU ID card to access the Library’s third and fourth floors 24-7, 365 days a year. Check our Covid-19 updates page for the latest info on services, including virtual research help appointments. Have more questions? Contact us, check out our FAQs page or follow @viulibrary on social media for news, reno updates, events and curios.

Got VIU Cowichan questions? We’ve got answers 

Come try out our VIU Cowichan drop-in Advising Zoom room. Educational Advisors can help you achieve a more fulfilling educational experience. Although we are based in Cowichan, any student is welcome to drop in with questions and we’ll do our best to assist.

Emergency financial aid 💰

The BC government recently announced more emergency aid funding for VIU students. To be considered, students must complete their online Scholarship, Award and Bursary profile located within their student record. This profile will open on September 1, 2021. Those who completed their profile by the March 31 deadline will be notified in mid-June of any funding received.

Canada Revenue Agency webinars

The CRA is offering two different webinars that could be of interest to VIU students this May and June:

• Post-secondary & financial literacy presentation (May 4 and June 8 from 1:30 - 3 pm): Get familiar with some of the benefits and credits you may be eligible for as a student.
• International students presentation: (May 6 and June 10, 1:30 - 3 pm): Learn more about the credit payments you could get as an international student if you are a resident of Canada for income tax purposes.  

Register for any upcoming webinars by visiting the CRA webex link.  

Info about awards external to VIU 

External Awards include scholarships, awards and bursaries that are available to all students through agencies unaffiliated with Vancouver Island University. Visit External Awards & Funding to review the categorized list of awards to assist you in easing the financial burden associated with post-secondary education.

Career tip Tweets 🐦

The VIU Centre for Experiential Learning is on Twitter! Follow @careerviu to check out the latest job postings and career resources.

Tips from Advising 

Calling all Exploratory, Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science students undecided about your major/minors or considering changing programs. Check out these tips for ideas about course selections and join a Web Registration and Course Selection Session. As always, connect early and connect often with Educational Advisors.

Join the Elders for tea and a chat ☕️

The schedule for the tea and chats with VIU Elders-in-Residence has been updated for April. All students are welcome to call or chat on Zoom with an Elder – see the attached schedule for times and contact information.

Success Coach services

VIU’s Success Coach is available to meet with you one-on-one between now and the end of May. Explore the benefits and impacts of success coaching and book an appointment online, or email Sharon.Kelly@viu.ca if you want help booking an appointment.

COVID-19 updates

A vaccination update from Island Health 💉

On Friday, April 23, anyone who is 18+ (born in 2003 or earlier) can REGISTER for a COVID-19 vaccine. Once registered, you will get a confirmation number that will be needed when you are contacted to book an appointment (this could be several weeks after you register). When your age group is able to book an appointment you will be contacted by text, phone or email. Registering now will allow you to get in the queue to be contacted, and helps Island Health make better estimates about how much vaccine we will require for your age group.
COVID-19 vaccines are safe and protect against infection from the severe disease that can occur in people of all ages. The vaccines cause your body to produce antibodies that will help to protect you, and those around you who are not vaccinated or susceptible to infection, from getting sick if exposed to the virus. Read more about COVID vaccines and the registration process at the ImmunizeBC website.

New FAQ page for Fall 2021 😷

Do you have questions about what’s happening for Fall 2021 and what safety precautions VIU is taking in the return to campus planning? Bookmark our Frequently Asked Questions page, where we will be sharing the most up-to-date information as it becomes available.