Pandemiversity
by Erinn Sturgeon There is no downplaying the major effect that the Coronavirus pandemic is having on people around the globe, university students included. For those of us who thought we’d be in a classroom knocking off a final exam right about now, the complications have been innumerable: Courses cancelled or transferred online, roommates who […]
V.I. Eyes
By Heather Froese I’ve always been inspired by photography. My earliest inspiration came from my older sister, Elizabeth, who was always taking sneaky candid photos of me before I could see the camera and pull my silliest face to annoy her. But I wasn’t her only subject. Growing up on Vancouver Island also provided her […]
Please, No Frozen Graveyard For Me
By Rose Willow Photos: Anthony Hutchins As another autumn approached and the otters splashed in the little cove in front of our house, and the sky turned crimson at dusk, Tony refilled our glasses with homemade blackberry wine, and brought up the […]
In One Word: Vancouver Island
They come from Germany, Egypt, Greenland, Finland, the United States — you name it. International students from all over the world arrive to study on Vancouver Island, whether at Vancouver Island University, the University of Victoria, or other of the island’s post-secondary institutions. They each experience their new, if temporary, home in their own way. Their perceptions are often shaped by the huge […]
Deadly cocktail
By Benjamin Everett Over 40 fentanyl-related overdoses have been reported in Victoria and Nanaimo since December 20, 2015, 12 of them fatal. The victims have come from all walks of life, but Paul Hasselback, Medical Health Officer for Central Vancouver Island, says that “it’s the younger ones that are the most tragic.” Fentanyl is a synthetic opiate […]
AbOut Tier 3
by Natalie Gates Walking through the bustling hallways of Nanaimo District Secondary School (NDSS), Brett Hancock offers easy smiles and fist pumps to almost every student he passes. Smirks form on their faces as they greet him back. “I learned a lot traveling, but I sure as hell didn’t learn much in high school,” he says. […]
From camp to campus
By Natalie Gates Noor Mohamed Maalim, 23, breezes in two minutes late in a crisp, white button-up shirt. With an easy grin and friendly greeting, he plops down two boxes of pizza on a table before his fellow club members. He grabs a marker and struts to the whiteboard where he jots a list of […]
Moving day for VIU’s sturgeon
By Alexandria Stuart It’s a warm, sunny day and I’m taking a refreshing swim in Cameron Lake, just outside of Port Alberni on Vancouver Island, when something grazes my leg. It’s smooth but not scaly. Its texture is more like rows of firm, bony plates. I flash back to every horror movie I’ve ever seen […]
Nothing Phony About Bronies
By Drew McLachlan In 2010, an epic war of good vs. evil was waged. You may have missed it. The battle was fought in the land of Equestria, where its denizens — ponies, unicorns, and pegasuses with names like Twilight Sparkle, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie — managed to stop the evil alicorn Nightmare Moon from casting their […]