VIU Students' Union

Save the date! The biggest party on campus is less than a month away...

Who do you think is headlining this years' concert? 👇

📣 Want to get your business or organization in front of thousands of VIU students?

Partner with VIUSU for Welcome Week & Frosh Week 2026 and connect directly with 3,000+ students during some of the biggest and busiest events of the year! 🎉

Applications are now open!

Want to connect with 3,000+ students during the biggest events of the academic year?

Welcome Week & Frosh Week 2026 are your chance to put your business or organization in front of thousands of new and returning VIU students.

We're currently accepting applications for:
✨ Sponsors
🛍️ Vendors
🍔 Food Service Providers

Whether you're looking to build brand awareness, recruit students, or engage directly with the campus community, we'd love to hear from you.

Applications are now open!
🔗 Learn more & apply: www.viusu.ca/s/Sponsorship-Vendors-Food-service-Package-2026.pdf

Today we’re celebrating Mauricea Panchenko (Cree-Métis) as part of our Indigenous Student Recognition series.

Mauricea has dedicated countless hours to building community, advocating for Indigenous students, and creating spaces where others feel supported and empowered. As the founder and leader of the VIU Indigenous Students Club, she has helped strengthen Indigenous student representation on campus while continuing to volunteer, mentor, and give back to her community.

Thank you, Mauricea, for your leadership, advocacy, and commitment to lifting others up. Your impact continues to be felt across VIU and beyond.

Students spoke up for post-secondary education.

Last, VIUSU presented to the BC Select Standing Committee on Finance and Government Services as part of the provincial budget consultation process. This annual consultation gives organizations across British Columbia the opportunity to share priorities and recommendations directly with government ahead of the provincial budget.

We spoke on behalf of students and highlighted the impacts of underfunding on post-secondary education, including service reductions, program cuts, and growing affordability challenges.

Our recommendations included:
✔️ Restoring public funding to 75% of institutional operating budgets
✔️ Releasing the Sector Sustainability Review and keeping students involved in future conversations
✔️ Maintaining BC's 2% Tuition Limit Policy

Post-secondary education is a public good, and students deserve a system that is accessible, affordable, and sustainable.

Want to get involved? Visit cutssuck.ca to send a message to your MLA and support the call for stronger investment in public post-secondary education.

Cuts Suck Fix Education! Public funding for post-secondary education in BC has dropped from 68% in 2000, to just 40% today—that’s a 41% drop. You’re paying the price through increased tuition fees.

Today, on National Indigenous Peoples Day, we honour the First Nations, Inuit, and Métis peoples whose leadership, knowledge, cultures, languages, and communities continue to shape this country.

At VIUSU, we recognize that Indigenous Peoples Day is not only a celebration, but also an opportunity to listen, learn, and reflect. Throughout the coming week, we will be sharing and celebrating Indigenous students from across VIU whose contributions help strengthen our campuses and communities every day.

To Indigenous students at VIU: thank you for your leadership, resilience, knowledge, creativity, humour, and care. Your presence enriches our campus community, and today we celebrate you.

We invite you to read our National Indigenous Peoples Day blog, where we explore the significance of the day, the Nations whose territories VIU campuses are located on, and ways to continue learning beyond June 21.

Read more at viusu.ca/news/ipd26

Help us celebrate Indigenous students at VIU.
In honour of National Indigenous Peoples Day on June 21, we're inviting nominations to recognize Indigenous students whose presence, contributions, and experiences help shape our campus and communities.

We know Indigenous students contribute in many different ways—through leadership, advocacy, cultural involvement, academic pursuits, creativity, mentorship, volunteerism, caring for others, and everyday acts of support.

Do you know an Indigenous student whose story deserves to be shared? We'd love to hear about them.

Self-nominations are welcome.
Nominees who provide consent will be featured in a VIUSU blog post and may also be highlighted on our social media channels.

Nominations close Monday, June 15 at 4:00 PM.

Nominations can be submitted through this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSczXMSBfFNLJcR0MDZpMcF2QgkGtyMN1wSxUWEUxuNG_77McQ/viewform

The welcome pole featured in this photo stands at Shq'apthut (A Gathering Place) and is included intentionally as a symbol of Indigenous presence, resilience, and cultural continuity. Created through a project led by Indigenous artists and community collaboration, it serves as a reminder of the living cultures, histories, and relationships that continue to shape this place.

More about the Totem Pole Project can be found here: youtube.com/watch?si=HXCwNK2_bGgeNIFW&v=DsLohr0i4nU&feature=youtu.be

📚✊ From May 21–24, VIUSU student leaders joined peers from across British Columbia at the BC Federation of Students' 41st Annual Skills Development Symposium.

Over four days of workshops and discussions, our Board of Directors developed skills in advocacy, governance, campaign organizing, media relations, outreach, event planning, financial oversight, and effective student representation. We connected with student leaders from across the province, shared experiences, and explored how students can build collective power to create change on our campuses and beyond.

We're excited to bring these new skills, ideas, and connections back to VIU as we continue advocating for affordable, accessible, and high-quality post-secondary education. 💚

Today, we recognize Red Dress Day - the National Day of Awareness for Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People.

Red dresses seen across our campus and communities are more than symbols.
They represent lives that should still be here, and the families and communities who continue to carry that loss.

Earlier this year, on February 13, our community came together to march in solidarity.
That work doesn’t end there.

We must continue to raise awareness, demand justice, and stand with Indigenous communities.

📍 Today at 3:30 PM
Join the march organized by Cedar Woman House
Meet at Port Place Thrifty Foods → march to Maffeo Sutton Park

We encourage you to show up, to listen, and to stand in solidarity.