VIU Students' Union

09/24/2026

Your city. Your voice. Your vote. 🗳️

What do you want Nanaimo’s municipal election candidates to answer? The Nanaimo Chamber of Commerce has invited VIUSU to bring questions from students and the VIU community to its 2026 Civic Engagement Forum.

Comment your question below. It could be about housing, transit, affordability, or anything else you want candidates to address.

The forum is Tuesday, September 29, from 5–7:30 p.m. at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre. It’s free to attend, but advance registration is required.

Please note: We’ll look for common themes in the comments to help form the questions VIUSU brings to the forum. Submitting a question does not guarantee it will be asked.

09/04/2026

okayyyy we can finally tell you 👀

virginia to vegas. is taking over FROSH at VIU.

📅 September 17
📍 VIU Nanaimo Campus
🎟️ FREE for VIU students + employees
💸 $5 VIU Alumni / $10 for community

Outdoor concert. B**r gardens. Food. Hundreds of your closest friends. You know the deal.

See you there 🫡

08/17/2026

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

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

08/14/2026

📣 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! 🎉

07/19/2026

07/02/2026

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

06/26/2026

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.

06/22/2026

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.

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.

06/21/2026

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

06/09/2026

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