Camosun celebrates International Women’s Day
On Thursday, March 8, Camosun will celebrate International Women’s Day with a number of events on both campuses. At Lansdowne, the Sisters With Spokes Bike Tune Up will take place in the Fisher courtyard from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm; there will be free coffee and cookies in the foyer of Fisher from 12 pm to 1:30 pm. Author Monique Gray Smith will be in room 15 of the Library and Learning Commons from 2:30 pm to 3:30 pm. There will also be a consent workshop in Young 300 from 2:30 pm to 4:30 pm. At Interurban, there will be free coffee and snacks in the third floor of the atrium in the Campus Centre from 11 am to 1 pm; Kelsey Merkley, who started the organization UnCommon Women, will host a panel discussion from 2 pm to 3 pm in Jack White 102.
New associate dean for School of Access
Heather Del Villano is Camosun’s new School of Access associate dean. Del Villano has been with the college since 2009, working as an English as a Second Language instructor. She has also worked closely with Camosun International.
New education policy specialist at Camosun
Rashid Al-Haque is Camosun’s new education policy specialist. Al-Haque, who starts in the position this month, has a PhD in Educational Studies from the University of Western Ontario.
Chargers win men’s volleyball title
The Camosun Chargers men’s volleyball team took home the Pacific Western Athletic Association men’s volleyball championship title on Saturday, February 24. This marks the fourth year in a row the team has won the title.
Camosun officially opens electrical shop
Camosun recently officially opened the Houle Electrical Shop at the Interurban campus. The shop has been in operation since September of last year and is almost twice as big as the campus’ old electric shop. The college replaced more than 80 percent of the old shop’s equipment during the renovations, and added $250,000 of new equipment.
Camosun partners with Soup Sisters
Camosun and Soup Sisters Victoria recently launched a 24-month partnership. Culinary Arts students and staff will be preparing soup on a regular basis for the Victoria Women’s Transition House, a non-profit society that helps women who are in, or recovering from, situations of domestic abuse. Camosun culinary arts chair Steve Walker-Duncan started the partnership with the Soup Sisters, an organization that makes and donates soup to children, youth, and women.
Federal government to give more grants
Approximately 10,000 part-time and middle-income students across Canada can now get as much as $1,600 in grants and up to $10,000 in loans. Also, part-time students with children are eligible to receive $1,920 per year in non-repayable grants.
NDP announces plans to invest in student housing
The NDP recently announced that $450 million will be invested in on-campus student housing over the next three years. Camosun College vice president of student experience Joan Yates told Nexus shortly after the announcement that the college does not have details about Camosun’s involvement in a possible student housing initiative in terms of the budget announcement; she said they “remain optimistic” and are waiting for further announcements.
Federal government post-secondary budget nods
The federal government released its 2018 budget on Tuesday, February 27. In it, the government commits to investing $5.5 million over five years in the implementation of the National Framework to Address Gender-Based Violence at post-secondary institutions. Other investments of note to students were the government’s commitment of $925 million to its three main research granting councils and $448.5 million for the Youth Employment Strategy and Canada Summer Jobs program.
Malahat-enforcement feedback wanted
The Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General is asking the public to comment on a possible Malahat pilot project that involves point-to-point speed enforcement on the Malahat. With point-to-point speed enforcement, a camera takes a picture of the licence plate of a car when it enters and when it leaves a designated stretch of road. The time it took for the vehicle to get between those points is then calculated. If the vehicle was going above the speed limit, a ticket is issued. Comments on the possible project can be sent to pssg.minister@gov.bc.ca.