three things

When I learned the news that a Muslim family in London, Ontario, had been intentionally targeted and attacked because of their faith, I was horrified and deeply saddened. It is unfathomable to think that two parents, a grandparent and a 15-year old girl are dead, and a 9-year-old boy was injured and left to survive his family, because a fellow Canadian chose to commit an act of terrorist violence and Islamophobic hate. I want to express to the Muslim community at VIU my deep sadness, and that we stand with you, value you, and denounce Islamophobia in all its forms.

Welcome to March! March is a time of change and transition. The vernal equinox is on Saturday, March 20, which is officially the start of spring. The days are not only getting longer, they are also getting milder and warmer. The deer are happily eating my tulips, some of the shrubs on my walk are starting to bud and the birds are singing their little hearts out. I live in a rural area of Nanaimo, and I look forward to watching the wildflowers start to sprout soon.

Black History Month begins today in Canada. Black History Month was established to “celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate and prosperous nation it is today.”

January is a strange month. Perhaps it is because it is on the other side of many holidays. Perhaps it is because the days are finally getting longer and things are starting to sprout in the garden. Perhaps it is the start of a new term. 

I thought I would start this blog with a snip of a poem by George Barker, which starts:

January jumps about
in the frying pan
trying to heat
his frozen feet
like a Canadian.

Dear VIU Community,

I'm excited to announce that the next phase of VIU’s strategic planning process has arrived.

From November 2 - 27, we would like to have your feedback on the first draft of the plan, which was created from the community input we received last spring and summer. Since then, we have been hard at work, collating all of the feedback, releasing the What We Heard Report, and putting together this first draft of the plan.

I’ve been spending some time on campus since the start of term and noticed, when wandering around, that I’ve been running into more people. Often this is on my way to the Mount Benson Market to grab a morning coffee, or around 2 pm for an afternoon snack. I highly recommend the sandwiches, the charcuterie tray, the salt and vinegar kettle chips, and the amazing people who work there. I’ve also run into a number of folks at the VIU Students’ Union Pub and I highly recommend the quesadillas, Greek salad and poutine.

I wanted to take a moment to wish all of our students and employees a happy, safe and healthy Thanksgiving long weekend.

I know this year’s Thanksgiving may look different from the traditions many of us usually observe and some of us are having to find new ways to celebrate. This has given me pause to think a bit more deeply about how grateful I am for so many things in my life – my family and friends, my beautiful garden, and the work I am privileged to be involved in.

My apologies for not blogging over the past few months, but the events since March have made time for reflection and writing scarce. Further, “Zoom Fatigue” sapped most of my creative juices. The best I could do over the summer was go back to first principles, which for me is collaboration and music, which is why, with the Communications and Public Engagement team, we did manage to put out some summer tunes.

So here we are – my first blog of my second year at VIU. 

I am writing this from my home office, which is above my garage. It is a bright and sunny day and I am happily perched among the Douglas fir and cedar trees that line my driveway.

“Beware the ides of March” (Julius Caesar, Act 1, Sc.2)