Life after dark at VIU

For the majority of students, involvement in extracurricular activities plays an integral role in the university experience. How? Students enhance their personal development through these activities and just blow off steam, which is also important.

By participating in life after dark at VIU, you can reap benefits such as:

• Making friends from different majors/classes
• Networking
• De-stressing from your class load
• Learning about the different cultures around you

Here are my suggestions for some extracurricular activities that can be done after dark at VIU.

Sing your heart out

Open mic nights at the VIU Students’ Union Pub are held every Thursday from 9 pm until midnight. It is a place where students can show off their hidden talents in a safe environment. Open Mic Nights also give students a break from their school work and bring them together to hang out and talk in a fun, interactive way.

Laugh out loud

Comedy night is another awesome event held at the student pub and is important because, like the post on the student pub’s Facebook page states: “A good laugh overcomes more difficulties and dissipates more dark clouds than any other one thing.” – Laura Ingalls Wilder

Dress up

The student pub also hosts theme parties throughout the year, such as the Halloween bash and ugly Christmas sweater events. So, if you like to dress up or you simply love themed parties, this would be of interest to you.

Get your groove on

Global grove is a monthly concert series that happens the first Thursday of each month at the student pub. It gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in many different cultures through music, as a different cultural group and their music is showcased every month.

Watch a flick

The pub and other clubs around campus often host movie nights. From family movie nights at Shq’apthut, VIU’s Aboriginal Gathering Place, to the Worldbridger Film Series, there are lots of options.

Catch a game

If you’re a sports fan, there is also the option of going to a VIU Mariners game. Depending on the season, you can catch a basketball game, volleyball match or any other sports matches the school partakes in.

As you can see from the list above, there is something for everyone to do. So, if you are feeling stressed about an assignment, you’re new to campus or just simply looking for some fun, I highly suggest that you go to one of these amazing events offered by your university.

Arese Wiltshire is a third-year English major from Belize on an exchange semester at VIU. She enjoys exploring and making new friends. While exploring VIU, she came up with the list above.