Vancouver Island University
Canada Learning Bond (Addressing Financial and other Support Barriers)
- Active promotion of the Canada Learning Bond and other education savings grants (since 2013, when the university hired two students to do outreach work).
- Students established a network of people and agencies that connect with eligible families, organized public awareness events and hosted sign-up events.
- Canada Learning Bond Coordinator hired in 2014 to oversee continued efforts in VIU’s regions. VIU is the only PSI to have a full-time employee dedicated solely to community outreach
- Local participation in the CLB has grown from 29% in 2013 to 44% in 2019, despite eligible youth in VIU’s region has increased from 8,000 to 18,000 over that time. Statistics show that having at least $500 in the bank dedicated to PSE makes youth 4 times more likely to attend.
- Continue to reach out to Indigenous, non-profit, business and community partners to build awareness.
Tuition Waiver for Youth in Care (Addressing Financial and other Support Barriers)
- Tuition Waiver Program for former youth in care launched in 2013.
- VIU waives tuition for anyone who has spent a year or more in care in BC.
- VIU raises funds to help students cover living expenses, as simply waiving tuition doesn’t make university accessible
- VIU first post-secondary institution in BC to create such a program and now mentoring almost a dozen universities across Canada
- Research shows that only 50% of youth in care finish high school, and just 20% go on to post-secondary. Of those students, less than 5% complete their post-secondary education.
- In BC, 65% of children and youth in care are Indigenous – a lasting legacy from the residential school system; so not only is this an access initiative, it is also an example of reconciliation in action.
- More than 200 students who have spent time in care have enrolled since the program began, many of whom may not have accessed education otherwise.
- Many youth who have aged out of care have never had anyone talk to them about PSE and what to expect, so there are gaps in knowledge of basic living skills or in their education. After gathering feedback, VIU added the Peer Support Navigator to provide support to these students with unique needs and challenges
- VIU’s work has inspired provincial policy changes. Starting in 2017, the BC government launched its own Tuition Waiver Program for youth under the age of 26 who have spent at least two years in care. VIU does not put this age restriction on prospective students, and continues to advocate for the province to adopt VIU’s policies – no age limit and only one year spent in care.
EleV program (Addressing Financial Barriers and Creates a Sense of Belonging)
- The Mastercard Foundation – one of the largest foundations in the world – invested in VIU and Yukon University as the two founding partners to deliver an innovative program for Indigenous youth called EleV.
- This program aims to increase the number of Indigenous youth attending and successfully completing PSE programs and transitioning to the workforce upon graduation. It’s the only major program the Mastercard Foundation is funding in Canada at the moment.
- EleV is unique as VIU co-creates with Indigenous communities and is responsive to their needs. Rather than telling communities what they need to do to ensure their students can access education, VIU ask how it can better accommodate students.
- VIU’s EleV learning partnership for Indigenous youth has VIU connecting with students well before they are ready to attend PSE. For example, VIU offers camps for high school students, learning exercises for younger students, and events for families with young children. VIU also invites youth on campus to familiarize them with a university setting.
Indigenous Intern Leadership Program (IILP) (Continued Support for Employment AFTER Graduation – so Removing Barriers to Access to Employment)
- VIU's Indigenous Intern Leadership Program is a partnership with the Business Council of British Columbia and the BC Assembly of First Nations to support Indigenous graduates to find relevant and impactful employment opportunities in BC.
- The program matches qualified Indigenous PSE graduates with paid internship positions with employers for a two-year period.
- Interns have PSE experience in a wide variety of disciplines: diplomas in the trades, business and administration; degrees in business, First Nations studies, engineering, communications, tourism, science, and forestry.
- These internships allow Indigenous graduates to build professional capability and networks and increase skills and knowledge
- The program was born out of an MOU signed between the BC Business Council and the BC Assembly of First Nations, who committed to “work together to eliminate societal gaps between First Nations and non-First Nations, and to advance reconciliation through sustainable economic development.”
- From the MOU, a Champions Table was formed, with 11 First Nations Leaders and 11 private sector leaders. This group created the Indigenous Intern Leadership Program.
Community-based Programming (Reducing Barriers to Access by Moving Programs to Communities)
- VIU has a number of programs that are based in community such as: Indigenous Ecotourism Training Program and the First Nations Stewardship Technicians Training Program.
- These programs are co-created with community to provide relevant educational opportunities while supporting student learning without having to leave their communities.
- The pandemic has encouraged further conversations around the possibilities for more community-based learning. For example – creating more accessible and relevant content that is delivered both online and combined with land-based learning that happens in community could be an important way forward https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/grant-online-1.5900162
Partnership with Literacy Central Vancouver Island (Removes Barriers to Computer Access)
- VIU works closely with Literacy Central Vancouver Island, a non-profit organization that refurbishes used computers and gives these computers to students and people in need at no cost to them. Many VIU students have accessed these computers during COVID, and the computers have been helpful to others who do not have the financial means to purchase a computer on their own. While this program is not a VIU program, the partnership with LCVI is strong and necessary to support access for students.
VIU Strategic Plan (Using Strategic Planning to Remove Barriers to Access)
- VIU's new Strategic Plan demonstrates and ongoing commitment to ‘access’ by opening the university doors and welcoming a larger and more diverse population of learners.
- Woven throughout all plans will be VIU’s commitments to broaden cultural competencies in a global world; deepen equity, diversity and inclusion; advance Indigenous commitments; and support the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- 6 Foundational Plans are being developed to achieve the commitments laid out in the Strategic Plan. These foundational plans are: the Academic Plan; People Plan; Student Affairs Plan; Scholarship, Research and Creative Activity Plan; Operations Plan; and Community Engagement Plan.
- All Foundational Plans are being developed with SMART goals to measure progress
Training Sessions for Employees (Providing Awareness and Support Training Related to Access for EDI Groups)
- Anti-Racism Response Training (3 level training suite to fully explore racism and to provide anti racism strategies. Level 3 is Train the Trainer). Almost all of VIU’s senior administration has completed level 1.
- Anti-Discrimination Topics (3 workshops that focus on implicit bias, microaggressions and allyship). All sessions begin with understanding privilege and how privilege relates to the three concepts. Workshops also cover concepts like intersectionality and how it impacts discrimination experience, communication/bystander strategies, etc.
- Positive Space Alliance Training – covers basic information and understanding of gender diversity, including gender fluidity, Transgender, Two Spirit, etc. It also addresses language and the evolution of terminology and concepts related to gender diversity.
- Student Disability Accommodation – Focus is on ensuring ‘accommodation’ is accurately conceptualized as a collaborative sharing of expertise/knowledge to maximize student success. Covers issues like the core collaborative nature of accommodation; power imbalance between student and teacher; undue hardship; core learning deliverables; FAQs; best practices (e.g. use of universal design in curriculum development/learning design, etc
- Informal discussions/learning sessions that cover core concepts related to equity, diversity, inclusion, privilege, intersectionality, implicit bias, allyship, microaggressions to explore issues, answer questions, share best practices. These discussions will inform other training that is needed and will build confidence/comfort ad alleviate anxiety around EDI more generally. These discussions will also create consistency of understanding.
EDI Symposium (Use Research-Based Practices to be a Catalyst for Improving Access/Support related to EDI)
VIU invited members of the Alliance of Canadian Comprehensive Research Universities (ACCRU) to join a community of practice and collaborate on the best practices for EDI Action Plans. The symposium provided a space to develop deeper understandings of research-based EDI best practices. Participating institutions include: Vancouver Island university, Athabasca University, Kwantlen Polytechnic University, Lakehead University, Mount Royal University, Ontario Tech University, Royal Roads University, Saint Mary’s University, Thompson Rivers University, Trinity Western University, University of Lethbridge, University of Fraser Valley, University of Prince Edward Island, and University of Regina.
- There were four goals for the Symposium
- Catalyze and energize a network of institutions with similar interests in, and a commitment to, developing CRC and university-wide EDI plans for enhancement of research excellence at Candian Comprehensive Research Universities;
- Provide a venue for sharing research-based best practices and lessons learned in the development of EDI plans
- Curate and create a set of shared online resources such as policy guidelines and training materials for EDI plan development and implementation
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Actuate a commitment among participating universities to review and comment on one another’s EDI plans
Speaker Series (Conversations about solving problems related to access/EDI).
- Engaged Citizen Speaker Series - Last session explored the report that came out about indigenous racism in BC’s healthcare sector
- Indigenous Speaker Series – annual event (in partnership with CBC) that focuses on topics related to truth and reconciliation
Since 2018 Vancouver Island University has elevated its committed to universal design, with a vision of being the most inclusive campus in Canada. Our campus is unique; built on the side of a mountain with 409 stairs from top to bottom and 2,300 stairs in total. Stairs are a barrier for anyone with permanent, temporary, or hidden mobility disabilities, however, it is not only stairs that create barriers to access. A multitude of architectural and physical designs limit people’s ability to fully participate in their community. VIU’s institutional commitment to accessibility means that a more diverse student body is now able to reach their full potential at VIU; the goal is to ensure the built environment does not exclude anyone from accessing education.
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To date 10 new universal washrooms have been built. This means that the washrooms are inclusive and accessible with power door openers, adult change tables and chair lifts. Some of the major universal access projects include: two major ramp systems, six accessible units and associated common areas at Student Residences, and barrier-free mapping and wayfinding that informs users on how to navigate the campus, with information that includes power door openers, ramps and elevator location. Hundreds of smaller changes have been made, such as high-contrast signs that point to accessible routes up and down campus; handrails installed on ramps; power door openers in key areas across campus; grab bars in washrooms; and plus-size chairs, adjustable desks and rolling stations.
- Attitudinal and institutional changes are evident. The Universal Access Committee has a growing membership from Facilities Services, Student Services, IT, Human Resources and other key departments. The Universal Access team, housed in Campus Development, all have the Rick Hansen Certification training. Going forward any renovations and new structures are to be built ensuring universal design principals with the target goal of RHF Gold certification on all new construction. Every body everywhere is our goal for making VIU Universally Accessible. This is only the beginning; we know that there is more work to do. For more information, please visit VIU's Universal Access website ( https://fas.viu.ca/campus-development/universal-access ) or contact uac@viu.ca
Participation in the Dimensions Program – Pilot Program to “increase equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) and help drive deeper cultural change within the research ecosystem” (Commitment to Improving Access/Inclusion, Enhance Equity and Promote Diversity)
- VIU chosen to participate (along with 16 other institutions) in pilot project in recognition of the significant progress made to date towards advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in research and wider academic communities.
- Supported by Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada
General Programs meant to INCREASE Access to PSE (Creating a Sense of Belonging/Providing Opportunities also reduce barriers)
- VIU also has specific programming that focuses on access to PSE:
- Adult Basic Education for adults needing upgrading for entrance to PSE (NO tuition – there are some fees that can be covered with an Adult Upgrading Grant, provided by BC’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training);
- Workplace Essential Skills Training for people with cognitive and developmental disabilities; the program prepares students for employment (there is tuition, but it is covered by the Adult Upgrading Grant, provided by BC’s Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training)
- Aboriginal University Bridging Program to support indigenous students with upgrading and transitioning into PSE; funding is provided by the Adult Upgrading Grant, the Aboriginal Service Plan (federal funding), and band funding.
- Inside Out Program – criminology students go into prisons to work with groups of incarcerated people/students to learn together. By using dialogue, collaboration, and serious, sharp inquiry, incarcerated people and university students mutually benefit from studying alongside one another. Residents of Corrections do not need to pay for the course.
- Community Adult Literacy Program (CALP) - Adults can get free tutoring in community in three categories – Adult Literacy, Indigenous Adult Literacy, Family Literacy. The term ‘literacy’ is very broad and encompasses all aspects of literacy (reading, writing, numeracy, health, digital, etc). This program is funded by the BC government (Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training), and non-profits do the work. Organizations must partner with a PSE institution.
- VIU’s Office of Indigenous Education and Engagement is working with Indigenous communities to create a ‘digital or technical’ hub in community. This in-community hub provides students access to technology. The hub provides internet connectivity and hardware/software to support students enrolled in VIU courses. This hub will be helpful for prospective students in finding out about what opportunities exist for them and support would also be provided at the location.
