NIC @ Home Student Newsletter - October 5

Hello NIC students!

I am pleased to present your weekly Student Life newsletter with information and updates. I hope you are taking some time for yourself despite the busy study schedule. We are sharing some upcoming events for you to engage with others outside your class.

Student Life at Home

We are delighted to have designated the week of October 5th as Mental Health Week at NIC and have organized various events. Please join us in the events below that supports Mental Health:

Monday, October 5 at 1:30 pm

Okanagan Charter: NIC’s Commitment to Health and Well-being

Zoom meeting Link: https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/63905645743?pwd=YUFHRkpNL3ZoRHhPT2lBanE1QmdiZz09

Meeting ID: 639 0564 5743

Meeting Passcode: Health

To Join by Phone: 1 778 907 2071 (toll-free from within Canada) ​

Tuesday, October 6 at 12:30 -1:30 PM

Thriving not Surviving: Live session with NIC Counsellors with tips for ways to thrive this term

Bluejeans Link: https://bcnet.bluejeans.com/562826264

Meeting ID: 562 826 264

Tuesday, October 6 at 2:00 -3:00PM

Keynote address with Taryn Goodwin: Boundaries + Balance: How Studying Art + Design can Teach us about Mental Health: How can visual language help us understand our mental health in relation to one another and for ourselves?

Zoom Link: https://ca01web.zoom.us/j/68159595389

Meeting ID: 681 5959 5389

Meeting Passcode: 004379

To join by Phone, find your local number here: https://ca01web.zoom.us/u/gj3M4BKoP

Wednesday, October 7 at 12:00-1:00PM

What is the Okanagan Charter? Why it is important? Learn about why the adoption of the Okanagan Charter is important for the NIC campus community
Bluejeans Link: https://bcnet.bluejeans.com/495380270

Meeting ID: 495 380 270

Mental Health Week Photo Contest, if you are interested, take a picture of something that nurtures your mental health and send it studentlife@nic.bc.ca between October 5-9, 2020. We will share your picture on our social media pages and posts, and you will be entered into a draw for a chance to win a Chromebook!

Printing is now available at the Library and CV, CR Computer Labs!

The Library & Learning Commons’ printers are available for printing and scanning during opening hours Monday to Friday 8:00am – 12:00pm and CV and CR computer labs from 12:00pm -4:00pm.

Printing is $0.10 for black and white printing and $0.20 for colour. Scanning is free.

Access to the printer is available by booking a computer space online or phoning your campus Library & Learning Commons.

For more information about your printing account visit Student Tech Services.

NIC Board of Governors Election day is Monday, October 5th.   Students eligible to vote will receive an email to their NIC email account on the morning of October 5th.  The email includes the link to your ballot, and you may select up to 2 candidates for the student representatives on the NIC Board of Governors.  Voting will be open until midnight. All voting will be conducted electronically.

In addition, during Mental Illness Awareness Week, Bell Let’s Talk and Queen's University are hosting a virtual event to discuss Student Mental Health during the Age of COVID-19 on Thursday, October 8th from 11:30 am -12:30 pm [EST].

Please join panelists Dr. Heather Stuart, Bell Canada Chair Mental Health and Anti-Stigma Research, Dr. Anne Duffy, and Brooke Linden (Ph.D. Candidate) for this free virtual event, where they will engage in conversation about the importance of prioritizing students' mental health during this time. Attendees will take away practical tools and resources necessary to take care of their mental health. ​

Self-Care: Feeling bad about being sad or anxious?

“When we try to get rid of anything in life, we create resistance; and the more we resist something, the more it shows up. Famous psychologist Carl Jung stated that “what you resist not only persists but will grow in size.” So, the goal here isn’t to get rid of anxiety, panic attacks, or sadness, it’s to work on our intolerance of those feelings. It’s to learn how to manage ourselves through the discomfort of it all” (Ilene S. Cohen, Ph.D., 2019). Here are few tips to help:

  1. Know that it’s okay to be anxious and upset.

Without a doubt, the most important thing to remember is that it’s okay to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. It’s okay to feel lost and unsure.

  1. Become an observer of your life.

Instead of judging and getting angry with yourself for feeling a certain way, decide to be an observer of your emotions and environment. Choose to slow down and watch.

  1. Decide who you want to be.

It is much easier to be happy, nice, and upbeat when your life is going well. It’s a lot harder to hold onto yourself when stress and anxiety are high. Knowing this, work at trying to stay true to who you are, even in unfortunate situations.

  1. Know it’s okay to feel strong emotions.

During hard times our emotions can feel more intense. We may lose hope or be more reactive. Even though it is totally fine to maintain an optimistic perspective of life, it is also important to allow ourselves to process and feel the full spectrum of emotions.

  1. Remember that even negative emotions have a place in our lives.

Sadness, anger, frustration, boredom, anxiety etc. all have a place in our lives. The key is not to avoid or numb these emotions, but to experience them and learn to manage them effectively so they don’t run our lives.

                                         -  By Ilene S. Cohen, Ph.D. (2019).

To learn more visit: https://tinybuddha.com/blog/when-you-feel-bad-about-feeling-sad-and-anxious/

If you need any support through this time, please reach out to us. You can find information on NIC's counselling services, along with links to community supports, including 24hr crisis lines, on NIC's Counselling page.

Share with us, how you are taking care of yourself at home. Share on social media and tag NIC on Facebook and Instagram OR send us an email at studentlife@nic.bc.ca and we will share on your behalf.
#WeAreNICe #Thrive #NICatHome

We encourage you to join our NIC Student Life Facebook group to connect with us, share your views and stay updated on events and information on student life at NIC. Go to NIC Facebook page and click on “Groups”.

Healthy Eating - scroll down for another delicious recipe. Send us your own healthy recipes to studentlife@nic.bc.ca.

Supports and Services

Campus Services and Spaces are operating with reduced hours or different delivery methods during the pandemic. Study spaces, computer labs and services are available at NIC this fall. To learn more about hours and services visit: https://www.nic.bc.ca/safe-start-fall/campus-services-and-spaces/

The Library & Learning Commons is OPEN

What does your study space look like? Is the kitchen table or your bedroom not cutting it? Are you looking for a quiet space to study with reliable Wi-Fi?

The Library & Learning Commons is open and ready to welcome you!

Computer Bookings 

Computer spaces are available at the Library & Learning Commons each morning from 8:00am - 12:00pm. Click HERE to book your spot.

Study Spaces

Study spaces are available in the Library & Learning Commons each morning from 8:00am - 12:00pm. Bookings of 2 hours a day can be made up to 1 week in advance. There is a maximum of 1 person per space. Click HERE to book your space.

Borrowing Books & Videos

Students can borrow books and videos from the Library in two ways.

  1. Search the collection and place holds on items you’d like to borrow
  2. Call your campus library. HERE’s the phone number

We will contact you by email or phone to let you know when your items can be picked-up. Find out more HERE.

Borrowing Laptops

Laptops are available to borrow for 24 hours from the Campbell River, Comox Valley and Port Alberni campus libraries on a first-come, first-served basis. Laptops can be picked-up Monday through Friday, 8:00am – 4:00pm by visiting your campus Library and presenting your student card or photo ID. Find out more HERE.

The NIC bookstores at all three campuses (CV, CR, and PA) will be open between 10:00 – 2:00 Monday to Friday. This is of course dependent on the most current Public Health Officer recommendations. Any changes to this will be posted on the student portal and website when available. Textbook information for Fall is being regularly added - please continue to check the NIC Book Search for updates.

NIC educational, financial aid and Aboriginal education advisors are available for online drop-in sessions on Thursdays from 1-3pm PDT. For the online meeting link and directions on how to join these sessions,  email questions@nic.bc.ca or indigenousadvising@nic.bc.ca for Aboriginal advising. Learn more at: https://www.nic.bc.ca/life-at-nic/nic-news/news/drop-in-advising/

Our Student Technical Service team is hosting drop-in sessions to answer any questions on how to use Blackboard or MyNIC. Use your computer or mobile device to connect! Learn more at: https://library.nic.bc.ca/studenttech

Have you done any research, work, presentation that would be beneficial for other NIC students and would like us to share? Let us know by sending an email to studentlife@nic.bc.ca.

If there is information you'd like to see included in upcoming communications, or would like to share, please let us know at studentlife@nic.bc.ca.

Enjoy your week and stay well,

Dean Martin/Disha Salhan
Student Life Team

If you wish to respond or have any questions, please click here.

Healthy Eating

Spicy vegetable & quinoa one-pot

Servings: 4

Cook time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 4 tbsp vegetarian korma or Madras curry paste
  • 1l milk
  • 750g frozen mixed vegetable
  • 175g quinoa, rinsed

Instructions

  1. Simmer the onion and the curry paste with a splash of water for 5 mins in a large saucepan, stirring from time to time. Heat the milk in a jug in the microwave.
  2. Add the vegetables and quinoa, then stir in the milk. Bring to the boil, simmer gently for 10 mins until the quinoa is cooked. Check seasoning. Serve with warm naan bread.

More recipes at: BBCGoodFood