UVic families receive emergency help
UVic student families in need can now access emergency funds from the UVic Family Centre. “Whether it’s an illness, a loan not arriving when it was expected, or any kind of emergency, the centre’s emergency fund can help,” says Barb Whittington (social work), the faculty member responsible for the centre. “Up to $100 is available on short notice, with a minimum of paperwork, to meet unexpected family emergencies.” The centre’s community advisory group will administer the fund according to guidelines developed together with student families. The decision to provide emergency funding will be made on a case-by-case basis and only in exceptional circumstances would a student family receive funds more than once in a six-month period. “The families have told us that this kind of ‘no shame help’ would take some of the debilitating pressure off when things go sideways and there’s nowhere to turn,” says Whittington. To make a donation or for more information contact the centre staff at 472-4062 or familyc@uvic.ca.

Law students test their client counselling skills
Two UVic law students represented Canada when the American Bar Association held its World Client Counselling Competition in Hawaii this month. Stephanie Mitchell and Barry Robins, along with co-coach UVic law sessional instructor Steve Perks, were the only Canadian team to win regional honours earlier this year. That sent them to the North American finals at the Chapman School of Law in Orange, California in March where they placed third. The competition tests the students’ abilities to communicate with clients, identify their concerns and come up with possible solutions—all within a tight deadline. “The subject matter of this year’s competition is sports and entertainment law,” says the team’s co-coach, law professor Andrew Pirie. “The team is presented with brief scenarios and given 30 minutes to conduct a meeting with their
‘clients,’ realistically portrayed by actors, while being observed by judges. Then the team has 15 minutes to discuss how the interview went and talk about realistic follow-up tasks.” Each team participates in several preliminary rounds, with the teams judged to be the best advancing to semi-final and final rounds. In Hawaii, the UVic students competed against teams from 15 countries.

Recycle your way to a healthy body
UVic students who want to blend ecology with exercise now have another option. The UVic bike bursary program SPOKES (Student Promotion of Kickstands Etc. Salvaging) is gearing up for its annual bike fleet giveaway this month and is accepting applications for bikes now. “The program combines waste diversion with volunteering and is an excellent opportunity for students to be introduced to the benefits of commuter cycling,” says sustainability co-ordinator Sarah Webb. “It’s recycling at its best.” Three times a year, volunteers recondition old bikes, check them for safety, and then SPOKES gives them away to eligible UVic students. Begun in 2003 and funded through the UVic Students’ Society (UVSS) and the UVic sustainability project (UVSP), the bursary program has handed out 74 bikes so far. Included with the bike is a free commuter cycling course, a lock, and a subsidized cycling helmet for $20. Application forms can be downloaded from the UVSS or UVSP websites. For more information contact Webb at 472-5011.