News brief: Upcoming KPU events to help students make the most out of the semester
Various community events are taking place across KPU's campuses in the upcoming weeks. (File photo)
It’s the middle of winter, and during this gloomy time students may find it hard to get involved in community activities. Over the next couple of weeks, various events are taking place at Kwantlen Polytechnic University’s campuses to get students engaged in their learning, physical health, and seasonal holidays.
Every Tuesday, free yoga classes are taking place for KPU students to attend. Hatha yoga sessions, which focus on breathing techniques, strengthening poses, and flow sequences, are being held at the Richmond campus in the Lotus studio from 12:05 to 12:50 pm. Yoga flow classes, which practice connecting breath, movement, and mind, are taking place at the Surrey campus in the gymnasium, also from 12:05 to 12:55 pm. To learn more about the weekly fitness classes KPU offers, visit www.kpu.ca/sportrec.
On Jan. 31, the second annual “Student Mental Health Fair” is taking place from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Surrey campus’ Cedar Conference Center. The event aims to support students’ overall mental health and wellbeing through various activities like visiting with therapy dogs, playing Esport games, and engaging in low sensory spaces. It will also feature information booths with KPU and Kwantlen Student Association representatives, along with free pizza.
Every Friday until March 29, Indigenous Artist and Writer-in-Residence Napatsi Folger is hosting “Shut Up & Write” workshops from 11:30 am to 1:30 pm at the Gathering Place on the Surrey campus. The workshops allow students to work on their course and personal projects in a community and motivational environment. Those interested in attending can drop into the Gathering Place or join online by emailing arts.commevents@kpu.ca.
Other on-campus events include the Multi-Faith Centre’s “World Interfaith Harmony Week Celebration,” which opens opportunities to chat about unity and building-peace, and promotes harmony within KPU community regardless of faith or secular belief. The event will take place on Feb. 6 from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm at the Surrey Main Atrium on the Surrey campus, and on Feb. 7, also from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm, at the Richmond Student Common Area on the Richmond campus. Students with questions about the event can email multifaith@kpu.ca
For students looking to get crafty, KPU’s Mindful Campus Initiative and Peer Wellness Program are running a free bath bomb workshop on Feb. 13 in the Melville Centre for Dialogue, room B, at the Richmond campus from 12:00 to 2:00 pm. The event aims to promote student relaxation during the midterm season by learning to make bath bombs. Students can email studenthealth@kpu.ca with any questions about the event.
To help students get into the Valentine’s Day spirit, the faculty of arts is hosting a “We Love Arts” Valentine’s social on Feb. 14 from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm at the Surrey campus in Arbutus 2110. The social will feature themed activities like games, a photo booth, and DIY craft station. There will also be prizes, pastries, and hot chocolate.
Also on Feb. 14 is one of the two Art Speaker Series’ sessions taking place next month, “Rocks are Time-tellers: A Bad Sociology of Fossils and BC’s Burgess Shale.” Rebecca Yoshizawa from KPU’s sociology department will run the session and share findings from a paleontology study that dives into the potential of sociology when focusing on rocks and fossils to theorize moments in time, offering new ways to manage life on our changing Earth. The session will take place from 1:00 to 2:00 pm online.
The following Wednesday, Feb. 28, “Terra (In)Cognita: An Excursion to the Anthropocene,” hosted by Robert Dearle from KPU’s English department, will take place from 1:00 to 2:00 pm, also online. The session will dive into what anthropocene is, its associated attitudes, its implications with humanities, literature, and study of literature. Students can visit KPU’s website to register for either of the Art Speaker Series’ sessions.
For more information about upcoming events at KPU, visit www.kpu.ca/events.
