The Ring

The Ring is the University of Victoria’s community newspaper. Its purpose is:

• to advance the mission and objectives of the university as articulated in the strategic plan
• to inform members of the campus community about news and events of interest to them and
• to help build a sense of community among faculty, staff and students at UVic.

Learn more about The Ring and access the print archives and advertising rates and schedule.

Latest stories

New support for CARSA

The Ring

UVic's Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) has had an overwhelming amount of recreation usage and community support since it opened in May 2015. Barely one month into 2016, Vikes Athletics and Recreation are pleased to announce three partnerships in the new naming of CARSA's RBC Blue and Gold Room, the UVic Alumni Association Spirit Section and the Ian and Gillian Stewart Varsity Weight Room.

Vikes Championship Breakfast 2015

The Ring

The Vikes Championship Breakfast is the largest fundraiser for the varsity programs, and this year, the annual event will be hosted in the CARSA performance gym, featuring four-time Olympic triathlete Simon Whitfield as the keynote speaker. The even…

CARSA grand opening

The Ring

Just hours into the community open house for UVic’s new Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA), every corner of the 190,000 square foot facility was filled with activity.

CARSA opens May 1

The Ring

Seven years ago, the potential users of the Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) sat down with members of UVic’s Facilities Management to discuss what they imagined the new facility would look like and do. Now the 17,700-square-metre building is ready to open on May 1 and Vikes Recreation Health and Fitness Programmer Amy Allen can’t wait. “I’m so done with imagining, let’s just get in there,” she says enthusiastically. “It’s breathtaking. It just has so much going for it.”

Honorary degrees for the Shields

The Ring

Husband and wife coaching legends Kathy and Ken Shields, who led their teams to a combined 15 national basketball titles at the University of Victoria, accepted honorary doctor of laws degrees from the university at a special convocation ceremony on Thursday morning.

A head start diagnosing concussions

The Ring

When a young person hits their head on the ice, on the field or at the pool it can cause damage to the brain. However, current assessment techniques make it difficult for medical practitioners to diagnose a concussion because the tools currently in use are subjective and difficult to interpret. Thanks to $750,000 in new funding from the Canadian Foundation for Innovation, the BC Knowledge Development Fund and UVic’s Division of Medical Sciences, two of Canada’s top brain injury experts are on the case.

What's next for McKinnon?

The Ring

In the next few months, the Vikes will slam-dunk for the last time in McKinnon gym, Thunder will wave a fuzzy goodbye to its once-sky-blue walls, gymnasts and martial artists will take in the last of the distinctive 1975 scent of the apparatus gym and most other athletics and recreation activities will relocate to their new digs in CARSA—the Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities. When they do, the 40-year-old McKinnon building will be getting a new lease on life.

CARSA memberships

The Ring

CARSA opens in May to replace UVic’s aging and heavily used recreational facilities, but students, faculty, staff and community members don’t have to wait until then to purchase memberships to access the centre’s state-of-the-art workout facilities and climbing wall.

Vikes Nation is all-inclusive

The Ring

In all honesty, I have never been one to really feel the need to belong to groups. I prefer to do my own thing and sample what I want, when I want to. I have, though, recently begun to see that being part of a community can enrich my own day to day …

Peninsula Co-op Climbing Wall

The Ring

One of the focal points of UVic’s new Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities (CARSA) is getting a new name even before it opens. Peninsula Co-op was announced as the first corporate partner for CARSA on Nov. 4, sponsoring the colorful 16-metre climbing wall that will now be known as the Peninsula Co-op Climbing Wall.

Rugby coach wins community bursary

The Ring

Julianne Zussman, assistant coach for the University of Victoria Vikes Women's rugby team, has been awarded the $2,000 Pacific Western Brewing (PWB) Community Foundation Hometown Heroes bursary. "The Pacific Western Brewing Hometown Heroes Program is designed to support the goals of the 2015 Canada Winter Games," said Velox Rugby Football Club Director Marlene Donaldson. "These goals are all about sportsmanship, leadership and citizenship. Today is also about recognizing an outstanding athlete who believes in going for gold and puts down her very best every day."

Campus construction update

The Ring

As the semester opens, a wide range of construction activities dot the campus, but four major projects stand out. Though temporary fences and construction work can be a minor inconvenience, these projects are also part of how the university is delivering on the promise of a better learning environment.

1994 Commonwealth Games remembered

The Ring

Do you remember what you were doing 20 years ago? If you lived in Victoria, you were likely immersed in city-wide excitement for the XV Commonwealth Games.

2014 Commonwealth Games

The Ring

The opportunity to be part of a larger national team at a multi-sport international games is not something that happens very often. A number of athletes with UVic connections including 14 current, former or soon-to-be Vikes varsity athletes are in Glasgow, Scotland competing in the 2014 Commonwealth Games (held every four years).

Inside tour of CARSA

The Ring

To simply say that UVic's new Centre for Athletics, Recreation and Special Abilities will be an improvement over existing facilities is a huge understatement. This fact is becoming more and more apparent as construction on CARSA enters the final months.

Research targets concussions

The Ring

It’s game night at the local rink and cheering parents pack the stands as young players churn up and down the ice. Every scoring chance is hailed with roars of support. The barn falls eerily silent though, as one young skater racing for a puck loses an edge and slides headlong into the boards.