On Campus

VIU bans radio station over ‘debauchery’

Community station could lose license if it is unable to engage with students

Vancouver Island University has banned a community radio stations from holding campus events. The ban, which went into effect in November, resulted from what the university calls “general debauchery, trespassing, disrespect toward security guards and drug and alcohol use” at a Halloween dance. The Radio Malaspina Society has only recently made the dispute public, because it was hoping to come to a resolution with the university. “We’re definitely not apologizing unless they can prove illegal activity took place,” program manager Dylan Perry said. Although the station is not located on the campus, it’s license mandates that a majority of its board members be students. If the ban on hosting university events is upheld, it could threaten the station’s license because it would be limited in its ability to recruit students. According to the Nanaimo Daily News the university told the Vancouver Sun that the ban could be lifted, depending on the progress of meetings with the station.

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