Editing University of Victoria (section)

==Culture and student life==
===Greek life===
Several fraternities, sororities, and secret societies exist on the University of Victoria, despite the fact that the Students' Society does not recognize fraternities, sororities, or societies on the basis that they, by definition, seek to exclude portions of the membership. This issue was once a topic of debate in student politics at the University of Victoria in 2010.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://uvss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Minutes-2010-10-14-AGM1.pdf |title=UVSS Annual General Meeting Minutes 2010 |date=October 14, 2010 |access-date=March 12, 2015 |website=University of Victoria Students' Society |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402134218/https://uvss.ca/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/Minutes-2010-10-14-AGM1.pdf |archive-date=April 2, 2015}}</ref>

Many years ago, University of Victoria students started a fraternity, two sororities and one non-exclusive, non-profit social-service club. Although the fraternities and sororities have no affiliation with the University of Victoria itself, they continue to thrive and have purchased nearby properties. The fraternities and sororities on campus are as follows:
*The international fraternity [[Delta Kappa Epsilon]] chartered the Beta Tau chapter in 2010,<ref>{{Cite news |last=Hamilton |first=David |date=October 24, 2013 |title=In our own words |work=The Marlet |url=https://martlet.ca/in-our-own-words/ |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Arrais |first=Pedro |date=November 8, 2014 |title=Our Community: Cupcakes for culture? Why not? |work=Times Colonist |url=https://www.timescolonist.com/archive/our-community-cupcakes-for-culture-why-not-4615672 |access-date=December 6, 2023}}</ref> currently estimated at 150 members.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}
*The international sorority [[Kappa Beta Gamma]] chartered<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/uvic-startup-sorority-not-swayed-by-opposition/article1319957/ |title=UVic startup sorority not swayed by opposition |date=December 15, 2010 |access-date=March 12, 2015 |website=The Globe and Mail |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402100455/http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/british-columbia/uvic-startup-sorority-not-swayed-by-opposition/article1319957/ |url-status=live }}</ref> a chapter in 2011, currently estimated at 100 members.{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}
*The local sorority, [[Alpha Chi Theta]], was chartered in 2013 and is currently estimated at over 80 members.<ref>{{Cite web |last1=Batallas |first1=Alison |last2=De Blois |first2=Emma |date=March 5, 2021 |title=What to Expect When You Join Greek Life at UVIC |url=https://www.hercampus.com/school/u-vic/what-expect-when-you-join-greek-life-uvic/ |website=Her Campus}}</ref>
*The Omega chapter of [[Phrateres]] was installed in 1961.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.greek.iastate.edu/resources/history |title=History {{!}} Office of Greek Affairs|website=www.greek.iastate.edu |language=en-us |access-date=2017-12-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930160816/http://www.greek.iastate.edu/resources/history |archive-date=2017-09-30 |url-status=dead}}</ref>{{Citation needed|date=March 2015}}

===Radio station (CFUV)===
[[CFUV]] is a long-standing campus radio station focusing on the campus and the surrounding community. CFUV serves [[Greater Victoria]] at 101.9, and via cable on 104.3, [[Vancouver Island]] and many areas in the [[Lower Mainland]] and northwestern [[Washington (state)|Washington state]].{{citation needed|date=September 2019}}

===Residence halls===
{{unreferencedsect|date=March 2025}}
[[File:Student cluster housing. READ INFO IN PANORAMIO-COMMENTS - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The university's cluster neighbourhood comprises 121 apartments and townhouses for student living.]]
The University of Victoria maintains several residence halls on campus, which were originally based on the [[Oxbridge]] Collegiate model of constituent colleges which serve as a smaller, more personal home environment to the students of the wider university. The university no longer operates these halls as individual colleges, but rather as halls of residences (as well as dormitories and apartments) as part of the Residence Life and Education department. Today, all halls of residence are equipped with Common Rooms and high-speed internet for students.

The oldest of these residence halls is Craigdarroch, which features large stone-clad buildings and ivy-covered walkways and courtyards. The modernist Lansdowne Halls feature six buildings connected by a series of bridges, walkways, and tunnels, including the popular 'UVic Underground'. Gordon Head and Ring Road Hall feature rooms and amenities for students, organized around a series of large courtyards.

In the centre of the Residence Village is the Cadboro Commons and a number of restaurants operated by the university, where students may eat and study. A mixture of dorms, single rooms, apartments, cluster studios, and family housing are available but decided by a lottery system. First-year students are guaranteed accommodation in one of the Residence Halls on campus.

===Student newspaper===
{{main|The Martlet}}
UVic's oldest and most-recognized weekly student newspaper, founded in 1948, is ''[[The Martlet]]''. It is distributed all over campus and the Greater Victoria area. The paper is named after the legendary martlet bird, whose inability to land is often seen to symbolize the constant quest for knowledge, learning, and adventure. ''The Martlet'' is partly funded by student fees. ''The Martlet'' is the only independent campus newspaper at the University of Victoria, and therefore one of the only publications that has the time and resources to fully hold both the University of Victoria and the University of Victoria Students' Society (UVSS) accountable. ''The Martlet'' regularly reports on UVic Board of Governors and Senate meetings, as well as University of Victoria Students' Society Board meetings and elections.

===University traditions, myths, and lore===

==== Order of Pi ====
{{unreferencedsect|date=March 2025}}
[[File:2023 03 16 The Order of Pi Walking.jpg|thumb|The Order of Pi walking to a trial on the UVIC campus, 2023]]
The Order of Pi is a charity fundraiser run by the Engineering & Computer Science Students’ Society every March. During the week around March 14th (Pi Day), UVIC students can nominate their friends or professors with silly charges, and then students will dress up in medieval robes and conduct a trial to pie the accused person in the face. The person accused can to get out of the pieing by donating at least $5 more, and then they get to choose someone else in the audience to be pied instead. This usually results in a bidding war where the audience keeps contributing money to see the person pied in the face.

The event was founded in 1993, and has been run every March for over 30 years. The money raised from the charity drive has gone to multiple foundations, including The Children’s Health Foundation of Vancouver Island and The Mustard Seed Food Bank.

====Cadborosaurus====
[[File:Effingham carcass.JPG|thumb|The Effingham Carcass, Vancouver Island, 1947; supposed remains of 'Caddy']][[Cadborosaurus]] is a mythical sea serpent in the folklore of regions of the Pacific Coast of North America that is rumored by students to live in [[Cadboro Bay]], adjacent to the University of Victoria. The Cadborosaurus, or 'Caddy' as he is colloquially named, has become a favourite for students.
[[File:Pond (6905670582).jpg|thumb|[[Finnerty Gardens]] is an extensive series of sculpted gardens maintained on campus.]]

====Finnerty Gardens====
UVic maintains an extensive series of gardens on campus which serve as a place of respite and peace for students, staff, and members of the public who visit them. The Gardens include some of the largest collections of West-Coast plants and are cared for by the Friends of Finnerty Gardens, a charity which raises funds and helps support the garden's growth. The Finnerty Gardens include ponds, trails, flower gardens, and benches throughout. The University Multi-Faith Centre is nestled near the gardens.

====Martlet icon====
The [[martlet]] and its red colour adorn many parts of the University of Victoria, including the crest, coat of arms, and flag representing the university's previous affiliation to [[McGill University]] which also uses the martlet. The legendary martlet bird's inability to land is often seen to symbolize the constant quest for knowledge, learning, and adventure. The oldest student newspaper on campus, ''[[The Martlet]]'', is named after the bird.

===University Club===
[[File:University club pond. READ INFO IN PANORAMIO-COMMENTS - panoramio.jpg|thumb|The University Club is a private club located on campus. Membership is limited to faculty, staff, students, and alumni.]]
The University Club of Victoria<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uvic.ca/home/about/campus-info/maps/maps/ucl.php |title=University of Victoria – Maps and buildings – University Club (UCL) – University of Victoria |website=UVic.ca |access-date=2017-08-21 |archive-date=2017-07-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170720114800/https://www.uvic.ca/home/about/campus-info/maps/maps/ucl.php |url-status=live }}</ref> is a private club located on the campus of University of Victoria. Faculty, Staff, and students are all members of the club and outside organization may also use the dining halls, meeting rooms, and other facilities. Alumni of the university often become members as well. The catering staff host dinners and awards celebrations frequently and the Holiday Roast Pig is a classic event on campus.

The University Club (formerly called the Faculty Club) opened on March 16, 1982. The building, located on campus, is surrounded by high trees in a quiet, wooded area.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ACUC View Club Directory: University Club of Victoria |url=http://www.acuclubs.org/club/scripts/memfac/view_memfac.asp?MFID=25153&S=L&GRP=23309&NS=PUBLIC |access-date=2021-01-26 |website=www.acuclubs.org |archive-date=2021-01-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131090829/http://www.acuclubs.org/club/scripts/memfac/view_memfac.asp?MFID=25153&S=L&GRP=23309&NS=PUBLIC |url-status=live }}</ref>

===University of Victoria Students Society (UVSS)===
{{Main|University of Victoria Students' Society}}
The [[University of Victoria Students' Society]] is the second-largest student society in British Columbia. It represents the UVic undergraduate student body, plans campus-wide events and operates the Student Union Building. The student society's leadership is elected annually by the undergraduate student body during campus-wide elections. As a multimillion-dollar organization, the UVSS is one of the larger student unions in Canada. The UVSS also negotiates with local government and healthcare providers for discounted student transit passes (U-Pass) and health insurance.

In 2014, the UVSS Student Union Building underwent a major overhaul and renovation. In 2015, the university expanded and doubled the capacity of the public transit hub on campus adjacent to the Student Union Building.{{cn|date=October 2024}}

=== Graduate Student Society===
The GSS offers services and academic support for UVic's 3,000 Graduate students. The society's services include the Grad House Restaurant, health and dental plan, funding for grad student events, and reduced-cost membership in the Victoria Car Share Co-operative.