Stories
A canoe named Skw’cháys
As Squamish Nation master carver, Ses siyam carved Capilano University’s 50th anniversary legacy canoe, a story from his youth began to show itself to him and he knew that this would be the name of the canoe.
Bookstore as a living lab
As a young person just starting out in the workforce, it can be challenging to land a job if you don’t have experience, and difficult to gain experience without a job—even more so, if you have a learning disability.
CapU Convocation regalia gets a makeover
Capilano University’s Convocation just got a lot more colourful.
Celebrating CapU’s 50th around the world
Venturing around the world to promote Capilano University to international students is just a typical day for Cristian Cano, Capilano University’s international recruitment manager, but this recruitment season was especially sweet.
Linda Epp: Reclaiming her Indigenous heritage
Linda Epp, a member of the shíshálh (Sechelt) Nation, grew up thinking being Indigenous was a bad thing.
The making of CapU’s legacy canoe
The 30-foot-long seaworthy hunting canoe, named “Skw’cháys” in the Squamish language, was carved from an 800-year-old red cedar from the Elaho Valley northwest of Whistler, BC.
Celebrating Coast Salish culture
For centuries, Indigenous knowledge, languages and cultures were seen as inferior.
Turning 50: Dalene Samborski
Dalene Samborski on having a sense of humor at 50.
Turning 50: Tania Alekson
Tania Alekson on 50 and seeing more of the world.
Turning 50: Stephanie Wells
Stephanie Wells reflects on turning 50.
Turning 50: Michelle Yu
Michelle Yu is turning 50. She loves Canada, Vancouver and CapU.
Taking time out on the CapU50 Trail
A simple walk in the woods can reduce stress, lower blood pressure, improve energy levels and even give your immune system a boost.
Big ideas and aspirations: CapU’s campus master plan
Student residences, expansion of the Centre for Sport and Wellness and a new road onto campus are just a few of the big ideas proposed in Capilano University’s first campus master plan, which was unveiled in December 2018.
Pierre Coupey: Artist, poet, Faculty Emeritus
Canadian artist, poet and Capilano University instructor, Pierre Coupey has never been one to rest on his laurels.
Costume and identity
As a fashion historian, Ivan Sayers thinks as much about the time and place of a garment’s origins as he does the clothing itself.
CapU Speaker Series: Poignant speakers, compelling conversation
There couldn’t be a better time in history to bring progressive, creative thinkers to campus with what’s going on in the world, says Fiona Black, director of Capilano University’s BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts.
A legacy for future generations
When Shasha McArthur heard the news that Capilano University was commissioning a Coast Salish artist to carve a traditional canoe on campus, the film student knew she had to be involved.
CapU lights up the night
The colourful light show inspired by the University’s brand palette started with a bang, then built to a sparkling finale.
Terry Brown
The Capilano University 50th anniversary celebrations proved to be the perfect opportunity for many to return to the campus to reminisce and consider current opportunities for students.
Brett McGillivray
Geographer Brett McGillivray originated and led international field schools that presented hands-on learning experiences across Europe and Asia.
Building characters through costume
“My Barbies were very well dressed,” says Kim Bothen, co-founder of Capilano University’s Costuming for Stage and Screen program.
Indigenizing the academy
A member of the Stó:lō Nation, Capilano University’s Indigenous faculty advisor, David Kirk, was one of the only Indigenous students in his school in Burnaby where he was often bullied, and eventually dropped out of school.
Contemplating the canoe
Elder Latash Nahanee describes the significance of a 50th anniversary legacy.
Backstage at the BlueShore Theatre
“Our first big show sold out,” says Fiona Black, longtime director and programmer of Capilano University’s BlueShore Financial Centre for the Performing Arts.
Loblaw in Lebanon
When Capilano then-College business instructor Doug Loblaw and then-vice-president Bill Gibson first travelled to the site of a future college 25 kilometres south of Beirut in May 1998, they encountered derelict buildings, walls scarred with graffiti and 10 acres of overgrown land.
Wee hours and ink stains: the beginnings of a new college
Capilano then-College opened its doors to students only four days after Tim Hollick-Kenyon became its first registrar on September 6, 1968.
How the costuming program came to CapU
One table, two sewing machines and an iron.
Capilano College in China: internationalization
In 2001, three years after Capilano then-College started teaching Canadian curriculum in China, The China Program expanded to five locations throughout the country.
Capilano College in China: customs & cash
Customs officials holding textbooks was the first of two major challenges Capilano then-College organizers faced when they established a joint program with Dalian University for Minorities in China in 1998.
CapRocks kicks off 2019
Co-hosted by the CSU and Capilano University, the CapRocks concert on Friday, January 11 kicks off the spring 2019 term and the second half of the University’s 50th anniversary.
Honouring CapU history through design
The challenge was to design a poster commemorating CapU’s 50th anniversary and third-year Bachelor of Design student Brynn Staples didn’t hesitate to dive in.
A tribute to Bill Manson
As we reflect on the past 50 years as a college and then university, we want to honour some of the founding builders of Capilano University. The late Bill Manson was one of them.
Music therapy: A first in Canada
A chance encounter with a hitchhiker is how Nancy McMaster first learned about the field of music therapy.
Capilano University historian Robert Campbell on the social history of alcohol
Capilano University historian Robert Campbell made a name for himself researching the optics of Canadian alcohol consumption.
Students run with the news
“Should students hire teachers?” reads a front-page headline in Capilano then-College’s first student newspaper, The Id. Page 2 features a story about a fictional “south-sea paradise” where sex is commonplace and eating is taboo.
Books and bras
Tia Strachan was 31 and married with three kids when she enrolled in a special two-semester General Studies Program at Capilano then-College in 1971.
Holy smokes!
It’s unheard of today, but up until the mid-1980s, it was common to see students and faculty members puffing away on cigarettes in Capilano College classrooms and offices.
Carbon Neutral
Capilano University first became carbon neutral in 2010 and has continued to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions ever since.
Capilano College symbol is unveiled
Coming up with a symbol to represent Capilano College was no easy feat. It took three years, several contests and lengthy consultation before the final symbol was unveiled in 1971.
The early days of Women’s Studies
When Margaret Kirk, a member of the Capilano College Council, was invited by the Women’s Studies group at the College to a seminar on the problems of women in education in 1976, she wasn’t sure what to expect.
Cap Connections
Lisa Hubbard contracted meningitis while travelling around Europe when she was 20. When she returned to North Vancouver, she attended physiotherapy in the mornings and then took the HandyDART to volunteer at a childcare centre.
The legendary Cafetheatre
Who remembers Capilano College’s Cafetheatre, or The Pit as it later became known? It was a kind of sunken amphitheatre with a stage surrounded by five tiers of seating built below the ground level of what was then a bustling cafeteria.
Rugby scrums, road trips and ice cream
How do you ensure a rowdy bunch of beer-loving rugby players are in tip-top shape for Saturday morning games? Bob Bagshaw, the coach of Capilano College’s rugby team from 1974-1980, had a creative strategy.
The World According to Fran: Fran Lebowitz on stage at the BlueShore
Maybe it was the sign outside Andy Warhol’s office: “Knock Loudly and Announce Yourself” that foretold Fran Lebowitz’s future.
The CapU 50th Anniversary Commemorative Tea Towel
In the collection of CapU memorabilia the 50th anniversary commemorative tea towel holds a place of honour all its own.
The class of ’71: Janet MacDonald
Janet MacDonald worked full-time at a five-and-dime in 1969 while she studied Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) at Capilano (then-College), which had just been established the year before.
Escape at CapFest
Racing against a deadline in an escape room to problem-solve sounds like a situation to be avoided to some. For others, joining forces with friends to achieve a common goal sounds like fun.
How Cap Love Tuesdays help students in need
When you wear one of the items from the Cap Love Tuesdays (CLT) apparel collection, you’re not only demonstrating good fashion sense, but you are also helping students in need.
Mr. Bannock: something good, something great
Paul Natrall’s uncle was a hunter. Natrall grew up eating venison burgers with spaghetti and moose stew with chow mein.
Cap Cookery
“MASH IT! POUND IT! KNEAD IT!” says Maureen Strasdine’s recipe for aggression cookies, which appears in the 1993 edition of Cap Cookery.
Five Alarm fun at CapFest
How do you do that for so long and not fall over? is the question members of Five Alarm Funk typically face following one of their signature high-energy shows.
Turning 50: Deb Jamison
Deb Jamison on being 50.
Origins of The Capilano Review
When writer and artist Pierre Coupey was hired by Capilano College, English department head Bill Schermbrucker issued the challenge: “Make a contribution, man! Do something—you’re not just here to teach.”
Adventures of an outdoor reckie
If it weren’t for a Bunsen burner accident, the Outdoor Recreation Management (OREC) program at Capilano University might never have come about.
Banding together
Bud Kurz’s looks, musicality and domestic prowess swiftly stole Heidi Durstberger’s heart when she first met him in the music program at Capilano then-College in 1981.
Turning 50: Bruno Tomberli
Bruno Tomberli on turning 50.
A short history of Cap on ice
Who knew Capilano had a hockey team in the 1970s? The Capilano College club team skimmed the ice beginning in 1973, practicing on a rink in Lynn Valley.
Sportsplex satisfaction
Seeing the Sportsplex approved and then open in 1991 was a highlight of Neil Chester’s 20-year career as athletics director at Capilano then-College.
CapU Library: Preserving our natural environment
Have you ever wondered why a tree is suspended from the ceiling in the rotunda of the Capilano University Library?
Athletics at Capilano
From six rubber balls to soccer supremacy, Capilano University’s first athletics director recalls how the athletics program grew.
Press conferences, placards and the plebiscite
Establishing Capilano College on the North Shore was a community effort that corralled politicians, men, women and girls.
Coach of a lifetime: Cap’s first coach of the year
“Soccer, soccer, soccer,” that was Frank Pupp’s life, according to his daughter, Laura Acutt.
Cap♥Tuesdays: Get your gear; save your tag!
Cap♥Tuesdays (“Cap Love Tuesdays”) are your chance to show your CapU pride by wearing it!
EarthWorks: Inspiring Change
Capilano University’s public lecture, film and event series that explores environmental issues from a multidisciplinary perspective.
First Distinguished Alumna: Alpha Woodward
When Capilano University created the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2007, the goal was to connect with alumni.
Capilano Universe: Building Bridges Between Communities
Leonard George remembers the exact moment the seed for the Capilano Universe lecture series was planted.