OUTSTANDING STUDENTS RECOGNIZED FOR COMMUNITY SERVICE

Eight University of Victoria students who excel both in and out of the
classroom are recipients of this year's Blue and Gold Awards. The
students were honoured for their remarkable volunteer contributions to
the university and/or the Greater Victoria community while maintaining
at least a B average.

Three students, Matthew Cooper, Amanda Laliberte and Philippe Lucas,
received $2,500 awards while five students, Brian Buchan, Catherine
Etmanski, Ian Hussey, Kevin Lee and Jonathan Morris, received $1,000
awards.

The Blue and Gold Awards receive financial support from
CIBC.

Matthew Cooper, a fourth-year chemistry student, is a teaching
assistant with University 101, working with adult learners excluded
from normal routes to higher education. He volunteers in the emergency
room at the Royal Jubilee Hospital, ensuring patients are comfortable
and the room runs efficiently. He has also served as an elected
student representative to the UVic senate and a director-at-large for
the UVic students' society.

Amanda Laliberte, a third-year visual arts student, played a key role
in organizing a Metis youth group for the Metis Nation of Greater
Victoria. The youth group plans a variety of events, from drumming
workshops to Aboriginal history classes. Laliberte also donates many
hours of her time to the Native Students Union at UVic, where her
duties involve bridging communication between Indigenous students and
faculty, and planning social events.

Philippe Lucas, a master's student in studies in policy and practice
in the Faculty of Human and Social Development, is vice-chair of the
City of Victoria Downtown Advisory Committee, and sits on the Centre
for Addictions Research of British Columbia advisory board. He is
involved with several community-based groups focused on social justice
issues, including the Vancouver Island Compassion Society and the
Committee to End Homelessness in Victoria. He is a founding member of
the Voices of Substance Abuse, a local drug policy reform
organization.

Brian Buchan, a second-year biopsychology student, gives generously of
his time outside the classroom with the Anti-DOTE Girls' and Women's
Network, the Student Ambassador Association, the Psychology
Organization of Students Course Union and Nelson Food Cupboard. He has
also volunteered with the Queen Alexandra Centre for Children's Health
and the After School Klub (ASK).

Catherine Etmanski, a PhD student in the Department of Educational
Psychology and Leadership Studies, is passionate about organizing
inclusive events to create a better world. She is founder of the
Social Justice Film and Speaker Series and co-founder of Victoria Make
Poverty History Coalition. She has been a key volunteer with the
Victoria Days of Peace and UVic's Office of International Affairs.

Ian Hussey, a master's of sociology student, has invested countless
hours working with people on campus and around the world to empower
farmers, traders and consumers. He is executive director of the
Canadian Students Fair Trade Network, finance director for UVic's
Graduate Students' Society and graduate student representative on
UVic's research advisory committee.

Kevin Lee is a fourth-year biochemistry student who gives a great deal
of his time to community service and student affairs. He volunteers at
the Royal Jubilee Hospital, the Boys and Girls Club of Greater
Victoria and Canadian Blood Services. He also spent a summer
volunteering at a hospital in Uganda, collecting HIV/AIDS data and
assisting doctors on home visits to rural communities.

Jonathan Morris, a fourth-year student in child and youth care, has
devoted more than 1,000 hours of volunteer service with the NEED youth
crisis information line, providing on-call volunteer support. He is a
director-at-large on the UVic Students' Society, student senator for
the university senate, and a representative on UVic's Mental Health
Task Force and UVic's Suicide Prevention Interest Group.