School leavers whose Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) was not as high as they had hoped have been told they don’t have to give up their university aspirations, with Charles Sturt University (CSU) continuing its Pathway Program in 2013. The program, a partnership between CSU and TAFE, runs for one year full-time and provides entry options for students who applied to CSU but were unsuccessful, or who need further preparation. Pathway coordinator Ms Sandra Fisher said the program offered multiple benefits. “Upon completion, students receive a Diploma of General Studies from Charles Sturt University and the Certificate IV in Further Education, or Tertiary Preparation Certificate from TAFE,” she said. “They are also guaranteed entry into a range of CSU degrees and may receive credit for some subjects.” The program is offered face-to-face at CSU in Bathurst, Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga, and this year will be offered at CSU in Dubbo as a blended distance education option.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) vet is warning horse owners to protect their animals from mosquitoes in light of a suspected outbreak of viral neurological disease across three states. More than 135 cases have been reported in horses in NSW and 16 of those have died or been put down. Senior Lecturer in equine medicine with the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences,  Dr Kris Hughes, said eight cases have been investigated by staff at the Veterinary Clinical Centre at CSU in Wagga Wagga over recent months. He says Industry & Investment NSW is testing samples from affected horses to determine the exact cause of the condition but it is believed to be a mosquito borne virus. “Affected horses can demonstrate an exaggerated and weak limb movement, lack of coordination, muscle tremors, exaggerated response to stimuli including touch and sound, facial paralysis and behavioural changes,” he said. Dr Hughes recommends rugging, fly veils and using licensed insect repellant treatments along with removing stagnant water where horses are housed to help reduce exposure to mosquitoes.

Improving the physical health and mental well-being of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students and staff is the aim of new walking tracks that have been developed around the University’s Thurgoona site. “Members of the wider Thurgoona community can also use the tracks for exercise in a beautiful bush setting,” said Ms Sue Moloney, the new Head of Campus, Albury-Wodonga. The longest track, which runs for 1.2 kilometres through bush on the eastern side of the site, will be officially launched tomorrow, Tuesday 19 April, with CSU staff and students taking part in an Easter egg hunt along the track. “With nearly 300 students living on campus and a major suburb growing up around the site, these tracks will become important to providing for the health and well-being of the Thurgoona community,” Ms Moloney said.

Graduation time and celebrations are ever growing on the Border, with Charles Sturt University (CSU) this year for the first time holding four graduation ceremonies in Albury-Wodonga commencing Thursday morning, 28 April. Over 820 graduates will be eligible to receive their doctorates, degrees, diplomas and certificates from CSU’s Chancellor Lawrie Willett, AO, with over 600 actually attending their ceremonies, together with more than 1 800 family and friends. Highlighting the growing importance of research at CSU at Albury-Wodonga, this year 13 Doctors of Philosophy will be awarded to researchers from the University’s Faculties of Business, Education and Science. Three ceremonies, including the first-ever evening event for graduates from the University’s Melbourne Study Centre, will be held on Thursday 28 April, with a morning ceremony on Friday 29 April. All ceremonies will be celebrated in the Albury Entertainment Centre, Swift Street, Albury.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) staff and current students are laying out the welcome mat for over 500 students commencing their studies at CSU in Albury-Wodonga in 2013. They will join over 1 200 students currently enrolled in courses on the Albury-Wodonga Campus. The new students, hailing from across the Border region, around Australia and the world, have accepted the challenge, and fun, of university study at CSU. “It’s not all good times – they will need to knuckle down to some hard academic work to complete their degrees, and we have people and resources in place to help them,” said Orientation Week coordinator and student support officer, Ms Kerry Read. New students living in one of the on campus residences will start arriving on Saturday 23 February, with the first formal events commencing on Monday 25 February. All students will receive an official welcome, with academic procession, on Tuesday 26 February. “The new students are embarking on an exciting phase of their lives, and we at Charles Sturt University are here to assist them in their journey to a university degree,” said Head of CSU in Albury-Wodonga and acting Dean of Studies, Professor Julia Coyle.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher is investigating a reliable method of improving blood flow to cold feet, a symptom of poor blood supply, which will also help treat foot ulcers and pains. PhD student Ms Sylvia McAra is testing a medication, glyceryl trinitrate, which has been used for 150 years to treat the heart disease angina. “It causes blood vessels to widen and allow more blood to reach the area where patches containing small doses of the medication are applied,” she said. Ms McAra is now seeking more participants from the Border region for her study, which requires 120 people for six months. “We already have 100 people, so we just need 20 or so more. Early results are promising and suggest this is a useful treatment in many cases. We need people who complain of cold feet in winter for the study, including diabetes sufferers. Each participant will have a review of medical history and provision of information to their doctor, and blood circulation is checked during each visit,” Ms McAra said. Participants will need to attend CSU’s new Community Engagement and Wellness Centre (CEW) once each month for six months starting in February. To find out more about the study or to book a visit, contact Lyn at the CEW on (02) 6051 9299.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will hold Wellness and Wellbeing Expos at its five main campuses, starting in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February, to promote happier, healthier, more satisfied and more productive employees who are also resilient in an ever-changing workplace. Mr David Tallentire, CSU manager of occupational health and safety, said, “Charles Sturt University recognises and values the importance of staff wellness and wellbeing, and aims to adopt a holistic approach to the treatment of workplace health and safety. The University appreciates that personal problems can adversely affect employees’ work performance, work satisfaction, health, and feelings of wellbeing. We’re running Wellness and Wellbeing Expos to provide information to staff on the many health and wellbeing services available to them at Charles Sturt University and in our local communities, and to participate in workshops.” The Wellness and Wellbeing Expos will be held at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 5 and Wednesday 6 February; at CSU in Orange on Thursday 7 February; at CSU in Dubbo on Friday 8 February; at CSU in Wagga Wagga on Monday 11 and Tuesday 12 February; and at CSU in Albury-Wodonga on Thursday 14 February.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher is looking for Border residents to help her find out whether measuring blood pressure in a person’s feet is a good indicator of heart disease. Ms Kelsey Cook, an Honours student in podiatry at the CSU School of Community Health, is looking for people from Albury-Wodonga aged between 33 and 55 years to take part in the research, which involves having a free check of blood pressure in your feet as well as a free blood test to screen for cholesterol and other signs of heart disease. “We are investigating the relationship between the risk factors for heart disease and their effect on blood flow to the lower legs and feet,” Ms Cook said. “If blood pressure in the foot is related to heart disease this could have important implications for the early detection of heart disease, which is particularly important for people living in rural and remote communities,” Ms Cook said. This will be the first research project to be based in the new Community Engagement and Wellness Centre (CEW) at CSU in Albury-Wodonga. To be involved in the study please contact the CEW on (02) 6051 9299.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) School of Community Health will give high school students from around Albury-Wodonga a personal experience of study at CSU on Thursday 7 April. Over 90 students will work with CSU undergraduate students and staff for the day, following them through lectures, laboratory study and fieldwork, as the CSU students go about a ‘normal day’ in their studies as part of the University’s MyDay program. Head of the School of Community Health, Dr Gayle Smythe, said open days can only show a snapshot of university life, but “you have to ‘be a student for a day’ to see what it is really like. This is particularly important for the University’s degrees that are highly focussed on the allied health professions.” The Year 11 and 12 students are from 20 high schools from as far as North East Victoria, the Riverina and Central West NSW, as well as local Border schools.