Do you have recent experience in giving birth in rural or remote NSW? The Charles Sturt University (CSU) midwifery research team is looking to interview women who usually live at least an hour’s travel by road from their nearest maternity unit and who, in the last two years, needed to move from their local community to give birth. Dr Elaine Dietsch, senior lecturer in Midwifery at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus, says that in less than a generation, many hospital maternity units in rural and remote NSW have temporarily or permanently closed, with many women no longer able to give birth closer to home. “We are keen to hear about the experiences of the women who are most affected by the closures of maternity units, because their experiences need to be understood to inform midwifery practice and influence health policy in rural and remote NSW, ” Dr Dietsch said. To contribute your experiences to this research, please contact Elaine Dietsch on 02 6933 2782 or send an email.

Are we riding the rails of success or running off the track? That answer could be found at The Future Frameworks for Regional Rail symposium, hosted by the Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Railway Technical Society of Australasia (RTSA). To be held on Thursday 1 February 2007 at the CSU Wagga Wagga Campus, the symposium will examine what can be done to rejuvenate regional rail transport. CSU’s Associate Professor Ian Gray and speakers from Canada and across Australia will address representatives of the rail industry, regional communities, industry and government, sharing ideas on how to keep rail networks viable and on track in regional areas. CSU’s Professor Ian Gray says, “trains offer a huge carrying capacity, trucks offer flexibility, so it makes sense to combine the benefits of both”. Professor Gray believes, “rail could make a comeback by combining with road transport to create an integrated system, if planning and management was done at a regional level”.

“This course will help solve the issues surrounding the rural health crisis,” says Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bachelor of Clinical Sciences course coordinator Dr Deborah Burton. Dr Burton is looking forward to the first week of university study on Monday 26 February when the Clinical Sciences course begins. The Bachelor of Clinical Science is offered from the Orange Campus of CSU and has been established in collaboration with the University of Sydney's Faculty of Dentistry and Faculty of Medicine. “It’s the only course of its kind that provides a specific education pathway from the undergraduate CSU degree into the University of Sydney graduate entry programs for eligible graduates.” The Bachelor of Clinical Science has been developed with curriculum specifically designed to meet the expectations of graduate entry dentistry, medicine and other health programs across Australia. Places are still available for 2007 enrolments. For more information contact CSU on 1800 334 733 or visit www.csu.edu.au 

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is set to play an increasingly important role in easing the chronic lack of registered nurses in rural Australia.   Sixty enrolled nurses (ENs) will attend residential schools on CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus over the next two weeks to begin study in the Bachelor of Nursing by distance education course.   The program is part of a partnership between CSU, the Greater Southern Area Health Service (GSAHS) and Victoria’s Hume Health.   Those sixty nurses will be officially welcomed at 10am tomorrow, Tuesday 6 February, by Head of CSU’s School of Nursing and Midwifery, Professor Elaine Duffy and the GSAHS Area Director of Nursing, Ms Moira Lewis in the Wal Fife theatre, Wagga Wagga Campus.   Nursing course coordinator Heather Latham says “This is a significant partnership and initiative to address the shortage of registered nurses in rural Australia”.

A report was released in the UK last week which claimed that watching television harmed children much more than previously thought. The research was drawn from analysing 35 scientific studies and identified 15 negative affects including obesity, which the report claimed TV caused through a lack of exercise. That sets off alarm bells for Charles Sturt University’s Dr Michael Gard. “All 35 studies will be variable in terms of methodology, the strength of their findings, and what they measured. There is a lot of research on obesity, health and television, and none have shown any connection between TV watching, physical activity and obesity. Technology does not make you fat and stupid and sick. Yes, kids need a variety of experiences. But there is a greater evil here and that is people like this who start telling us how to live our lives rather than kids watching TV every day.”

Late last month, the Seven Network confirmed the signing of its US Bureau Chief, Anna Coren, to host the Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane editions of Today Tonight, Seven’s flagship prime time current affairs program. Ms Coren is yet another CSU alumnus to appear on national daily television. Breakfast TV rivals Melissa Doyle (Sunrise) and Jessica Rowe (Today) are also graduates of CSU’s Communication degree, as is Chris Bath, who presents Seven Late News Updates. Acting Head of the School of Communication, Bill Blaikie said, “The high profile of CSU’s Communication graduates is testimony to the quality of the people and the learning drawn to these degrees.  For every highly visible graduate there are at least another 100 working just as successfully in their chosen field.  Congratulations to every one of them”.

She is “first rate” and he is “just brilliant”, according to the mutual admiration society of Professor Alan Fish, Head of the International School of Business at Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Dr Julie Cogin, Senior Lecturer in Organisational Behaviour at the Australian Graduate School of Management. They recently took out the Australia New Zealand Academy of Management (ANZAM) Best Paper in a Stream Award at the latest ANZAM Conference held in Rockhampton, Queensland. Professor Fish supervised Dr Cogin’s PhD on the environmental factors that cause sexual harassment. “The award is a reflection of the quality of her work,” he said. Dr Cogin said Professor Fish is an excellent role model and teacher. “He is so encouraging. There were a lot of obstacles and challenges, but Alan kept reminding me that success was not the destination, it was the journey. Once we had access to data, it all came together very, very quickly.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Council last week inducted four new members. Ms Geraldine Kennett is currently enrolled at CSU in the Doctorate of Business Administration course. “I am originally from the country, so an inland University appeals to me. CSU is in a position to address some of the skills shortages and population and demographic issues in regional Australia.” Ms Kennett is the Membership Strategy Manager at the Australian Industry Group and an affiliate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. The other new Council members are Dr Robert Macklin, an elected staff member from the Faculty of Commerce, Ms Heather Bell who is Acting Head of CSU’s Dubbo Campus, and primary education student Mr Mitchell Elks, who said 'as an undergraduate student living on campus, I want to have a voice, and being on the Council helps me do that. I also want to ensure that the best interests of CSU students are being considered in the University’s decisions.”

Australia’s chronic skills shortage and the Federal Government’s push to get people off welfare and into the workforce is presenting teachers, trainers and welfare workers new challenges. How can we make the transition easier? This pressing issue will be canvassed at a half day Research in Vocational Education and Training (RIVET) group colloquium at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus on Tuesday 13 February. Speakers include Dr Steve Johnson, Director of the Policy Research Institute of the Leeds Metropolitan University, where he will outline the skilled workforce shortage also confronting the United Kingdom. CSU experts will also examine the social implications and various teaching strategies that can be used in the welfare to work policy. RIVET’s Associate Professor Erica Smith says “The success of Welfare to Work policy is important for individuals entering or re-entering the workforce as well as the nation.”