The risks of the sexualisation of girls and tips on how to help girls grow up with healthy attitudes towards body image and sexuality will be discussed at a public lecture in Braidwood on Wednesday 7 November 2012. Lecturer in philosophy and ethics at Charles Sturt University (CSU), Dr Emma Rush, will give an overview of what researchers and experts have to say about the risks associated with the sexualisation of girls and explain the government’s response. “A generation ago we didn’t see fashion and gossip magazines, padded bras and cosmetics pitched specifically at the primary school market,” she said. “While sex appeal has been used to sell products for a long time, in the last decade or so imagery directly inspired by pornography has also become much more prevalent in fashion and advertising. The increasing pressure on girls to meet very narrow appearance ideals at younger and younger ages is of significant concern to experts in child health and welfare.”  The free lecture, Getting Real: Challenging the Sexualisation of Girls, will also identify resources for parents and professionals who work with girls. 

Two high-level meetings this week will help advance the development of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie. The Structural Adjustment Fund (SAF) Governance Committee meeting is being held at CSU in Port Macquarie on Tuesday 23 October. This is a joint management committee of CSU and North Coast TAFE. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Andrew Vann, will then attend the inaugural meeting of the local campus’ Regional Consultative Committee on Wednesday 24 October. “The convening of this Committee is an important step in the establishment of a new Charles Sturt University campus,” Professor Vann said. “Regional Consultative Committees provide the University with strategic advice on the needs and expectations of our communities, and provide a way for the University to communicate through its members to industry, employers, government and the community. It will be great to tap into the thinking of local community leaders about their vision for CSU in Port Macquarie.” Later in the week, the Regional Development Australia (RDA) Strategic Regional Leadership Conference, co-sponsored by CSU, will be held at The Glasshouse in Port Macquarie on Friday 26 October. Read more on CSU News here.

Diverse topics such as work-life balance for farmers and how ‘active ageing’ can improve the health and vitality of older people will be addressed this week by occupational therapy (OT) students completing their degrees at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga. The annual two-day conference, titled OT: Our Time, will explore health issues relevant to occupational therapists as they enter their profession. Conference spokesperson, Ms Emma Ward said, “This event is a great opportunity for the students to challenge themselves by assessing their understanding of many aspects of health”. Opening the conference will be Dr Judy Ranka, a leading OT academic from Sydney. The OT: Our Time conference starts at 9am on Thursday 25 October in Room 101, building 667, CSU in Albury-Wodonga, off Bromfield Court, Thurgoona.

 

 

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will host a special graduation on Tuesday 30 October, when about 70 primary school students don the mortar boards as part of Check It Out Day. Year 6 pupils, from Parkes Public and Parkes East Public schools, will spend the day at CSU and will take a selection of specially prepared classes to give them a first-hand experience of university life. A graduation ceremony will be held where students will dress in mortar boards  and gowns and receive a certificate. The Check It Out Day is part of the University’s Future Moves program, designed to build aspirations for tertiary study among students in rural and remote NSW and Victoria. Read more here. The program is aimed at students who have the potential to succeed in tertiary education and who come from families with little or no experience of higher education.

Local primary and high school students will have an insight into science and the career opportunities it offers during the Australian Museum Science Festival – Science Unleashed on Tuesday 30 and Wednesday 31 October.  Australian Museum Program Manager, Ms Catherine Beehag, said “The Festival is a unique opportunity for school students to engage with scientific ideas that capture their imagination. Whether it’s the Powerhouse Museum’s Sustainable Solutions workshop or Charles Sturt University’s Crime Scene forensic biotechnology workshop, there is something to inspire students of all ages. We recognise that in Australia we must do more to interest kids so they can feel the excitement of science and discovery.” Primary school students will visit the Science Unleashed Expo in the Convention Centre, CSU in Wagga Wagga, for hands-on activities and to meet local scientists from 9.40am to 2.20pm on Tuesday 30 October. Read the full program here. High school students will visit CSU on Wednesday 31 October. Read the full program here. The program is a partnership between the Australian Museum, 3M Australia, ANSTO and Charles Sturt University.

Experts from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Port Macquarie will join government, industry and community leaders from across Australia for Regional Development Australia’s (RDA) Strategic Regional Leadership Conference on Friday 26 October. The conference will examine the importance of regional education provision in light of the communication revolution, which has allowed the development of a mobile and skilled workforce around the country. As a conference sponsor, CSU has made 25 tickets available for young people within the Port Macquarie region to attend. Head of CSU in Port Macquarie, Professor Ross Chambers, will chair a panel discussion on the effects of the digital revolution. The discussion will include Fairfax Media CEO Greg Hywood and AFL Commissioner Sam Mostyn. CSU in Port Macquarie Campus Director, Dr Muyesser Durur, will chair a panel discussion with regional youth and future leaders. The event is designed to inspire government, industry and community leaders to embrace change, learn from experts and create strategies to identify gaps in regional services and make the most of opportunities.

There’s nothing quite like a musical recital at sunset to appreciate the finer things in life. On Friday 2 November, Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council will co-host Music Under The Leaves in the city’s Botanic Gardens. The recital by members of the Riverina Conservatorium of Music is a widely anticipated annual event, and this year it features classical guitar, the RCM Staff Jazz Ensemble, Meredith and The Conmen, and Clarinessence. Well known performers, Jeff Donovan, Tamaris Pfeiffer, Lauren Davis, Brett Thompson and Meredith Adams are part of the impressive line-up. The event will start at 6pm in the Botanic Gardens, Macleay Street. CSU wine will be served after the performance.

A regional youth road safety campaign, to be implemented in the NSW central west in 2013, will use the creative ideas of one of four teams from the Kajulu Communications student advertising agency at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst. Ms Anne Llewellynn, advertising lecturer in the School of Communication and Creative Industries at CSU in Bathurst, said, “I am delighted that our students  have developed such an attitude-changing campaign about road safety aimed at their peers in the region. Our agency gives students the opportunity to work on real client briefs such as this, so they are ready to hit the ground running when they graduate at the end of the year. The great outcome from this client brief is that the campaign will hopefully change the attitudes of young drivers and reduce the road toll in the region.” Four final-year Kajulu advertising teams were briefed by Ms Iris Dorsett, Tablelands Area Road Safety Officer, to competitively prepare integrated marketing communication recommendations for a regional road safety campaign funded by Bathurst and Blayney Regional Councils. “What a success,” Ms Dorsett said. “The students accepted and embraced this challenge and produced professional and exciting campaigns. Plans are already underway to apply their creative ideas for road safety education in the Tablelands Area, and the winning team's work will be launched in February 2013.”