For the second successive year, a small group of Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will take the skills acquired during their studies to help young Fijians living in an orphanage in the capital Suva. Three students from St Martin’s College at CSU in Wagga Wagga will spend a week from Saturday 25 June volunteering at St Christopher’s Orphanage. Head of St Martin’s College, the Reverend Jenny Willsher is organising and participating in the trip. “This volunteer work will assist the students to further develop leadership skills and give them an opportunity to learn more about themselves and how they can be more effective in their own communities – especially rural Australia, once they have completed their Charles Sturt University studies.” The three volunteers include arts and education students from Armidale, Leeton and Sydney. At the orphanage, they will work in the pre-school, undertake tutoring of primary and high school students as well as do some cleaning and work in the vegetable gardens. “This year we have also been asked to help cover the university fees for one of the girls from St Christopher’s who is studying medicine with the Fiji School of Medicine,” said Rev. Willsher. “Students from St Martin’s College are currently fundraising. We will take all funds raised with us when we visit.”

High school students from across the Riverina will gain an insight into the work of agricultural and veterinary scientists when they visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Friday 10 June. The annual EH Graham Centre Ag-Enrichment Day gives primary industries students the opportunity to observe some of the work done by scientists while learning about university courses and career opportunities. Students also gain some hands-on experience with sessions on beneficial insect identification, the importance of fungi, salinity and sheep reproduction. This year, 70 students from schools in Wagga, Albury, Coolamon, Barham, Finley and Lake Cargelligo will take part in the event.

Students from 13 Riverina high schools are expected at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 16 June for the latest MyDay event. Aimed at giving Year 11 and 12 students a taste of university life, the day will focus on courses in the fields of accounting, management, marketing, business studies, IT and computing studies. Approximately 24 students will meet with CSU academics, attend information sessions about the various pathways to get into CSU, opportunities for international study experiences,  and advice on financial matters. A full list of upcoming MyDay events at CSU can be found here. 

The 2011 Central West RoboCup Junior Challenge robotics competition will see students from schools across the region build and operate mini robots at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Tuesday 21 June. The coordinator of the competition, Mr Allen Benter, a PhD student and researcher at the CSU Centre for Research in Complex Systems (CRiCS) in Bathurst, said, “Charles Sturt University has been the official sponsor of the RoboCup Junior Challenge in the NSW Central West for the past two years with the event successfully taking place in Bathurst last year. Staff at the University have provided technical advice to students and their teachers, have been judges at previous RoboCup events, and in October last year we held a training workshop on campus in Orange for students and teachers. It’s very exciting to now see this developing field so enthusiastically embraced by schools in the region.”

The push for a medical school in Orange continues to gather momentum with Charles Sturt University (CSU) launching the Doctors 4 the Bush  website this Thursday 16 June. CSU recently submitted a detailed proposal to the Federal government to gain support for the establishment of an Integrated Health and Medical Education Precinct. This proposal aims to provide medical and health training for students and boost the number of health professionals for regional Australia to redress the shortage of doctors in the bush. The website has been established to allow supporters of this initiative to keep up-to-date with the latest information on rural doctor shortages and will feature updated information on CSU’s proposal and the opportunity to register support for ‘a fair go for the health of rural Australia’. The website will be officially launched by Medical Program Development Community Consultative Committee member Ms Audrey Hardman, OAM, at CSU in Orange on Thursday.

A group of students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) has raised more than $2 500 to help children at a flood affected primary school in southern Queensland. The money raised by CSU Residential Advisors has been donated to the Grantham State School, which is located in one of the small communities devasted by flash flooding in January. CSU Manager of Residential Operations in Albury-Wodonga and Wagga Wagga, Mr Peter Bell said the Residential Advisors took it upon themselves to raise the money by collecting donations. “Many of our students are from regional areas so they had a real connection with the devastation and tragic loss of life in Grantham,” he said.  Grantham State School Principal Ms Christie Minns says the money will help support the learning needs of students. “While the material damage can be repaired and the possessions replaced it is only within a stable environment that the emotional impact on children can be gradually addressed,” she said. “This contribution will help create that stability in the school context.”