The National Roads and Motorists Association (NRMA) has awarded Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) community radio station 2MCE a $5 000 grant to produce an innovative road safety radio campaign. The campaign will target young drivers about the dangers of using mobile phones while driving, particularly during the hazardous winter months on roads between Bathurst and Orange. Coordinator of 2MCE’s Studio 4, Bronwen Matherson, said that CSU students will be involved in the production of the NRMA radio campaign. “This campaign will give local youth the chance to share their driving stories and experiences while raising road safety awareness at the same time,” Ms Matherson said. The campaign will include the production of four “driver safety” radio announcements to be broadcast 200 times each, and the exploration of road safety issues on 2MCE’s youth issues program That’ll Learn Ya. 2MCE operates from CSU’s Bathurst Campus.

Ms Tarryn Clarke, a final year honours student in the School of Human Movement at the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Bathurst Campus is seeking participants around Bathurst to take part in research into Type 2 diabetes. “I am investigating the treatment of Type 2 diabetes, which is a leading cause of death and disability in Australia,” Ms Clarke said. “I want to find out whether there are benefits of combining resistance training – that is, using exercise weights – in combination with a dietary supplement to improve participant’s sensitivity to insulin, glucose control and oxidative stress. If this research is proven correct, we might be able to reduce the incidence of diabetes and limit the progression of the disease and complications arising from it.” To conduct the study Ms Clarke is looking for sixteen males with type 2 diabetes aged between 40 and 60 years who have not used weights in the past six months. “They must take the dietary supplement for three weeks then commit to an acute resistance exercise session for four weeks,” Ms Clarke said. The participants will be supervised by individuals who are trained in resistance exercise training. For further information and register interest, contact Ms Clarke on telephone (02) 6338 4422.

It was a long, hot, dry summer for Bathurst residents, who had to cope without a public pool. That is set to change in September when Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) unveils the new $12.5 million Aquatic Centre, and Charles Sturt University (CSU) project management students are keen to help with celebration ideas. Andrew Mashman from CSU’s School of Marketing and Management explains 30 students have divided into five teams, to work on launch plans that will “engage the community or specific target markets in events surrounding the opening of the pool – it is important to get everyone from all walks of life to the Aquatic Centre in the first weeks”. Victoria Jackson, BRC’s manager of marketing and communication says Council was “looking for launch ideas and now the students have a chance to throw their ideas into the ring. As an added resource for our events team, it helps to have fresh eyes.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) Internet Marketing students will pitch their internet marketing plan to Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) next week. Victoria Jackson, BRC’s manager of marketing and communication, says BRC has launched two new web sites. “This is really just a starting point - you have to get the look and feel right. After that it is about how we manage those sites. So we are tapping into where the students are – at the forefront of what is going on in the industry. They are looking for a project, and we are just starting out – it is a nice synchronicity.” Andrew Mashman from CSU’s School of Marketing and Management says the class has been broken into eight teams working on two briefs. “The first is focusing on attracting more tourists to Bathurst for short and medium term stays, while the second is looking at bringing investment to the town.”

Associate Professor Sharynne McLeod’s new International Guide to Speech Acquisition lists the components and phonetics of Korean, Israeli Hebrew, Hungarian, Arabic and even Zapotec (spoken by about 2 000 people in a small area of Mexico), as well as 21 other languages and twelve English dialects, making it the most comprehensive text of its kind. “The International Guide to Speech Acquisition describes the process by which children learn different dialects and different languages. Some of the information has never been translated into English before. If an English-speaking child has a Norwegian mother and a Filipino father, and they are having difficulty in all three languages, this guide can assist the speech pathologist or teacher in helping the child. Many of the 72 authors involved have now set up research projects to fill in the gaps in research that have been exposed by this book.”

The lack of doctors and dentists in rural areas often overshadows the critical shortage of Registered Nurses (RNs). To overcome this, Charles Sturt University (CSU), the Moira Nursing Education Consortium and the Greater Southern Area Health Services (GSAHS) have collaborated in programs that encourage Enrolled Nurses (ENs) who are based in rural, regional and remote areas to upgrade their skills and become RNs. The program takes residential schools and clinical placements to the ENs, as well as providing them with financial and other support. Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Health Science at CSU, Heather Latham says, “We are confident they will continue to work in their local communities. It is so important to support these nurses”. One of the nurses, Sharyn Maxwell who works at Tumut Hospital, said, “We already live here, work here and want to stay here. It was a wonderful experience. The CSU lecturers were very supportive and approachable. It made such a difference having that peer and financial support, as well as the support from my employers.”

Does the race of an accused person influence the jurors’ decision of guilt or innocence? The answer is ‘no’ if the accused is of Asian ethnicity, according to a Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher. Pamela Henry will receive her doctorate for her PhD Race and Juror Decision at CSU Bathurst Campus graduation on Friday 11 May. “The findings were counter-intuitive. There is no evidence to suggest that an Asian accused is more likely to be found guilty. An explanation could lie in theories of modern racism where the general public is more aware that it is not socially acceptable to have their prejudicial views influence their decisions”. Ms Henry is keen to continue her research, next concentrating on Indigenous people. “If jurors, judges and magistrates are aware of the factors that can influence decision making then they can do something about it.”

Dr Elaine Dietsch, a Charles Sturt University (CSU) lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, will give a public talk about violence against women in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) at a forum on CSU’s Bathurst Campus on Wednesday 2 May. After several trips to Kenya and the DRC in recent years, Dr Dietsch pledged to publicise the plight of Congolese women who are the ongoing victims of rape and mutilation by warring factions and rebel forces in central Africa. Dr Dietsch will explain how Australians can contribute to improving the lives of Congolese women and their babies. A fund-raising ‘Quilt for Congo’ made by fellow CSU School of Nursing and Midwifery lecturer, Debbie Clatworthy, will also be on display. Intending audience members are advised that this presentation - No longer silenced … Congolese women share their stories of survival - is for adults only; strictly no children.

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) researcher says the Australian public is still clinging to damaging stereotypes in regards to the victims of domestic violence, despite public campaigns such as the Federal Government’s Violence Against Women Australia Says No. Trea Sanson-Fisher will be awarded her doctorate about public perceptions of domestic violence at CSU’s Bathurst graduation on Friday 11 May. She says although her community interviewees was more likely than the judicial system to recommend jailing the perpetrator, the interviewees thought the victim was partly responsible for the domestic violence if she had been drinking. Ms Sanson-Fisher added, “However, when the violence was severe and required a trip to hospital, the sample would ‘let go’ of a lot of stereotypes. It seems society is getting the message about severe domestic violence, but not quite getting the message about a slap or a push.”