For the first time, Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Regional Bonus Point (RBP) scheme is available to school leavers in regional areas across Australia. “The scheme has been open to school leavers who studied their tertiary entry exam in regional or remote schools in NSW, Queensland and Victoria,” said CSU Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Ian Goulter. “Now school leavers from other states and territories will automatically receive the Regional Bonus Points.” The RBP program is an equity program targeting regional youth. The program offers an additional five points to the university admission score. “CSU recognises that higher education participation rates are quite often lower in regional, non-metropolitan areas so the RBP program gives regional students easier access to courses at any of our campuses.” More information on the RBP scheme is available here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) has consolidated its commitment to sustainable development and environmental conservation with the establishment of the CSU Green Office on Monday 8 December. Mr William Adlong has been appointed the inaugural manager of CSU Green, and starting on the same day is the new CSU Energy Manager, Mr Edward Maher. Both officers are committed to reducing the University’s energy and water use in line with CSU targets. “The University wants to reduce its energy consumption by 10 per cent and reduce its water use by 25 per cent by 2011. CSU Green aims to bring together staff and student efforts for the environment to help us reach these targets,” said Mr Adlong, who has worked and studied extensively in this area. Mr Maher draws on years of experience with Sydney Water, including the management of the Every Drop Counts Business Program.

A new charter has been designed by Charles Sturt University (CSU) to articulate what it means for students to be members of the wider CSU community. The Student Charter has been publicly released after being endorsed by the University’s Academic Senate on Wednesday 3 December. The document outlines the University’s values, ranging from intellectual independence, to the dissemination of knowledge, social justice and economic, social and environmental sustainability. The Student Charter sets out what students can expect of CSU and the University’s expectations of its student body. These expectations include respect and tolerance, honesty and integrity and positive participation in teaching, learning, professional and research activities. “The purpose of the charter is to promote engagement between students and the broader CSU community, and to help students and staff of the University understand the expectations they may have of each other,” said CSU Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Lyn Gorman. “The introduction of the charter is a welcome move as it clearly outlines how the University and students can work together productively to benefit all,” said Mr David Atkinson, President of the Student Senate. Read the CSU Student Charter here.

Five groups of final year marketing students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will deliver marketing plans to representatives of the Royal Australian Mint at a presentation at the Bathurst Campus on Thursday 6 November. Lecturer in marketing at the School of Marketing and Management, Mr Andrew Mashman, explained that following an invitation from Dr Felicity Mullens, Marketing Manager of the Royal Australian Mint, his class of strategic marketing management students travelled to Canberra to inspect the Mint and be briefed about Australia’s diminishing use of coin-based currency, the Mint’s core business. After returning, the students worked in groups for eight weeks to explore marketing strategies and research opportunities the Mint could consider. “Each group will deliver a 20-minute presentation to communicate how they would ensure the longevity of Australia’s premium minting facility,” Mr Mashman said. “The students feel the pressure to perform because of the client’s involvement, and as graduating students they know this will be an important step in their transition into the workforce in 2009.”

Three new books from human movement studies lecturers at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be launched at the Bathurst Campus on Wednesday 29 October. The books provide insights into the way the human body deals with its heating during exercise and exertion; the personal and cultural meanings of participating in competitive sports in later life; and the way young women view and respond to their bodies, health and physical activity. Head of the School of Human Movement Studies, Associate Professor Frank Marino, said “The significance of these books is that the School of Human Movement Studies believes in being a player in creating knowledge rather than a passive user. It shows to our students that we in the School are at the forefront of research and scholarship, so they should have every confidence that the curriculum they are a part of is cutting edge.”

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will next year celebrate 20 years of strategic higher education and applied research that is making a difference nationally and internationally. Celebrations involving students, staff, academics, graduates and the University’s research partners and institutions will be held at all campuses. CSU is extending a warm invitation to all communities in its footprint to become involved in the celebrations that will highlight its rapid growth and achievements during the past two decades. The first meeting of the 20th Anniversary Committee, chaired by CSU Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Ian Goulter, was held on Wednesday 25 June, to commence planning for what is a significant year in the history of the University of inland Australia. Proclaimed in July 1989, CSU has evolved as one of Australia's largest universities, operating across inland New South Wales and delivering education and degree qualifications in many countries around the world.

Mr Petero Civoniceva, who plays for the Brisbane Broncos in the National Rugby League competition, was the special guest at a presentation of Telstra sponsorship to the Charles Sturt University (CSU) rugby league team and other local Bathurst sporting teams on Wednesday 8 October. Four representatives of the CSU rugby league club on the Bathurst Campus – Joel Begnell, Kurt Dickinson, Alistair Murphy and John Killey – received the sponsorship and met Mr Civoniceva at the presentation in the Rafters Bar in the Student Union. The sponsorship to the CSU rugby league team, valued at $1 500, consisted of tackle bags, kit bags, first aide kits, a water drum and water bottles. In 2008 the Telstra Assistance Fund has provided $1.25 million in equipment to 1 282 local sporting clubs involved in football (soccer), surf life saving, swimming, rugby league and Australian Rules.

The Central West Regional Consultative Committee of Charles Sturt University (CSU) met at the Bathurst Campus on Thursday 28 August to provide advice to the University about its activities in the Central West and its relationships with local communities. Committee chair and Head of Bathurst Campus, Mr Col Sharp, said the meeting was informed about the building program on the Bathurst and Orange campuses, and research and other activities that impact on local communities such as Bathurst Aged and Community Care which aims to make Bathurst a more senior-friendly city. “The committee was updated on the many bodies with regional impact that are supported by CSU, like the Western Research Institute (WRI), Arts Out West, the University of the Third Age and the Western Region Institute of Sport. The meeting was also interested to learn of less known interactions that benefit the University and local communities such as CSU public relations projects where students work up briefs for local clients like Oberon Relay for Life, Bathurst Information Centre, and Bathurst Youth Centre,” Mr Sharp said.

Services for women with cervical cancer who live in rural Australia could be improved as a result of a study to be carried out by a Charles Sturt University (CSU) psychology student. Ms Melissa Elleray, a fourth year Honours student at the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies, hopes her study of rural women who have had cervical cancer will provide insight into their experiences so that services and funding can be better targeted. “There seems to be little support for or awareness about how rural women experience cervical cancer, and as I have experienced a risk of developing the disease myself, I want to help these women have their stories heard. My research will explore what it was like going through treatment while trying to maintain a normal life,” Ms Elleray said. The research requires confidential face-to-face interviews with up to 12 women in rural NSW and Victoria before the end of 2008. Women interested in participating in the research can contact Ms Elleray on 0409 808 598.