Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will soon return to the Campus towns of Albury, Wagga Wagga, Dubbo, Orange and Bathurst, and some will be seeking off campus accommodation, according to CSU Student Services Officer Jane Battersby. “We have VTAC and UAC rounds coming out next week, so the student demand will soon be there. We have a database of off-campus accommodation providers, from vacant rental to shared rental and board.” Colleen Poy says providing accommodation to CSU students can be very rewarding. “I started off with one house, then two and now I have five houses. I really missed my children when they left home. There’s nothing like being around young people, they never lose their enthusiasm. Every morning is a whole new day and they are up and at it. I think it’s wonderful.”

CSU Media wishes you all a happy and safe festive season and looks forward to working with you in 2007.

Three Charles Sturt University (CSU) students have topped the University’s sparkling wine production course in 2006. The wine science students - Sophie Houghton, Graeme Scott and Steve Balog - each received 12 bottles of wine from Domaine Chandon, Australia’s leading producer of sparkling wine. Subject Coordinator, Professor Geoff Scollary, said that the contribution of Domaine Chandon to the teaching program was a major factor in the success of the final year Sparkling Wine Production subject. “Students get the opportunity to taste wines, to blend wines ready for commercial release, and to hear from leading sparkling wine makers,” he said. The School of Wine and Food Sciences has a long history of collaboration with Domaine Chandon, with the company’s CEO, Dr Tony Jordan as the first wine science lecturer at CSU in the late 1970s.

One of Australia’s largest banks Westpac will announce an agreement with Charles Sturt University (CSU) to produce regular agribusinesses reports for all Australia’s regions. CSU’s Western Research Institute will produce quarterly reports for Westpac on the health of farming and related businesses in all Australia’s States and territories, starting in 2007. This will be the first such report on each and all regions of the nation.The official announcement will be made during a Business and Community Reception to be hosted by CSU Vice-Chancellor Professor Ian Goulter. The reception will start at 5pm on Thursday 7 December on the University’s Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona.

World Health Organisation predictions of a 60 per cent increase in Type 2 Diabetes between 1995 and 2030 have been challenged by a new study from Ontario. Researchers there have found a 69 per cent increase in the rate of the disease between 1995 and 2005 - far greater than previous projections for Canada. The authors of the new research say this could have devastating consequences worldwide. Professor Patrick Ball from Charles Sturt University’s School of Biomedical Sciences isn’t surprised. "The clear evidence is that we are losing the battle. There are so many different facets to the problem including lack of exercise and modern diets packed with fats and sugar. People are starting to accept diabetes as a normal part of the ageing process. I believe it is a worse health problem than tobacco."

Is agriculture financially risky? Most would agree that it is, but Charles Sturt University School of Marketing and Management lecturer Mark Frost believes it’s not as risky as many would assume. As fiscal stress continues to plague farmers in the region following the ongoing drought, Mr Frost will speak at a Partners In Grain workshop titled Dollars and Sense, aiming to provide valuable financial information to assist in managing finances in the challenging year ahead. “This workshop takes an independent, common sense look at different aspects of farm finances and will equip farmers with the tools to make some sensible business decisions over the next twelve months and beyond,” Mr Frost says. The Partners in Grain Dollars and Sense Workshop will take place at the Coachman Hotel in Parkes on Wednesday 14 March at 9.15am.

Vice-Chancellor Ian Goulter last week announced the academic promotions round for 2006. Professor Goulter singled out Associate Professor Geoffrey Gurr from the School of Rural Management and Dr Lexin Wang from the School of Biomedical Sciences who have both been promoted to Professor Level E. “I congratulate these academic staff members on their achievements and contribution to the success of Charles Sturt University,” he said. CSU researcher and academic cardiologist Dr Wang is also an Honorary Professor of Cardiology at Taishan Medical College in China. “I’m really pleased, but there are more challenges ahead. We are still conducting a number of very high-profile studies on heart disease and my research group has had some major impact in the field of cardiovascular medicine. At CSU we are running a very strong pharmacology discipline which has been expanded quite substantially in the last eight years or so, and I think that is another major achievement.”

Melinda Fox should have graduated with a Charles Sturt University (CSU) degree early childhood education in 2006 but instead became a mother three months early - and assignments took a backseat to a new baby. Melinda, 23, will be the first Aboriginal to graduate from the program in Dubbo this Thursday having completed her studies soon after her daughter Shanaya was born. “I still had three assignments to do when Shanaya was born last January,” Melinda says. “My lecturers were really supportive and gave me extensions so I could complete the assignments by May.” Melinda enjoyed the practical side of the degree working in childcare centres in Dubbo, Orange, Mount Druitt and Narromine. “I loved working with children throughout my degree and the theory has helped me understand my own child’s developmental stages.” Sixteen month old Shanaya will be at the graduation ceremony with Melinda’s mum cheering her on as she celebrates her latest achievement.

Doris Bornemann has a big heart. She says two of her loves include photography and also Charles Sturt University (CSU). As a former Student Liaison Officer she often opened her heart - and her home – to CSU students. “I would invite the lonely ones home for a baked dinner and a few home comforts. And the external students used to have regular parties at my house. They would look forward to it every residential school. I was made a Life Member of the Student Union. It was a great honour.” Doris worked at CSU for 20 years. She is also the only non-Academic on the Honour Board. Her contribution to CSU did not stop with her retirement 15 years ago. She now volunteers with the Emeritus Club, which funds “three or four” scholarships every year for CSU students. Doris’s other love, photography, is currently on display at the Bathurst Women’s Health Centre. One hundred and twelve photos reflect her wide ranging interests which take in both man-made and natural landscapes, animals and human portraiture.