“The big question is, do some adults improve their lives after a parent’s cancer experience? It sounds quite odd, because how could anything good possibly come from this?” Janelle Levesque from Charles Sturt University’s School of Humanities and Social Sciences will research how having a parent with cancer impacts on their adult children. “For some, cancer can act as a wake-up call. Some realise life is too short to stay in work they don’t like while others switch to more family-friendly or part time work. Another change may be the realisation that the little things are not so important. The wet towel on the bathroom floor really doesn’t matter, what matters is making time to speak to the kids for 10 minutes before bed.” Ms Levesque says the biggest area of change is that “most people find that their family grows closer through the experience”.

As Year 12 students continue sitting their Higher School Certificate (HSC), latest performance research on the NSW HSC Online study resource by Internet research company Hitwise shows it is in the top 10 education websites in Australia. Now in its tenth year, NSW HSC Online was heralded for providing access to quality learning resources, especially for students in rural and remote areas. The current performance data support this success in providing equity, with high use by students living in provincial centres, who traditionally have below average use of the Internet. There were also more boys than average for an educational website going to HSC Online in the lead-up to the HSC, with 58 per cent males and 42 per cent females using www.hsc.csu.edu.au. The research also revealed excellent brand recognition and a strong association of the site with CSU. Acting Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration) Professor Lyn Gorman said the website’s success highlights its value in bringing high quality resources to all HSC students, regardless of where they live. The NSW HSC Online project was initiated and continues to be maintained and updated by the University in collaboration with the NSW Department of Education and Training.

The story of two women living on "a knife's edge" in the Villawood Detention Centre has won an inaugural international broadcasting award for former Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Kirsti Melville. The Commonwealth Broadcasting Association (CBA) Amnesty International Award for Human Rights Programme was presented to Ms Melville by Irene Khan, Secretary General of Amnesty International at a ceremony in New Delhi. The Radio National documentary is described as "the human story behind the federal government's stance on deporting long-term visa overstayers". Ms Melville, a 1994 graduate with a BA Communication (Broadcast Journalism), says it was a compelling program "because their stories were equally moving and powerful as those of refugees, but they are voices you don't hear very often. I think it was one of the first times I felt like I had had a little bit of an impact. You become very aware of your responsibilities as a journalist and to the people involved." The news that she won came as a surprise, "I was completely gob smacked, and on top of that to find out I was going to India in two weeks to accept the Award was mind-blowing." Kirsti's next documentary is about ageing Holocaust survivors in nursing homes in Sydney.

“Lazarus with a triple bypass”. The year was 1989, and John Howard had just lost the Opposition leadership. One reporter at the media conference asked him if he felt like a “political corpse”, another if he thought he could ever regain the leadership. How did John Howard go from that moment in political time, to today marking his tenth year in office with four straight election wins, making him Australia’s second-longest serving Prime Minister? Dr Wayne Errington (left), Lecturer in the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies at Charles Sturt University (CSU) is currently writing a biography about John Howard, and will present a paper to a weekend conference looking at Mr Howard’s skill as a politician and his refusal to succumb to political rejection. “He’s grown as a politician, he’s a much more calm person than he was 10 or 15 years ago, he’s much more measured in his policies, he’s prepared to compromise to get things through the senate or to mollify public opinion, and that’s a recipe for a much more successful conservative politician.” Dr Errington’s paper also examines all the elements that have led to John Howard’s remarkable four election wins.

The value of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Ontario has been highlighted by the University’s new Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Andrew Vann, during a recent trip to Canada. Professor Vann was struck by the enthusiasm of students and staff during the informal visit to CSU in Ontario on Monday 19 March. Professor Vann said CSU’s presence in Ontario is a great advantage to the University, giving staff the opportunity to work and study in another country. “One of the things I’m exploring right now is the similarities between Australia and Canada in terms of geography, culture, and interest in First Nations peoples. I think there are a lot of synergies here,” he said. “It would be great if we could use the campus as a base to really expand that kind of exchange both educationally and in research.” Professor Vann will return to Ontario for CSU’s graduation ceremonies in June.

It’s not just the lessons taught in the classroom that Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Mr Dave McGowen will remember from his recent exchange to Australia but those handed out on the football field. Mr McGowan was one of five students from CSU in Ontario who travelled to Australia to complete their final practicum for CSU’s Bachelor of Primary Education Studies. Mr McGowan spent three weeks at the Buninyong Public School in the regional NSW city of Dubbo. He said the experience has given him more examples of how to deal with different classroom situations. “The curriculum seemed pretty similar although I found the students were given more time to do the work and practise or think about things.” Mr McGowan also immersed himself in the local culture, playing a game of Australian Rules football. “The game was a lot of fun and much tougher than I had anticipated, as it was a full contact match against a good opponent,” he said. “Nonetheless I lived through it and have the battle scars to show for it. It was a truly authentic Aussie experience.”

“The most important thing a teacher can do each day is to teach so that students want to come back tomorrow.” Charles Sturt University (CSU) Ontario teacher education students were challenged by these words from keynote speaker Les Asselstine at the Fourth Annual Integrated Curriculum Conference held in February. Mr Asselstine also spoke about the importance of building inquiry into all school students’ learning activities. Other sessions focused on integrating science and social studies through dance, drama, media, technology, visual arts and literacy activities in the primary and junior divisions.  Students also attended a field trip to Crawford Lake, a 15th Century reconstructed Iroquoian Village. At the end of the conference, one CSU student said, “It’s important not to ‘section off’ parts of the day, but rather to ‘live’ the curriculum all the time, connecting learning to real life at every chance”.

After flying through the air and around the world, Charles Sturt University (CSU) student Mr Rick Resijan swapped the stage for the classroom for a while in order to complete a degree in primary education at CSU in Ontario. Born in Hamilton and raised in Stoney Creek, Ontario, Mr Resijan moved to Toronto to study fine arts and then joined the prestigious Joffrey Ballet School in New York, USA. “In the past 20 years I have danced in such classic ballets as Swan Lake, Sleeping Beauty, Giselle, Firebird and Cinderella, as well as contemporary ballets such as Prodigal Son, a rock ballet to music by The Doors,” he said. “A special job at this time was working with the children’s theatre company New York Theatre Ballet, and I suppose this also captured my interest in teaching children. I am now back in Canada while I study at CSU, but I can’t stop dancing – I have a few projects with the Victoria Ballet Academy in Toronto and am appearing in The Nutcracker in Richmond Hill, Toronto. I would love to combine my love for dance with teaching to work in an arts-oriented school.”

Education students and staff at Charles Sturt University (CSU) Ontario recently held the first annual CSU Coffee House and Variety Show, an opportunity to enjoy the company and talents of their peers while generating funds for a good cause. The United Way of Burlington and Greater Hamilton will be presented with a cheque for over $1 000 by Bachelor of Primary Education Studies students on Thursday 26 March at 12noon to support its invaluable contribution to the strength of the community and its citizens. Through the certification of primary and junior teachers, CSU shares a similar vision to that of the United Way – creating a strong, healthy and safe community for all. The Australian university has been operating in Ontario for the past five years and looks forward to welcoming its fifth intake of students this August.