Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange is one step closer in its quest to recover 70 per cent of the solid waste generated on campus by 2014, with the completion of its new recycling plan. CSU had already re-tendered its waste collection contracts and redesigned the system of large collection bins on the campus, and has now introduced separate recycling and general waste bins throughout the staff areas and student residences. Campus Services Manager Mr Mark Chapman said the campus generated about six tonnes of solid waste a month, and the changes were designed to increase the share of waste recovered for recycling. “We currently recycle about half a tonne of mixed waste and another half a tonne of cardboard each month, or nearly 20 per cent,” he said. “The roll-out of separate bins will help us improve on this figure and work towards achieving our target.” The 70 per cent target is an initiative of CSU Green, which is responsible for coordinating the University’s sustainability efforts across all its campuses. Co-mingled recycling is now available on most campuses and drop-off points for recycling mobile phones are also available, with charities benefiting from the proceeds.

Students from Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange are preparing for a two-week tour of New Zealand as part of their Bachelor of Agricultural Business Management. The course is one of only a handful offered in Australia and has been designed to prepare students to meet the critical shortage of skilled managers in the agricultural sector. The University’s School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences academic Ms Shevahn Telfser said graduates were in demand from agribusiness companies and major banks seeking employees with technical agricultural training and skills in business, management and finance. “The New Zealand visit will include tours of agricultural and commercial properties, and is part of our focus on ensuring graduates are work-ready and prepared for an international workplace,” she said. “Agricultural business management graduates are sought after and most of our students have secured jobs even before they complete their degree.” Students studying via distance education will join students studying at CSU in Orange for the tour, which is scheduled for early October.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange has welcomed the return of its second-year physiotherapy students after they completed placements in clinics around the region. Physiotherapy lecturer Ms Kay Skinner from CSU’s School of Community Health said the course, now in its third year at CSU in Orange, has been enthusiastically supported by health services across NSW. “This is the third year of the four-year degree, so we will have our first graduates at the end of 2013,” she said. “But we have already developed strong connections in the region with health services that have traditionally had trouble finding enough physiotherapists to meet demand.” The most recent placements were designed to allow students to focus on mobility enhancement, including assisting patients regain mobility following surgery or a fall, or helping pediatric patients with limited mobility. “Physiotherapists often work with patients recovering from surgery or an accident and are a key part of the health system,” Ms Skinner said. “There is always very strong demand for physiotherapists in rural and regional NSW, and one of the great advantages of basing this course in Orange is that students who have spent four years in the region are much more likely to live and work here after graduation.”

A peregrine falcon chick is the newest resident at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange. The fledgling hatched from the one of two eggs produced this season by CSU’s resident pair of peregrine falcons, known as Beau and Swift, and was named Snow in reference to the August snowfall in which the egg was laid. The falcons have been permanent residents at the University since 2007, when staff first noticed them hunting from the iconic water tower on campus. CSU staff mounted a nesting box in the tower and fitted it with two video cameras, and the falcons quickly moved in and raised eight healthy chicks there over the following four breeding seasons. The project has been supported by the RAAF 30 Squadron Beaufighters, whose emblem is the peregrine falcon and whose motto is ‘Strike swiftly’, so the two adult birds have been named Swift (female) and Beau (male). This year Swift laid two eggs, but one was lost when it became stuck in Beau’s plumage as he left the nest. Footage from the nest-box cameras has been available on the FalconCamProject website since 2007 but this is the first year a formal study of the birds’ behaviour has been conducted. The site is one of only a handful in the world where a breeding pair of peregrines can be monitored around the clock, because peregrines normally choose to nest in very inaccessible places like cliff faces and quarries.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) lawn bowls team has claimed its second consecutive national title, winning gold at the Australian University Games (AUG) in Adelaide. CSU’s University Team Manager, Mr Nik Granger, said the team had won five of its seven pool games to qualify third for the playoffs behind the University of Western Australia (UWA) and the University of NSW (UNSW). “We lost to both UWA and UNSW in the pool stage, but we beat UNSW in the semi-final and the team was confident it could knock over UWA in the final,” he said. CSU first earned a place in the top-tier of the AUG in 2009 and won a first division bronze in 2010 before taking the national lawn bowls title last year. Mr Granger said the past 10 years had seen a sharp increase in the standard of competition at the games, which were now Australia’s largest annual multi-sport event. “You’ve got Olympians, Commonwealth Games medallists and state and national representatives throughout the competition,” he said. “CSU had students from our Albury-Wodonga, Wagga Wagga and Bathurst campuses competing alongside several distance education students.” Meanwhile, CSU’s Ultimate Frisbee team was awarded the ‘Spirit of the Games’ award, as voted by all 25 teams competing in the sport.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange will have a bigger-than-usual footprint at this year’s Australian National Field Days when it unveils its larger outdoor site. The University has traditionally had a stand in the education pavilion at the annual event, but School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences academic Ms Shevahn Telfser said this year’s larger stand would provide space for interactive demonstrations including a horse skeleton which visitors can help assemble and a display of common and not-so-common fruits and vegetables for visitors to name. “This year we want to engage visitors with fun, educational activities they can complete to earn their visitor’s bag,” Ms Telfser said. “The Field Days help show school-aged visitors what Charles Sturt University can offer them and demonstrates our continuing commitment to agricultural science and business degrees on the Orange Campus.” The Australian National Field Days will run from Tuesday 16 October to Thursday 18 October at Borenore, near Orange, NSW.

Staff and students of Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange are gearing up for National Ride2Work on Wednesday 17 October. The CSU team will be riding as part of Ride2Uni day, which runs concurrently with the Ride2Work activities at university and TAFE campuses across the country. CSU in Orange campus services manager, Mr Mark Chapman, said the University had also held a successful ride for NSW Bike Week last month. “We had a great turnout for that event, and we’re hoping to have even more riders for Ride2Uni day,” he said. “The Ride2Work and Ride2Uni days are a great incentive for people to try riding to work for the first time and to get a sense for the enjoyment and health benefits that can be had from cycling regularly.” The CSU team will muster at Bills Beans on McLachlan Street, Orange, at 8am and leave for the University at about 8.15am. Cyclists will be served a continental breakfast at Banjo’s Café and can register for the ride online.

An expert in the study of paranormal events from Charles Sturt University (CSU) believes the only scary thing about Halloween is the risk of tooth decay from all the sweets that children have an excuse to guzzle on the day. Dr Krissy Wilson, Head of CSU’s Science of Anomalistic Phenomena research unit, said the celebration of Halloween most likely started as a pagan tradition that coincided with the new harvest. “It later became a Christian celebration of All Hallows or All Saints Day. Modern times have seen it evolve into ‘Halloween’ – which came literally from ‘hallowed’ or ‘holy’ – that typically involves trick or treating, dressing up in silly outfits and watching horror movies!”

School leavers whose Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR) was not as high as they had hoped have been told they don’t have to give up their university aspirations, with Charles Sturt University (CSU) continuing its Pathway Program in 2013. The program, a partnership between CSU and TAFE, runs for one year full-time and provides entry options for students who applied to CSU but were unsuccessful, or who need further preparation. Pathway coordinator Ms Sandra Fisher said the program offered multiple benefits. “Upon completion, students receive a Diploma of General Studies from Charles Sturt University and the Certificate IV in Further Education, or Tertiary Preparation Certificate from TAFE,” she said. “They are also guaranteed entry into a range of CSU degrees and may receive credit for some subjects.” The program is offered face-to-face at CSU in Bathurst, Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga, and this year will be offered at CSU in Dubbo as a blended distance education option.