The real impact of cyber-bullying on children, schools and the wider community will be explored during a free public forum hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Wagga Wagga City Council on Wednesday 26 October. In the second Edversations Professional Forum for 2010, a panel of three educators will speak on the topic Cyber-bullying … the real impact! before the public forum is open for comments and questions. The panel members include Ms Jacquie Tinkler, a lecturer from the School of Education at CSU in Wagga Wagga, Senior Constable Rebecca Lanyon from NSW Police, and Mr Trevor Howard, Head of Maths and IT at The Riverina Anglican College. The panel will discuss preventing and responding to cyber-bullying and strategies for dealing with this behaviour in the virtual world. The forum will be held from 6pm to 8pm on Tuesday 26 October in the council meeting room, Civic Centre, Baylis Street in Wagga Wagga.

Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are being urged to consider taking a step towards creating positive environmental change and embracing the sustainability sector. CSU is the first regional university to host the Green Steps program following its introduction by Monash University in 2000. It has expanded to a number of metropolitan universities and won several major awards including a Banksia Environmental Award. The Green Steps program is a nationally recognised training and internship course offered to students from a range of degrees in 2011. Inaugural Green Steps coordinator, Ms Nicole Hyde, said, “Green Steps is open to students from across Charles Sturt University. The students who are selected will benefit from 30 hours training and 12 days placement with an organisation working on environmental sustainability projects, developing useful networks. Green Steps bridges the gap between the knowledge acquired through study and the skills required in the ‘real world’ of work. Training will be offered in environmental auditing, project planning and management, and communications.”   

Five Charles Sturt University (CSU) students have been named as recipients of the Australian National Field Days awards at the opening of the event near Orange today, Tuesday 19 October. The Australian National Field Days has made available up to $2 500 for scholarships for members of an Australian National Field Days Competition Rugby Club. Recipients of these awards include agricultural business management students Mr Edward Bradley and Mr Andrew Whipple. Other prizes awarded at the opening were to CSU students Mr Brendon Knight, who received the Australian National Field Days book prize for students in agricultural business management, Mr David Savill, who received the Australian National Field Days book prize for students in ecological agriculture, and Ms Roxanne Maree Taylor, who received the Australian National Field Days book prize for students in horticulture studies. The field days run at Borenore west of Orange from Tuesday 19 to Thursday 21 October.

More than 400 native trees and shrubs will be planted on the farm at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Tuesday 26 October as part of a regeneration project funded by the Catchment Management Authority (CMA) and the University. Farm manager, Mr Steve Mannix, says the project on the 500 hectare property will improve soil stability, and adjacent land productivity, as well as water quality for down-stream users. “By returning these sensitive areas back to their natural environment we encourage the return of micro-organisms, insects and other wildlife activity that will improve soil quality and ultimately improve water quality.” Students from the TAFE NSW Western Institute and CSU will be joined by CSU staff to plant the trees and shrubs.   

Regional dental patients have something to smile about with construction of the new Charles Sturt University (CSU) Dental and Oral Health Clinic in Dubbo now complete. “The clinic will have 16 dental chairs,” explained senior lecturer Dr Sabrina Manickam. “Professional dentists and students from the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences at CSU will provide patient care in 2011.” The new state-of-the-art dental clinic has been designed and constructed at a cost of $8 million, with funds from CSU, NSW Health and The University of Sydney. Dental staff from Greater Western Area Health Service (GWAHS) will be the first to occupy the new facility with the relocation of its public dental services currently provided from the Dubbo Community Dental Clinic in Ronald Street. The new CSU Dental and Oral Health Clinic will open for public patients on Monday 18 October.  

Research into cancer education will be presented by third year clinical science students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Orange on Friday 15 October. Community members will join CSU staff and students to discuss student research at the University Experiential Learning Centre (ELC). “The students have spent months working on their research as part of their studies,” lecturer from the School of Biomedical Sciences, Ms Sarah Hyde said. “The students conducted the research by designing and mailing out surveys, entering and analysing the data, with a surprising number of responses.” The research topics include; oral cancer awareness and its risk factors, the relationship between breast screening concordance and the location of residence, awareness and education of cancer screening in female patients, the effectiveness of the ‘three-step breast check shower card’ in increasing breast self-examination amongst CSU students; and general practitioner attitudes and knowledge concerning prostate cancer screening.

Representatives of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Study Group Australia (SGA) will meet at a ceremony at CSU in Bathurst on Tuesday 12 October to mark the signing of a new services agreement for the ongoing delivery of courses at CSU Study Centres in Sydney and Melbourne. The CSU Study Centres offer courses from the Faculty of Business to international undergraduate and postgraduate students. The Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU, Professor Ian Goulter, said, “The renewal of the services agreement for the Charles Sturt University Study Centres is strongly aligned to the University's strategic planning priorities and its Internationalisation Strategy.” Study Group Australia Pty Ltd, as part of one of the world’s largest private education providers, has been engaged in the quality provision of higher education services to international students in collaboration with CSU since 1995. Although studying in Melbourne or Sydney, many of the students graduate at ceremonies at the regional campuses of CSU.  

Staff and students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) are gearing up to participate in the national Ride to Work day  on Wednesday 13 October. Groups of at five of the University’s campuses will cycle to work. “The Ride to Work program encourages workers to feel good and have fun by commuting to work by bike and experiencing the health, financial and environmental benefits of riding,”  cyclist and Manager of CSU Green Mr William Adlong said. “We have not only regular riders who will be taking part, but also staff members who usually drive their cars to work.” CSU has participated in the Ride to Work event for at least five years. A recent follow-up survey for the national Ride to Work program shows 39 percent of first-time commuters are now riding to work at least once per month and 55 percent are riding more often than this time last year.

Internationally acclaimed wetland ecologist, Adjunct Professor David Mitchell, from Charles Sturt University (CSU) will deliver a free public lecture from 6pm in Parkes on Tuesday 19 October entitled Water, Drought and Climate Change. He will discuss developments in the management of water in Australian landscapes. “Concern is currently growing within Australia about the possibility of profound changes in climatic conditions and their potential to undermine many of the strategies that have been developed to sustain necessary agricultural production,” Professor Mitchell said. Professor Mitchell is from the CSU School of Environmental Sciences in Albury-Wodonga and is Principal Researcher at the University’s Institute of Land, Water and Society.