Policies aimed at increasing the pace of developing renewable energies could accelerate global warming, according to Dr Rod Duncan, a lecturer in economics at Charles Sturt University. It wouldn’t be the first time regulations have had the opposite of the desired effect. When US Congress introduced the Corporate Average Fuel Economy standards, Detroit car makers responded by producing petrol-guzzling SUVs. And when Mexico City implemented no-drive days where a car could only be used every other day, the citizens reacted by buying a second car. “Air quality in Mexico City got worse, because the second car tended to be an old bomb,” said Dr Duncan. And what does all this have to do with alternative energies? “If cheaper alternatives are being developed, oil producers will have an incentive to pump oil faster and sell it cheaper. The renewables could be worth it in the long run, but at least temporarily, you may actually make the global warming problem worse.”

Leaders of the Australian cattle industry led by David Inall, Executive Director of the Cattle Council of Australia and Dr Gardner Murray Chief Veterinary Officer of Australia will join NSW veterinarians and cattle producers to attend the official opening of Charles Sturt University’s new cattle yards, which are part of the University’s new veterinary sciences building.  “The yards provide progressive teaching facilities for veterinary students and are the envy of other veterinary schools”, said CSU Professor of Veterinary Reproduction Peter Chenoweth. “They are very well designed units which allow easy animal movement and restraint for veterinary procedures, all under cover, well lit and well protected from the weather.” The yards include a hydraulic squeeze crush with electronic weigh and data download capabilities; automatic drafting gates operated manually or by electronic recognition of weight; six offset crushes for securing animals for such procedures as pregnancy testing; and a hut for basic laboratory procedures. The yards will be opened at 3.30pm on Saturday 28 October on the University’s Wagga Wagga Campus, immediately before the inaugural Charles Sturt Veterinary Foundation Dinner.    

Stage Door is set to cap off a successful year of productions for the University Theatre Ensemble. Opening this Friday 3 November, the play will be the final Riverina Playhouse production for third year Charles Sturt University (CSU) Acting for Screen and Stage students. Set in post-Depression 1930s New York, it is the tale of the show that closes early, of talent unrecognized, and the attraction of motion pictures and fast money. Director Bagryana Popov said it is a play about integrity and true love of the theatre. “Not much has changed from then to today. The world of the actor is as magical as it is fragile. It takes a lot of strength to hold on and to keep going, no matter what.” Stage Door was written by Edna Ferber and George S. Kaufman in 1936. The stage hit, notable for its predominantly female cast, became a hit movie in 1937 featuring a cast that included Katharine Hepburn, Ginger Rogers, Lucille Ball and Eve Arden. It drew much praise and critical acclaim for the sparkling dialogue, excellent performances and easy shifts between comedy and drama. It received Academy Award nominations including one for Best Picture. Bagryana Popov has previously worked with CSU directing The House of Bernarda Alba in 2004. She has worked as an actor, theatre maker and director for 17 years. She was one of the founding members of Hildegard, performing, and co-producing in Woman in the Wall, The Wedding, Al Andalus, Inje and Three Sisters. Stage Door runs until 18 November and tickets can be booked at the Civic Theatre Booking Office, telephone 02 6926 9688, or purchased at the door. Tickets may also be booked online at www.civictheatre.com.au.

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.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) is inviting the private sector to take part in the University’s plans to significantly increase student accommodation on or near its main campuses in Albury-Wodonga, Bathurst, Dubbo, Orange and Wagga Wagga. Later this month, CSU is calling for expressions of interest to finance, plan and build student accommodation next to or near the CSU campuses, with the option to also manage the facility. “We want to provide well-located and competitively priced accommodation for our students that is also commercially sustainable and in keeping with our ecologically sustainable development goals,” said CSU Executive Director of Financial Services Jim Hackett. As part of the University’s expansion of student accommodation, CSU is also developing and financing facilities to house 200 students in self catering accommodation on its Bathurst, Albury and Wagga Wagga sites.

Superlatives flow like fine wine when it comes to the James Halliday Australian Wine Companion: “a must have for any serious lover of Australian wine”, “the No. 1 bestselling guide to wineries and wine in Australia”, “keenly anticipated by winemakers, faithful collectors and wine lovers alike”. In the 2007 edition, it is James Halliday who waxes lyrical about the Charles Sturt University (CSU) Winery, giving it, and its 2005 Orange Chardonnay, the highest rating. Only “outstanding wineries capable of producing wines of the highest calibre” can receive five stars from Halliday, while the 2005 Orange Chardonnay was an “outstanding wine of the highest quality” and “outstanding value”. CSU’s winemaker Andrew Drumm says the Winery is “very pleased to receive this honour, especially from someone like James Halliday. It makes the students feel proud of the time spent in the winery and reinforces our education and research activities.”

Writing for publication is a new addition to the workshops on offer at the Riverina’s premier creative arts school to be held at Charles Sturt University (CSU) early in 2007. Enrolments are now being taken for the Murrumbidgee School of Creative Arts summer school at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus from 14 to 19 January 2007. The writing workshop has been introduced in response to demand and the tutor will be Kerri Lane, an internationally published author of more than 30 books and “ghostwriter” for some of Australia’s top business personalities. She has tutored in writing for 14 years, 12 of those with CSU’s enrichment program. Described as a “week of indulgence”, the summer school will also include workshops in beading, clay, calligraphy, fine art, jewellery, mosaics, photography, sculpture and textiles. The Murrumbidgee School of Creative Arts has doubled in the number of participants and workshops since its inception three years ago and tutors will travel from as far as New Zealand, Queensland and Victoria for the next program. Program Coordinator Linda Tillman said all workshops are aimed at specific skill levels with something for everyone. The Murrumbidgee School of Creative Arts is held on the Wagga Wagga Campus in summer and winter each year. For enquiries or enrolments, contact Linda Tillman on 02 6933 2064 or email commed@csu.edu.au

Second year acting students from Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus will take on Anton Chekhov’s complex, classic play, The Cherry Orchard, in a studio presentation called Vagabonds at the Shrine: fragments of The Cherry Orchard. Dr Ashley Wain, lecturer in the CSU School of Visual and Performing Arts, said the students find Chekhov a challenge “but also a joy. If you can play Chekhov then you can really act - it is fantastic teaching material. Chekhov’s vision of the world is so subtle and precise. Actors have to develop depth and fullness of imagination, compassion and empathy. Working on Chekov helps to refine their artistic sensibilities and to enrich them as people. Chekhov had an incredible influence on the whole birth of modern theatre.” Vagabonds at the Shrine: fragments of The Cherry Orchard in will be presented at Drama Studio One, Performing Arts, Wagga Wagga Campus from Tuesday 14 until Sunday 19 November. Tickets at the door, or call 02 6933 2473.

A senior Charles Sturt University (CSU) social researcher is leading research and discussion into the influence of globalisation on economic development and human security in the Asia-Pacific region. Dr Manohar Pawar, a principal researcher in CSU’s Institute for Land, Water and Society, believes globalisation “is good if it helps erradicate poverty and reduce global inequalities”. In October, Dr Pawar organised a major international conference on the topic in Thailand, in collaboration with Thailand’s Thammasat University and Taisho and Kyushu universities, Japan. “Confronted by extreme poverty, unemployment, illiteracy, disorder and violence and many other social problems, the conference delegates presented positive examples from the region showing that alternative social development approaches must include and allow participation in the planning and implementation of projects by the people affected by them,” Dr Pawar said.