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.

The 42 volunteer members of the new Charles Sturt University (CSU) Staff / Student Choir from the Bathurst Campus has won the open choral section of the 61st Bathurst Regional Eisteddfod held last Friday 27 October. CSU choir master Dr Christopher Klopper was delighted by the choir’s performance, especially since it was formed only six months ago and has had only limited rehearsal opportunities. Dr Klopper said “this is just the start for us and we can only build from strength to strength. I’m so proud of the commitment everyone made”. The choir performed two distinctly different pieces, as required by the eisteddfod rules, within a ten minute time limit. The first piece was an “Irish Blessing” accompanied by flautist Stephanie Nicholls, followed by the jazzier ‘Fever’, accompanied on piano by Denise Wood. Dr Klopper is a music lecturer in the University’s School of Teacher Education. He comes from South Africa and began at CSU in February 2006.

It’s Spring and the annual SPRUNG Festival of creative performances will be staged by third-year theatre/media students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst. A special preview was held at the University’s Truskett Learning Commons on Monday 17 September. The full season commences on Friday 21 September and runs until Sunday 30 at various venues at CSU in Bathurst. The Festival’s Mr Cameron Moor, said, “The SPRUNG Festival program is a showcase for final-year students completing the Bachelor of Communication (Theatre/Media) at the CSU School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst. It presents 30 performances in 12 shows over nine nights at three venues. These creative works are for adults and young people, and cover a range of genres include film, performance, theatre and music. The festival aims to engage and entertain the University and Bathurst communities by demonstrating a range of innovative performances. There’s something for everyone, so come along.” More information on ticketing and venues can be found here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a gathering in Port Macquarie on Thursday 11 October for its graduates who now reside in the city and on the Mid-North Coast. Ms Michelle Fawkes, Manager, Alumni and Philanthropy, in CSU’s Office of Corporate Affairs, said, “The cocktail-style event aims to encourage Charles Sturt University’s many alumni who live in the region to reconnect. The Chancellor of Charles Sturt University, Mr Lawrie Willett, AO, and the Deputy Chancellor, Ms Kathryn Pitkin, will attend the event. Guest speaker for the evening is Ms Kylie Little, co-owner of The Little Brewing Company and a CSU graduate. Ms Little and her husband, Warwick, who is also a CSU graduate, will offer tastings of their product range at the event. Another graduate, Mr Cameron Marshall, ABC Radio Mid-North Coast Regional Program Manager and Breakfast presenter, will offer a toast to the University.” The Alumni gathering will be from 6pm to 8pm on Thursday 11 October at 27 Grant Street, CSU in Port Macquarie. Send your RSVP here.

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.

The annual presentation of awards for sports and social groups at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst will be held at the Blues Ball at the CSU Rafters Bar on Tuesday 2 October. Student support officer Ms Jean Ryan, said, “It has been a very successful year for our sporting teams as well as many individual athletes. This year our social, cultural and faculty-based clubs will also be recognised. The guest speaker will be former Olympic swimmer Mr Michael Klim, and the Blues Ball will be attended by the Vice-Chancellor and President of CSU Professor Andrew Vann, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Administration), Professor Ken Dillon, and the Head of Campus in Bathurst, Mr Col Sharp.”

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.”

From strategies to prevent bullying and messages about body image, to Aboriginal education and equality in the classroom, a conference at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Ontario will tackle some of the many issues facing teachers. The Equity and Social Justice conference on Friday 28 September is an annual event hosted by the CSU School of Education in Ontario with talks by CSU academics, teachers and community leaders. It’s designed to give students undertaking a Bachelor of Primary Education Studies (BPES) and Bachelor of Early Childhood Studies a greater understanding of some of the issues they’re likely to face in the workforce. BPES course coordinator, Ms Paige Bennett, said, “Students will have opportunities to hear about issues that will affect their daily contact with children and help to expand their knowledge of equity and social justice in relation to schools and early child care settings.” The conference will also include presentations on the rights of the child, the needs of an English language learner, and child protection and welfare.

The Faculty of Business at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst is hosting a five-week visit by six scholars from its partner institutions in Kunming, Tianjin, and Changchun in China. Faculty of Business spokesperson, Professor John Hicks, said the scholars are in Australia as part of an Australian Leadership Awards Fellowship Program funded by AusAID for a research project titled ‘Achieving balanced growth in domestic and external markets in China’. “The project aims to promote joint research between Charles Sturt University and its partner institutions in China on issues related to regional business and economics,” Professor Hicks said. “The scholars arrived in early September and are spending the first four weeks in Bathurst where they are involved in joint research using input-output modelling and other related techniques to derive policy outcomes. Several joint research papers are being prepared which will add to the series of publications generated by previous AusAID Fellowships in 2010 and 2011.” The current research findings were presented at a Faculty of Business in-house seminar on Thursday 20 September in Bathurst. The Chinese scholars will visit CSU in Wagga Wagga and Albury-Wodonga in the first week of October to make similar presentations.