It was a true a celebration for one Wagga Wagga family during the graduation season at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Mrs Susan Moi was awarded a Bachelor of Social Science (Social Welfare) on Thursday 31 March. During the same ceremony, her daughter, Ms Yangi Moi, was awarded a Bachelor of Social Work with Honours Class 2 Division 1. In addition, Ms Moi received the Lila Kirilik Social Action Memorial Award for 2010.  The annual prize was awarded by the School of Humanities and Social Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga to Ms Moi for demonstrating social justice in her workplace learning at Centrelink in 2010. During her placement with the agency, Ms Moi researched a framework for providing support during emergencies in rural Australia, such as bushfires, droughts or farm accidents. A Centrelink working party is now examining how to implement the framework. Ms Moi is a youth liaison worker at one of Wagga Wagga’s welfare agencies. “I enjoy working with young people and have a passion for helping people,” said Ms Moi. As her four children got older, Mrs Moi began her studies at the TAFE NSW Riverina Institute before completing her degree at CSU last year. She is now a domestic violence worker in Wagga Wagga.

The MyDay event at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Thursday 7 April will provide information and insights for about 30 senior students from 10 high schools in the region about exercise science, and health and physical education courses. CSU Prospective Student Adviser, Ms Fran Dwyer, said, “This MyDay will provide general information and interactive sessions with academics from the School of Human Movement Studies  at Charles Sturt University. These disciplines prepare students for a dynamic range of career options with high employment, and the students will be shown the range of state-of-the-art equipment and laboratories on the campus.”

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) academics have volunteered to spend time behind bars to raise awareness and funds for the ‘Time 4 Kids’ program organised by the Police Citizens Youth Club (PCYC). Justice studies lecturer Dr Diane Solomon-Westerhuis and Mr David Bull, both from the School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst, are seeking donations for their ‘bail’ when they temporarily spend a few hours in a specially fabricated ‘cell’ on the shopping concourse at the Bathurst City Centre at 3pm on Thursday 7 April. “The PCYC Time 4 Kids fundraiser and similar programs offer young people opportunities they may not otherwise experience that can be significant turning points in their lives. I congratulate the PCYC volunteers and staff for their hard work to promote Time 4 Kids, so I ask people to donate generously - and get me out on ‘bail’!” Dr Solomon-Westerhuis said.

Thirty five senior high school students from the central west will attend an intensive week-long program facilitated by the Charles Sturt University (CSU) School of Communication and Creative Industries in Bathurst to inform and motivate them to pursue a career in the arts. Associate Head of the School, Dr Peter Simmons, said, “Charles Sturt University has a proud tradition of educating work-ready professionals for a range communication and creative industries such as theatre, journalism, television production, and public relations. ‘A Start in the Arts’ is a very positive way to promote our courses to students in the region who are keen to pursue a career in the arts and creative industries. For students this is a hands-on opportunity in advertising, journalism, scriptwriting, radio and video production, under the guidance of experienced lecturers. ” Working with the Australian charity A Start in Life, the program aims to give the students insights and experience to inform their study and career choices.

A two-day residential forum at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Wednesday 13 and Thursday 14 April will hear from Australian and international practice-based education experts led by CSU’s Professor Joy Higgs and Professor Stephen Kemmis. The forum is the second part of the 2011 Practice-Based Education Summit, and follows a one-day session at Sydney Olympic Park last week. Professor Joy Higgs, the Director of CSU’s Education for Practice Institute, said, “Higher education in general, and Charles Sturt University in particular, places a high priority on preparing graduates for work and life. The Summit will enable practice-based education experts to illustrate challenges to the field, and contribute to its advancement by sharing good practice models and examples.” Visiting experts include Associate Professor Laurie Grealish (Canberra University), Ms Carol-Joy Patrick (Griffith University) and Adjunct Associate Professor Jan Orrell (Flinders University).

The nationally recognised Science in the Bush program coordinated by the Australian Museum will be hosted by Charles Sturt University (CSU) this week in Albury. During the two-day event, CSU staff will run three hands-on workshops on such topics as wetland bugs, funky feet and Darwin’s worms. “Science in the Bush recognises that in Australia we must do more to interest kids in science”, CSU's Dean of Science, Professor Nick Klomp said. “We want them to feel the excitement of science and discovery so we can produce our fair share of scientists in inland Australia.” High school students from the Border will attend the event at the University's Thurgoona site, starting at 9.30am on Tuesday 5 April, while primary school students will visit CSU on Wednesday 6 April.

Students at Charles Sturt University in Albury-Wodonga will meld care for the environment with music when they stage the ‘Un-Earthed Hour’ event on the Albury-Wodonga Campus on Tuesday 29 March. CSU registered to take part in Earth Hour on Saturday 26 March and encouraged students and staff to support this initiative by turning off all non-essential lights and equipment when they headed home on Friday. To also celebrate Earth Hour, the CSU Division of Student Services and CSU Green supported a number of events around its campuses, and at CSU in Albury/Thurgoona there will be live acoustic music (‘Un-Earthed Hour’) and pizza on the oval between residences from 7.30pm on Tuesday 29th March. The University is attempting to measure its energy savings achieved during Earth Hour this year.

A leading international psychology and law expert is visiting Australia at the invitation of Charles Sturt University (CSU) and will present several seminars and workshops for policing and psychology students and practitioners. Professor Siegfried L Sporer, social psychologist from the University of Giessen in Germany, is the guest of CSU’s Australian Graduate School of Policing in Manly, and the School of Psychology in Bathurst. Professor Jane Goodman-Delahunty, Justice and Psychology researcher at CSU, said, “Professor Sporer will visit Charles Sturt University in Bathurst on Wednesday 30 March to present a four-hour workshop about meta-analysis for staff and students.  Head of the CSU School of Psychology, Associate Professor of Clinical Psychology Michael Kiernan, will host this forum. On Thursday 31 March, Professor Sporer will present a colloquium hosted by the School of Psychology at CSU in Bathurst. The topic is ‘New Insights from recent meta-analyses on detecting deception: Why are people so bad at it, and how to make them better’.”

An exhibition of contemporary Australian prints will be featured at Joyes Hall at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga during graduation week. The fair & square print exchange portfolio has been compiled by Melbourne artist Ms Rona Green and features prints from 44 artists. Ms Green asked other artists to create a new work and she’s given them to the CSU Art Collection through the Australian Government’s Cultural Gifts Program. CSU Art Curator, Thomas A. Middlemost, says it’s a snapshot of Australian printmaking. “The exhibition includes portraits, landscapes and abstract art,” he said. “The portfolio will give greater contemporary depth to the extensive body of printmaking in the CSU Art Collection.”  The CSU Art Collection is comprised of twentieth century Australian works used for research and teaching. The fair & square exhibition opening will be held at Joyes Hall CSU in Wagga Friday 1 April at 6pm. It will be on display to the public during graduation from Wednesday 30 March to Friday 1 April and throughout April by appointment with the CSU Art Curator on 02 6925 3666.