A workshop focusing on the darker side of the Asian tourism industry will be hosted next Monday 12 February by Charles Sturt University (CSU). The "Prevention of Child Sex Tourism" workshop will aim to improve Australia’s response to the problem of child sex tourism in the Asia-Pacific region. Speakers from the Australian Federal Police, the Federal Government development agency AusAID and non-government organisation Childwise  as well as CSU will address the public forum. CSU lecturer and workshop organiser Sallie Yea says "Australia is prominent as a source of sex tourists in Asia. Last year for example, I interviewed 30 female minors in Cebu, the Philippines and all but two claimed to have had to service Australian clients. We hope the workshop will help address the human rights violations of the children sexually exploited in these situations." The workshop will run for the public from 9.30am to 2.30pm in the Boardroom, Gordon Beavan Building on the CSU Albury-Wodonga Campus at Thurgoona.

An innovative experimental winery is set to enhance Australia’s reputation for producing a quality product from the fruit of the vine. The new winery, to be launched on Tuesday 30 January, will be built next to the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre on Charles Sturt University’s (CSU) Wagga Wagga Campus, the result of a partnership between CSU, NSW Wine Industry Association and NSW Department of Primary Industries. Director of the National Wine and Grape Industry Centre, CSU’s Professor Geoff Scollary says “This year 120 different wines will be produced at the CSU Winery. The expansion will allow production to increase to 150 for the 2008 vintage and provide grape growers and wine producers with strong scientific and practical information to ensure the Australian wine industry remains sustainable and profitable”. Professor Scollary believes the expansion “will further establish CSU as one of the nation’s leading wine extension and research centres”.

As part of its commitment to sustainable development, Charles Sturt University has won Federal Government funding to further increase water efficiency. “Grey water”, or water from hand basins, showers and kitchens, is already treated in experimental treatment beds on the Thurgoona site. With further building to start on Thurgoona in 2007, the current treatment system will be expanded and modified using experience gained over the past five years. Over $45 000 will be provided for the project, which includes developing a detailed construction and maintenance manual so communities throughout regional Australia could develop similar systems. “The safe treatment of ‘grey water’ is very important for communities that do not have access to a conventional sewerage system, which saves energy used for pumps,” said project coordinator Ian Hume. The project also includes the installation of meters to measure water flows and sampling points for more efficient water testing. “The development is part of the University’s dedication to managing water effectively and responsibly as well as its research into alternative low impact technology,” CSU water expert Professor Mitchell said.

Ian Parmenter, celebrity chef on ABC TV’s Consuming Passions, will lend his considerable culinary expertise to fighting childhood obesity when Charles Sturt University (CSU) and NSW TAFE Riverina Institute host a Lunchbox Spectacular on Monday 13 November. The evening event will focus on providing healthy, nutritious and fun food for school children, and is aimed at classroom teachers, nutritionists, parents and anyone interested in healthy food for kids. Other speakers include CSU’s lecturer in dietetics Gabrielle O’Kane and Head of the University’s Murray School of Education, Dr Louise Hard. The event will start at 4pm at the Rivers Restaurant on the Albury Campus, Riverina Institute of TAFE, Poole St, Albury, and will be followed by CSU wines and healthy snacks. The event is sponsored by Qantas Airways and Hume Building Society.

In recognition of the urgent need for more nurses to service health care in regional Australia, the next group of newly enrolled nursing students will commence their three-year course this week at Charles Sturt University (CSU). “We start this course in the middle of the year to attract people with a range of backgrounds and life experiences, school leavers as well as older students,” said nursing course coordinator Linda Goddard. Around 40 students aged between 18 to 55 years and from as far as India, Bundoora in Melbourne and Euroa in regional Victoria will commence their studies with an official welcome and orientation day this Friday 21 July. The all day event at the University’s Albury City site includes meetings with academic staff, enrolment and course advice and skills sessions in academic writing, library services and computing. CSU’s spring academic semester commences next Monday 24 July.

Charles Sturt University’s (CSU’s) emphasis on professional experience as an integral part of CSU courses is being put into practice in the University’s Careers Service – with practical success. This year for the first time, CSU’s Careers Service offered two paid, internships for final-year students to give them valuable work experience opportunities. Final-year Bachelor of Commerce student, Casandra Barnes, of Cumnock, NSW, has just completed her six-month internship as a marketing assistant in the CSU Careers Service and begins her first career job with Liverpool Plains Shire Council based in Quirindi this week. “The hands-on experience working at the Careers Service was fantastic and taught me so much about what’s involved in a professional job,” Casandra said. “I’m sure it made the difference when I applied for my first professional position.” During her internship Casandra was responsible for marketing the Careers Service to first-year students; coordinating and promoting careers events; running online student forums and producing an online careers newsletter. Casandra, 23, starts her new job as a Community Economic Development Officer with the Liverpool Plains Shire Council in Quirindi this week. She will complete her final two subjects towards her degree by distance education. Paul Worsfold, Senior Career Development Officer with the Careers Service said practicum experience was a high priority for CSU as it strives to be a national leader in producing ‘job ready’ graduates. “The Careers Service understands the importance of professional experience which is why it promotes vacation work opportunities to students. We are also seeking to involve students who want complementary work experiences and career development activities outside of formal teaching requirements,” Mr Worsfold said.

While the best of the world’s soccer teams were battling it out in Germany, Bathurst Campus Charles Sturt University (CSU) students were covering themselves in glory at the University Games in Coffs Harbour by winning gold in Men’s and Women’s Hockey and bringing home the prestigious Spirit of the Games Award. Sports Administrator Jean Ryan said several students were selected in the Green & Gold Merit teams, which are chosen by the umpires and convenors, but the highlight was winning Spirit of the Games. “That made my week. It means CSU’s Bathurst team were the best behaved, most respectful and most supportive of their fellow team members.” Renee Aberley, a Bachelor of Human Movement/Bachelor of Teaching (Secondary) student, was the goal keeper in the Women’s Hockey team, saving five out of nine penalty goal attempts in the combined finals. Sam Poole of the Men’s Hockey team is studying Bachelor of Human Movement/Bachelor of Business Studies. He is equally as pleased with his team’s performance, saying their biggest threats came from the Universities of Sydney and Newcastle. He says he’ll begin fundraising efforts soon to help offset the cost of taking the winning teams to the national competition in Adelaide in September.

The lack of doctors and dentists in rural areas has often overshadowed the fact that regional hospitals also desperately need Registered Nurses. To help overcome this shortage, Charles Sturt University (CSU) and the Greater Southern and Western Area Health Services have collaborated in creating workshops and outreach programs aimed at encouraging and supporting Enrolled Nurses to upgrade their skills through study to become registered nurses. Lecturer in the School of Nursing and Health Science at CSU, Heather Latham who has been involved in the workshops since they began in Dubbo in 2003, says enrolled nurses who attend the workshops come away with a greater understanding of what will be required of them to succeed at university. “Some are unsure, others are unrealistically confident and others have been out of school for a long time and need assistance to develop their literacy skills.”  Enrolled nurses who have been chosen to participate in the program by the Area Health Service do not have to travel to residential schools at Bathurst CSU because Ms Latham and her colleagues take the residential schools to them. Some of the first attendees at the workshops are now almost ready to graduate. “We are confident they will go back to their local community and get jobs. It is work we feel passionate about because we see the importance of supporting people in rural and regional areas who are educationally disadvantaged,” Ms Latham said.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) last week farewelled its inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture, Professor Jim Pratley who was also CSU’s longest serving Dean. Professor Pratley began his career as a lecturer in Plant Science at the then Wagga Wagga Agricultural College in 1972 and later became lecturer in Agronomy at the former Riverina Murray Institute of Higher Education in 1976. He was appointed CSU’s inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Science and Agriculture in 1990 and achieved a series of milestones for the University including the introduction of Australia’s first regional Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree.  In recognition of Professor Pratley’s outstanding service to CSU and his commitment to agricultural research, he has been awarded the title Emeritus Professor, only the fifth such appointment in CSU’s history. Professor Pratley will continue his association with CSU as a part-time Professor of Agriculture, a role that will see him building links with key international agricultural universities. CSU has already established links with South China Agricultural University as well as universities in Pakistan and Malaysia and the International Rice Research Institute in the Philippines. Professor Pratley’s secretary, May Crawford who joined the staff of Wagga Agricultural College in 1976, will continue to work with Professor Pratley in his new ‘home’ in the Farrer building at CSU’s Wagga Wagga Campus. As the past vice president of the International Allelopathy Society, Professor Pratley plans to continue his research into natural herbicides and weed management.