Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga are being urged to make use of their odd socks for a good cause. Organised by Health Promotion Officer in the Office for Students, the Sock It To Suicide campaign aims to raise awareness of suicide. As part of the campaign, odd socks will be hung on lines erected at two locations at CSU in Wagga Wagga from Friday 19 September to Friday 17 October. Health Promotion Officer Ms Coleen Pearce said suicide is the leading cause of death amongst 15 to 24 year olds. "It's frightening to think that suicide accounts for one in four deaths among young people. The idea of the 'Sock it to Suicide' line is to raise awareness of these high statistics, increase discussion on this topic and possibly help combat this high suicide rate," she said. The lines have been placed on Darnell Smith Drive between car park 1 and car park 2, and on the corner of Valder Way and Pine Gully Road at CSU in Wagga Wagga. Read more about Health Promotion at CSU in CSU News here.

Students from Bathurst and Wagga Wagga will represent Charles Sturt University (CSU) at the Australian University Games for the first time in the sport of sailing. Second year paramedic student Ms Kaela Sparre, originally from Sydney, is leading a team of six women in competition over three days starting Tuesday 30 September at the Georges River Sailing Club in Sydney. "I have sailed all my life and I wanted to go to the Uni Games and other university competitions and get my friends and other Charles Sturt University students involved in the sport," Ms Sparre said. "We are really not sure what to expect because half of our team, the skippers, are experienced while the other half, the crews, are beginners. Personally, I just want to beat my sister's team from the University of Technology, Sydney." The competition will see students sail in small dinghies from the Pacer class provided by the Georges River Sailing Club.

Students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga are being urged to make use of their odd socks for a good cause. Organised by Health Promotion Service in the Office for Students, the Sock It To Suicide campaign aims to raise awareness of suicide.  As part of the campaign, odd socks will be hung on a line near the Gums Cafe from Wednesday 24 September. Health Promotion Officer Ms Coleen Pearce said suicide is the leading cause of deaths amongst 15 to 24 year olds. "It's frightening to think that suicide accounts for one in four deaths among young people," she said." The idea of the 'Sock it to Suicide' line is to raise awareness of these high statistics, increase discussion on this topic and possibly help combat this high suicide rate."

Pharmacy students at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will go out into the local community on Thursday 25 September to promote their future profession. The students from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga will be at the Summit Discount Pharmacy in Wagga Wagga for World Pharmacists Day 2014. The theme for this year's event is 'access to pharmacists is access to health'.  World Pharmacists Day is an initiative of the International Pharmaceutical Federation. "We appreciate the support for our enthusiastic students," said Pharmacist-in-charge at Summit Discount Pharmacy , Ms Pamela Cochrane, who is also a CSU pharmacy graduate. "The pharmacy students and staff will talk to members of the public about the value of pharmacists in the community," Program Leader of Pharmacy at CSU, Mr George John said. "Supervised by a qualified pharmacist, the students will provide Pharmaceutical Society of Australia's Self Care Facts Cards to members of the public." The students will be at Summit Discount Pharmacy at 46 Baylis Street, Wagga Wagga.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) students Mr Timothy Morley-Sattler and Miss Meg Parsons will represent Australia in meat judging competitions in the United States in January. The students, from CSU's School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences in Wagga Wagga, were named in the five-member national Intercollegiate Meat Judging (ICMJ) team after an industry training workshop in Brisbane earlier this month. Mr Morely-Sattler is studying a Bachelor of Animal Science and is looking forward to learning more about the American meat industry. "Taking part in the ICMJ program enables me to gain a better understanding of the practical side of what I am learning in my university studies and greatly improves my knowledge of the industry," he said. The Australian meat judging team will depart in early January for a four-week industry tour of the US where they will compete in three competitions. The annual competition is organised by the ICMJ Association to highlight careers in the meat industry and provide hands on training in carcass evaluation and meat science. Read more about the annual competition held at CSU in July here.

Head of Campus at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga Ms Miriam Dayhew will take her love of rugby to Orange on Friday 19 September. She will attend the inaugural Orange Rugby Business Network (RBN) event from 1.30pm to 3.30pm at the Union Bank Wine Bar in 84 Byng Street. Ms Dayhew will address the event along with Randwick Rugby Club patron Mr Jeff Sayle, OAM and the CSU NSW Country Eagles President Mr David Carter. Ms Dayhew will also attend the top of competition table clash between the CSU NSW Country Eagles and Melbourne Rising in the National Rugby Championship (NRC) from 3pm at Wade Park in Orange. In August, CSU announced a two year partnership with the Country Eagles in the new NRC.

The 15-member University Council of Charles Sturt University (CSU) will meet at the campus in Dubbo on Thursday 18 September. The University Council, which is akin to a board of directors with the Chancellor as chairperson, meets on a CSU campus six times a year. The visit of Council to the campus will also provide an opportunity for staff and students to farewell the Chancellor, Mr Lawrie Willett, AO, before he retires from his 12-year role at the end of 2014. It will also be the last meeting for retiring Deputy Chancellor, Ms Kathryn Pitkin. Mr Willett has presided over a significant era of growth for the University and was instrumental in establishing the School of Animal and Veterinary Sciences, the School of Dentistry and Health Sciences, and in the push to establish a rural medical school at CSU. The University Council will consider matters to refresh the University strategic plan (2011-2015) in light of the recent regulatory reform to NSW universities legislation to cut red tape and the federal government's higher education reform agenda.

An exhibition of history-inspired collaborative art works by Charles Sturt University (CSU) students will be officially opened at the Chifley Home and Education Centre in Bathurst on Saturday 27 September. Dr Donna Mathewson Mitchell, a senior lecturer in the CSU School of Teacher Education in Bathurst, said the Threads of Time exhibition is the result of collaboration between Bathurst Regional Council (BRC) and the CSU Faculty of Education. The exhibition will feature artworks that explore connections with history through the interpretation of objects related to Australia from the 1930s to 1950s and the Chifley Home site. "The artists are all distance education students from around Australia who are studying secondary visual arts teaching at the Faculty of Education," Dr Mathewson Mitchell said. "The exhibition is the culmination of a 10-week project in which they collaboratively created artworks as artists and co-teachers in a practice-based virtual classroom. The approach is an innovation in online teaching and learning at Charles Sturt University, and has been presented at a number of national and international conferences. This is the second year of the project. The first exhibition, titled Distant Connections, was shown in 2013."

It will be a chance to reminisce and see how study has changed over the past 50 years when former students from the Wagga Agricultural College visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga on Friday 19 September. Head of CSU's School of Agriculture and Wine Sciences Professor John Mawson will welcome the class of 1964 before they tour the School, University farm and Winery Cellar Door. Reunion co-organiser Mr Neil Sowerby said most of the 32 graduates went on to successful careers in agriculture. "The broad foundation of practical and theory provided balance for those farming or serving the agricultural industry. Apart from the Diploma we also learnt how to communicate and get along with others, while the beer consumption was a side benefit," he said. "We're looking forward to catching up as many have retained strong friendships developed at the College during those formative years." The Wagga Agricultural College was formed in 1948 at what is now CSU in Wagga Wagga and is one of the preceding institutions to the University.