Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Albury-Wodonga is hosting the 7th Asia Pacific Conference on Educational Integrity (7APCEI) from Monday 16 to Wednesday 18 November, in collaboration with La Trobe University, Wodonga.Conference co-convenor and senior lecturer in the CSU School of Psychology Dr Judith Gullifer (pictured) said the conference theme and focus is 'Crossing the borders: new frontiers for academic integrity'."Universities are alert to the potential for cheating by contemporary students following recent publicity about students paying online services to provide university assignments," Dr Gullifer said."Academic integrity is vitally important, and policies and practices are under increasing pressure to keep up with new technologies. There has been an explosion of opportunists working in the online cheating industry, while at the same time there are shifts in understanding in today's society about plagiarism, copying, and appropriation."The broader educational integrity of universities is itself being scrutinized. This has been particularly highlighted in recent reports regarding the recruitment of international students and the exploitation of sessional teaching staff."For more information please go to www.7apcei.com or enquire to contact@7apcei.com

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host the annual regional Small School's Gala Sports Day in Bathurst on Friday 13 November.The Small School's Gala Sports Day is an independent initiative of small primary schools in the NSW central west which is supported by CSU to provide the opportunity for students to meet and compete in a range of sporting activities.Head of Campus at CSU in Bathurst Professor Jo-Anne Reid will welcome approximately 180 students from regional primary schools in Perthville, Sofala, Wattle Flat, O'Connell, Meadow Flat, Burraga, Black Springs, Hampton, and Rockley."It is great to have the students from the wider Bathurst regional community come to the campus and use the University's fantastic facilities," Professor Reid said. "This is always such a fun day and a fun way to bring all these students together for a day of friendly competition. They also gain a sense of what it means to have a great University in their home region."CSU will provide a range of facilities as host of the Gala Sports Day. Students will use a lecture theatre for assembly, three sporting fields, netball and tennis courts. The Community-University Partnerships' (CUP) 'Healthy, Active, Sporting Regions program' is funding a barbeque lunch, and all children will be given a reusable CSU water bottle to keep. Professor Reid will welcome the students and their teachers to the campus at the assembly in room 223, building 1292, at CSU in Bathurst at 10am Friday 13 November.

The views of over 400 primary school students on sustainability and social justice will come together at Charles Sturt University (CSU) on Friday 13 November.The students and their teachers will gather from seven primary schools in Albury Wodonga to put the finishing touches to their Youth Action Statement for a Sustainable Future, whichthey will present to local community and CSU dignitaries on Saturday 14 November at the Flourish festival to be held at CSU in Albury-Wodonga.The statement showcases the students' concerns and answers for current environmental and sustainability problems. Community members can also show their support by signing the Statement during the festival."The Statement contains the ideas of local primary school students about 16 leading sustainability problems and solutions which the students discussed and voted on during their visits to Charles Sturt University," said team leader of the Learning Communities project, Dr John Rafferty.Learning Communities team members have also worked with the students and their teachers to produce artworks and displays regarding various sustainability issues, from community gardens to the 'tiny house' movement. These will also be on show to their families, friends and the wider community during the Flourish festival.Flourish culminates the year-long Learning Communities project run by CSU's Institute for Land, Water and Society, and is also the final event of the 2015 Albury Wodonga Sustainable Living Week."During the free fun of Flourish, we will present music for all tastes and have guest appearances from the Sea Shepherd, the Australian Youth Climate Coalition, Animals Australia, Earthworker from Melbourne and Edgar's Mission from Lancefield, as well as local sustainability champions," Learning Communities team member, Dr Helen Masterman-Smith said. "There will be lots of opportunities to celebrate how some of the region's best students are contributing to a sustainable community in Albury-Wodonga."More information on Flourish is available here including the full program and list of partners and guests. Go to Facebook for the latest news on Flourish.

Twenty-one years of gerontology education for health care practitioners at Charles Sturt University (CSU) will be celebrated when the Australian Association of Gerontology (AAG) launches its Albury-Wodonga chapter next week.The free event at La Trobe University in Wodonga on Wednesday 11 November will feature presentations from a leading international researcher and showcase local initiatives. Local people interested in ageing are invited to attend.CSU and La Trobe University are partnering the AAG for the launch of the rural chapter and invite new members.AAG is Australia's national body promoting research and education in ageing. It links professionals working across the multidisciplinary fields of ageing and connects them with each other and with members of the community to help them collaborate and exchange information on ageing.Lecturer in gerontology at CSU's School of Humanities and Social Sciences Ms Robin Harvey said, "We invite everybody involved in aged care locally, and those interested in ageing research, to come along, bring their experience and join the conversation about building age-friendly rural communities in the Border region and around the world."Professor Mark Skinner, founding Director of the Trent Centre for Ageing and Society at Trent University in Canada, will deliver the keynote address titled 'Voluntarism and age-friendly rural communities'.Professor Skinner's research focuses on the importance of volunteers in building age-friendly communities. He will report on research undertaken in Canada, Ireland and locally in north-east Victoria in conjunction with researchers from the John Richards Initiative (JRI) at La Trobe University.Chair of Rural Aged Care Research at JRI Professor Jeni Warburton said, "This event is a great opportunity to showcase research conducted locally, and to reflect on the similarities and differences between other countries and rural north-east Victoria."

The International Fellowship of Motorcycling Rotarians (IFMR) 2015 Big Ride fundraising tour group will visit Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Friday 6 November.Manager of Student Initiatives in CSU Residence Life, Ms Joanne McRae, a Rotarian and fair-weather motorcyclist, said, "Charles Sturt University will host a luncheon visit because our final-year dentistry students complete a clinical placement with the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) in Dubbo."We are well aware of the amazing remote area health services offered by the RFDS across Australia and the valuable learning experience it provides to our students."This is the mid-point of a 2 800 kilometre fundraising ride through NSW from Cobar to Griffith the long way around via Bathurst for the group of more than 30 motorcyclists. They will spend a full day in Bathurst and have lunch at Rafters Bar on campus before riding around Mount Panorama. Staff from the CSU Dental and Oral Health Clinics, from Residence Life and the Cheers team will attend the lunch, as well as local Rotarians from across the district."All CSU staff and students are welcome to attend the lunch. Local motorcyclists are welcome to join the group for lunch and the ride around Mount Panorama. Donations to the 2015 Big Ride fundraiser are welcome, and can be made on the day or online. For more information about the ride, go to: http://ifmraustralia.org/

A PhD student at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Wagga Wagga has taken out a national higher education photography award.Mr Syed Haris Omar, won the student category of an annual photography competition run by the Australasian Campuses Towards Sustainability (ACTS). It is a non-profit member based organisation representing higher and further education institutions within Australia and New Zealand. Mr Haris, from the School of Biomedical Sciences at CSU in Wagga Wagga, took the photo at Manchester in the United Kingdom.Mr Haris said, "I love capturing the beautiful shots in my lenses. Natural landscapes, wild-life and beautiful fauna and flora of Australia further accelerated my passion."With the theme of Elemental Sustainability, the photography competition was held in conjunction with the 15th International ACTS Conference in Geelong last month.Mr Haris is an international student doing his PhD into the potential benefits of olive fruit and leaf compounds into the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's disease. Read more in CSU News here.

Charles Sturt University (CSU) will host a chess challenge for school students in Albury-Wodonga on Wednesday 4 November.Up to 100 primary and secondary school students from around the region are expected to attend the inaugural CSU Albury-Wodonga Schools Chess Challenge from 9am to 2pm. Two perpetual trophies will be presented to the winning students by Director of the CSU Division of Student Administration Mr Matthew Evans. CSU is also sponsoring the cost of the entry fee for students as part of the Head of Campus small grants program."Charles Sturt University recognises that chess teaches students to apply knowledge and solve problems in a dynamic way and we believe that these students will be the ones that engage with universities and solve our regional challenges in the future," Mr Evans said.The Challenge is being facilitated by Tim Broome, Events Manager, Chess Kids.

Community, art, sport, music, video, education and the environment will all be celebrated at Flourish, the festival for sustainable communities, on Saturday 14 November.Flourish is the culmination of the year-long Learning Communities project run by Charles Sturt University's (CSU) Institute for Land, Water and Society. It is also the final event of Albury Wodonga Sustainability Week 2015.Learning Communities team members have worked throughout 2015 with nearly 1 000 high and primary school students from around Albury-Wodonga and North East Victoria to produce videos, art, displays and community activities that showcase the students' concerns and answers for current environmental and sustainability problems.Project leader Dr John Rafferty said the festival showcases fabulous ideas that highlight the value of higher education in helping create sustainable communities."A feature event at Flourish will be the public presentation of a Youth Action Statement for a Sustainable Future to local community dignitaries by representative students from local primary schools. Community members can also show their support by signing the Statement during the festival."The Statement contains the ideas of local primary school students about 16 leading sustainability problems and solutions which the students discussed and voted on during their visits to CSU," Dr Rafferty said.The statement was developed using democratic and consensus principles learnt during earlier visits to CSU in Albury-Wodonga by Years 5 and 6 students from eight primary schools located in Albury- Wodonga and surrounding districts.The students are also preparing displays and activities on aspects of sustainable communities that reflect their future career options, which will be presented to their families and the wider community during Flourish. More information on Flourish here. Go to Facebook https://www.facebook.com/flourishfestival/ for the latest news on Flourish.

As Bathurst concludes its 2015 bicentennial celebrations a local historian has reflected on the contribution made by Charles Sturt University (CSU) and previous higher education institutions."It is sometimes overlooked that Charles Sturt University and its predecessor institutions have been a beneficial presence in Bathurst for more than half of the city's 200 years," Dr Robin McLachlan (pictured), adjunct senior lecturer in history at the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences, said. "These institutions' contribution to education, research, employment and cultural life in regional Australia has been significant and is ongoing."Dr McLachlan noted that CSU has been very involved in various ways throughout 2015 to support the Bathurst Bicentenary, an event of both local and national significance. "This support has been as an official sponsor for some initiatives, as with From Flag Staff to Town Square – A Guide to the Government Settlement Heritage Trail, and the current Town Square Exhibition," Dr McLachlan said. "In other cases the involvement has been through the significant contributions by people such as adjunct Associate Professor David Goldney with the Cox's Road Dreaming project."Concluding the bicentenary, the University will host a regional biodiversity conference on Saturday 10 and Sunday 11 November, and the Town Square Exhibition at the Australian Fossil and Mineral Museum in Howick Street, Bathurst, seeks community members' input to help guide future development of the historic precinct. The Town Square Exhibition closes on Friday 30 November.