The pathway for rural and regional students in north east Victoria to pursue higher education will expand with the signing of a new agreement between Charles Sturt University (CSU) and Goulburn Ovens Institute of TAFE (GOTAFE). A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) will be signed by the two institutions in Shepparton on Monday 19 July. Under the new agreement, GOTAFE students completing a diploma or advanced diploma in agriculture; equine stud management or equine performance management; or nursing will receive guaranteed entry and/or credit into related degree programs offered by CSU. In addition the degree program will be delivered at GOTAFE in Wangaratta meaning regional students will be able to further their studies without the need to relocate from the area.

What’s it like to have a sibling with a disability? According to Charles Sturt University (CSU) PhD student Jacqueline Barr, “These children take on a parent-like role, they are jealous of the time their sibling gets from their parents, and they are worried about the child and their parents. I also found that siblings of a child with a speech impairment often act as a protector and interpreter”. But having a sibling with a disability can also make the child “more understanding of other people’s needs and more sympathetic to differences in other people,” she said. As part of her PhD studies, Ms Barr is developing an in-service program for teachers addressing the needs of these siblings. A paper on Jacqueline Barr’s research into the impact of being a sibling of a child with a communication disorder was recently accepted in the US journal Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools.

The Charles Sturt University (CSU) students who formed 18 teams to compete in 10 sports at the recent 2010 Eastern University Games at Coffs Harbour in NSW came fourth overall on points and won the Ann Mitchell Cup for points scored per capita of university enrolments. The CSU team manager, Mr Nik Granger, said, “This is a very good result from a great week of competition where all our students participated in the right spirit. The Charles Sturt University team comprised 180 students from all our campuses, as well as some distance education students. The competition was extremely good, and we had a few teams heading for gold medals. After dominating the pools, our highly-fancied Mixed Touch Football team took the silver medal when, in the final game, they contested a University of Wollongong side that contained a number of national representative players. The Ten Pin Bowlers were the surprise, finishing the competition with a silver medal, as did one of the Lawn Bowls teams. We can be very proud of this effort.”

The Flinders Ranges in South Australia beckon Mr Joey Hull, Indigenous Student Support Officer at the Wammara Indigenous Student Services Unit at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst, when he retires on Friday 30 July. For the last four and a half years Mr Hull has recruited Indigenous students from across regional NSW to CSU courses, and has seen positive growth in both interest and applications. “I look forward to heading home to my mother’s country in the Flinders Ranges, but I leave Charles Sturt University confident that this extremely important role, and the University’s mission to increase the number of Indigenous students and graduates, will continue,” Mr Hull said. “When I started we had about 35 students who were offered courses through the Koori Admissions Program (KAP), but in 2009, as a result of the KAP, we had a big increase in enquiries which translated into 53 student enrolments in a range of courses in 2010. Many of the enquiries were for the policing course, which enrolled 10 Indigenous students this year, and the rest were spread across areas such as teaching, psychology, mental health, natural resources and social work.”

A Charles Sturt University (CSU) academic wants Australians to become more involved in the formulation of public policy, saying this could make the world a better and more peaceful place. Associate Professor Leonora Ritter, Head of the School of Social Sciences and Liberal Studies said that, “the biggest difference we could make would be to increase the amount of love and security and decrease the amount of fear and anxiety in the world. And we can do that at a micro level. If you smile at the girl at the supermarket, she might not hit her child when she gets home that night, and her girl might not grow up to be racist or violent. You have got to start somewhere. Human beings have enormous frailty because they are susceptible to anxiety, fear, anger and aggression”. At the broader level, Dr Ritter said she would, “try to engage people more in the political process so they can change the world for the better. It is not about left versus right. It is about promoting human values such as kindness and charity.” Dr Ritter will speak on Putting the “i” into public policy tomorrow, Wednesday 23 May at the next All Saints’ Cathedral Forum in Bathurst.

Photographers from around Australia will display their work at the 23rd Western District National Photographic Exhibition which opens at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Dubbo on Friday 16 July. The Head of Campus at CSU in Dubbo, Dr Beverley Moriarty, said, “Charles Sturt University is delighted to host this Australian Photographic Society approved national exhibition. It is one of 17 approved national exhibitions held around Australia each year. These exhibitions are open to all photographers in Australia who choose to compete to be exhibited. Photographs in each category are assessed by three from a panel of six judges, and the selected images are exhibited. This year there are 100 images from most states in Australia, in several categories; Monochrome Open, Colour Open, Nature, People, Creative, and Photojournalism. Some local photographers with works on display include David Slack-Smith, Geoff Wheeler, and Brian and Lorna White.”

Two Charles Sturt University (CSU) teams have been recognised for innovative workplace safety initiatives. The Wagga Mutual Credit Union Safety Awareness Award programme supports safety conscious community members to promote safety awareness. The CSU School of Biomedical Sciences team worked with the Division of Facilities Management to investigate and minimise exposure to airborne microbes causing mould in the building. CSU Facilities Management installed timers and ceiling vents to prevent moist air stagnating and causing respiratory problems. The CSU Division of Facilities Management team sought approval for a replacement truck which incorporated a hydraulic lifting platform. The number of daily manual handling lifting operations were dramatically reduced and this will also reduce the incidence of manual handling injuries and enable safer movement of materials around the Wagga Wagga Campus. Both teams won cash prizes of $150.

The retiring NSW Director of Public Prosecutions, Mr Nicholas Cowdery, will deliver a public lecture at Charles Sturt University (CSU) in Bathurst on Tuesday 3 August. Ms Kath McFarlane, lecturer in justice studies at the CSU School of Humanities and Social Sciences in Bathurst, said, “We are delighted that the Charles Sturt University Occasional Lecture series will host Mr Cowdery to speak about Human Rights and Law and Order Politics. Mr Cowdery has had a distinguished legal career and his perspectives are often controversial. This timely free public lecture will be of interest to University staff, students and members of the Bathurst community alike.” The free public lecture will be delivered on Tuesday 3 August from 5pm to 6.30pm in the main lecture theatre (Room 2.23) in building S15 at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst. Light refreshments will be available after the lecture.

Working with rice farmers in India to save water, learning from the nomadic sheep herders on Mongolia’s endless Steppes, and travelling through the fertile Mekong Delta in southern Vietnam are the recent experiences of agricultural students at Charles Sturt University (CSU). Three student groups involving about 40 students from the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences at CSU in Orange and Wagga Wagga spent up to two weeks in June and July on separate study tours in China, India and Vietnam. “Agriculture in 2010 is a global business,” Head of the School of Agricultural and Wine Sciences Associate Professor John Kent said. “Therefore it is very important that Charles Sturt University students have an international perspective when they graduate and pursue their careers in the rural sector.” Leading the study tour of 18 students to Vietnam was lecturer Dr Jason Condon. “It’s good for the students to be taken out of their comfort zones to experience and observe how different agriculture and life can be in other countries,” Dr Condon said. On the trip to Vietnam, final year agricultural science student Mr Dwayne Schubert said, “The trip really opened up my eyes to see how developing countries approach agriculture. They use agriculture to support their community’s survival whereas at home, we are more concerned about commodities and profit.”