The event celebrates the Charles Sturt University Act, which resulted in the foundation of the university on July 19, 1989. 

Held on the first Wednesday after July 19, the inaugural foundation event was celebrated at CSU campuses across Australia as well as through social media using the #celebratecsu.

Student support officer Nik Granger and his team started the event with help from the marketing department.

He said the idea was to get staff and students, including distance education students, to celebrate the university and the students at each campus determined what activities they wanted to do.

Mr Granger said it was not only about celebrating CSU but its community, including students, staff and alumni, and he hoped in future years more of the alumni, which included several media personalities, would also wear red for the day.

“Hopefully over the years we will see a sea of red throughout the community,” he said.

At the Orange campus the activities included a red-themed morning tea complete with red lollies, as well as a red-themed bar night.

Mr Granger said the Orange campus had changed a lot since 2006, when it still had a large number of agricultural students from its days as an agricultural college, to now, when there was a larger number of medical-based students studying courses such as dentistry, as well as a higher number of international students.

Agricultural business student Mark McLennan dropped by the morning tea.

“I guess it’s a fairly young uni so it’s good that everyone can get together and celebrate the uni for what it is,” he said. 

tanya.marschke@fairfaxmedia.com.au