April 29, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina 
people and programs cited recently in the media:

When Life in Your Own Skin Is Agony
The New York Times
Adam B. Kaufman, 29, describes his skin as a "personal hell" that leaves him in 
unrelenting pain. ... "But this is so much more than just a dermatological issue," said 
Dr. Adam Goldstein, an associate professor at the University of North Carolina 
School of Medicine. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/04/29/health/29SKIN.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Schools get false portrayal by Hollywood
Poughkeepsie Journal (N.Y.) 
Hollywood portrayals of inner-city schools are almost uniformly violent and bleak, 
with even inspirational films giving moviegoers a skewed view of minority students, 
their lives and families, education researchers say. ''They're a cinematic smear of 
entire groups of working-class people,'' said James Trier, an assistant professor 
of education at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill. 
http://www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/today/lifeentertainment/stories/li042903s3.shtml
(Note: This story was originally in USA Today and picked up by Gannett News 
Service.)

National News Note

Marcia Herman-Giddens, adjunct associate professor of maternal and child 
health at the School of Public Health, was quoted in an article in this month's 
issue of "Heart and Soul" magazine. Herman-Giddens discussed childhood obesity. 

Regional Coverage

Some Gen Xers skeptical of organized religion
The Greenville News (S.C.)
Heather Howell believes in God. But the 25-year-old Coffee Underground 
employee from Easley does have a few questions about religion. ... "This genera-
tion of young adults is a very spiritual generation, tends to be very hungry in terms 
of spirituality and tends to find its spirituality in even a greater array of faith
experiences," said Martinson, who has compiled research done by the University 
of Michigan and a national study of Youth and Religion at the University of 
North Carolina with his own group's study. 
http://www.greenvilleonline.com/news/2003/04/25/200304255363.htm

State and Local Coverage

UNC law professor to lead faculty 
Chapel Hill Herald 
Judith Wegner, a UNC law professor and former dean of the law school, has 
been elected to chair the university's faculty. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/archives/URNDetail.cfm?URN=0418972781
(Note: The Chapel Hill Herald requires free registration to access archives.)

Venture fund to focus on ideas from UNC-CH 
News and Observer
A new venture-capital firm is aiming to amass between $20 million and $30 million
to invest in fledgling companies based on technology developed at the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2498524p-2322217c.html

A cigarette tax hike for N.C.'s health (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer
Now is the time to increase the cigarette tax in North Carolina. Why? Because 
the General Assembly is in session and can do it. 
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2498398p-2322211c.html
(Note: Richard Rosen is clinical professor of medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill.)

Trimeris: Fuzeon responses maintained at 48 weeks
Triangle Business Journal 
Durham-based Trimeris Inc. and Roche said Monday that Phase III studies 
of Fuzeon show that responses seen at 24 weeks are maintained at 48 weeks 
among patients receiving Fuzeon in combination with other anti-HIV drugs. ... 
"It is most encouraging to see that Fuzeon, in combination with other anti-HIV 
drugs, continues to provide a response at 48 weeks of treatment in this setting," 
said Dr. Joseph Eron, associate professor of medicine at the University of 
North Carolina, Chapel Hill. 
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2003/04/28/daily4.html

New stents are nothing new at Baptist
Winston-Salem Journal
Doctors around the country began implanting a new type of stent yesterday, one 
that slowly releases a drug to keep arteries from blocking again. ... "There is 
concern among the community of cardiologists that are putting in stents about the 
cost of these new stents at a time when medicine is under a great deal of financial 
pressure," said Dr. Sidney Smith, a professor of medicine at the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/MGB82870ZED.html

Durham movie group stashes $26.1M in cash
Triangle Business Journal
One of the most underrated performances at this year's Full Frame Documentary 
Film Festival may have been that of the Center for Documentary Studies, the 
festival's former foster parent. ... Last month, the Morehead Foundation scaled
back its scholarship awards. Morehead officials linked the drop to poor 
investment returns, as well as inflation rates and increased tuition at the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where its scholars study. 
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2003/04/21/story7.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Colleges Get Mostly Good Marks for Diversity in Sports Hiring
The Chronicle of Higher Education 
A biennial report on racial and gender issues in sports generally praises the 
National Collegiate Athletic Association and its members for their records on 
hiring and participation. The "2003 Racial and Gender Report Card" criticizes 
colleges, however, for their lousy records of hiring African-Americans to coach 
football, given the large number of black men who play the sport. 
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/04/2003042901n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription to access 
articles.)

Senate budget tightens disability 
News and Observer
The $15.1 billion spending plan rolled out by Senate budget writers Monday not 
only proposes more spending and more tax increases than the House plan ... The 
16-campus UNC system was a winner in the Senate plan, getting back more than 
$56 million that the House cut. ... The Senate would reinsert $20.7 million in 
operating money that UNC system President Molly Broad said would help pay 
for utilities in new buildings.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/nc/story/2498562p-2322172c.html

Bush names lawyer, ex-Helms aide to court 
News and Observer
President Bush nominated a Raleigh lawyer and a former aide to U.S. Sen. Jesse
Helms on Monday for seats on the U.S. 4th Circuit Court of Appeals ... Bush 
also nominated Claude Allen, a top official at the U.S. Department of Health and 
Human Services who attended college in North Carolina and served as Helms' 
press secretary during his 1984 re-election campaign.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/nc/story/2498557p-2322151c.html
(Note: Allen will speak during the School of Public Health's commencement 
ceremony next month.)

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, 
please call Cathleen Keyser or Mike McFarland at News Services, 
(919) 962-2091 or news@unc.edu or mike_mcfarland@unc.edu