August 20, 2003

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

National News Coverage

Brakes on the scale
USA Today
Some of the nation's top researchers, alarmed about the rise in
childhood obesity, are calling for Americans to demand a complete
overhaul of the way unhealthy foods and drinks are marketed to
kids....Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North
Carolina-Chapel Hill, agrees. Food companies "have done an enormous
amount to create an environment dominated by their products
everywhere you turn."

State and Local Coverage

UNC offers reasonable deal (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
Let's see if we've got this straight.
Five years ago, UNC made an agreement with the town of Chapel Hill
to improve Columbia Street with bikepaths and sidewalks. Last year,
UNC scotched the deal and called for a four-lane road instead.
(Note: A positive editorial, "Council should OK parking decks, chiller,"
appeared in The Chapel Hill Herald but is not available online. Also of
note: Trustee chair Stick Williams, Trustee Roger Perry and Chancellor
James Moeser visited the editorial boards of The Chapel Hill News and
The Chapel Hill Herald in connection with these editorials.)

UNC proposal has slim support
The Chapel Hill News
University officials are following up a compromise offer made Monday on
a controversial development proposal with a round of meetings and
interviews in hopes of shoring up support ahead of next week's Town
Council vote.

Neighbors eye UNC plans for access road
The Chapel Hill News
A university compromise offered Monday that would support a previous
agreement with the town on improvements to South Columbia Street has
some residents in the area pleased, but wary that plans will accelerate for
a planned southern access road to the hospital.

Enrolling in a contest of ideas at college (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer
The recent flap over alleged "discrimination" against conservatives at UNC-
Chapel Hill has an important side-effect. It encourages us -- students, faculty
and our society -- to think about what a university is supposed to be....
Andrew J. Perrin is assistant professor of sociology at UNC-Chapel Hill.

UNC admission rescission sparks suit
The Herald-Sun
Mark Edmonson is all ready for college. He went through orientation,
he has his student I.D. card and he's been assigned a dorm room and
a roommate....A judge is expected to rule in the coming days, though
it isn't clear whether it will come soon enough to allow Edmonson to
begin college on time -- should the ruling be favorable. At UNC, classes
start Tuesday.

UNC admission letter at suit's center
News-Record (Greensboro)
A Northwest High School graduate's lawsuit seeking to force UNC-
Chapel Hill to admit him has the university worried its academic
freedoms will be eroded if the plaintiff wins.

Bingeing on the weekend adds flab
The News & Observer
Those beer-mug curls and the heavy pizza-lifting Americans enjoy on
weekends are actually too-common indulgences that may pack an
extra 5 pounds on adults each year....Scientists at UNC-Chapel Hill
have found that the thank-goodness- it's -Friday splurge lasts through
Sunday. And for adults ages 19 to 50, it means scarfing up an extra
115 calories -- the equivalent energy of a bottle of Bud Light -- each
of the three days.
(Note: This story is a result of the UNC news release.)

Roses & raspberries (Commentary)
The Chapel Hill News
Roses to MBA students at UNC's Kenan-Flagler School of Business,
who'll start off their school year by serving the community.

Search for planning chief stalls
The Charlotte Observer
Wanted: a new planning director for Charlotte-Mecklenburg....David
Owens, a faculty member of the Institute of Government at UNC
Chapel Hill, said critical planning decisions are often put off when
there's uncertainty about leadership and direction.

Edgerton work rides again
The News & Observer
Clyde Edgerton steered his fictional characters through many adventures
in the course of the novel "Killer Diller." But when he saw the words
"BOTA House" on the side of a van recently, he knew his characters
were ready to take the wheel...."I always feel like I'm in a conversation
with the narrator when I read Clyde's work, and Lee Smith, too," said
Paul Ferguson, who teaches stage adaptation at UNC-Chapel Hill.

The News & Observer featured a poem by Paul Jones, a faculty
member of both the School of Information and Library
Science and the School of Journalism and Mass Communication
at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

ACT Scores Hold Steady From Last Year
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The national average composite ACT score in 2003 stood at
20.8 for the second consecutive year, as a record number of
high-school seniors -- nearly 1.2 million -- took the college-
entrance examination.
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education is available on a
subscription basis.)

High School Seniors Weak in Math and Science Tests
The New York Times
Fewer than half of graduating high school seniors who took the
2003 ACT college entrance exams were adequately prepared
for college-level algebra, and only about a quarter were prepared
for college biology, according to the ACT results released yesterday.
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to view article.)

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

Note: Web links on this page are time-sensitive, so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.