Aug. 31, 2005

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Lessons From the Park
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Chatting with people in a public park about a hypothetical profit-hungry executive is not the way philosophers usually gain their insights. ...And Mr. Knobe, 31, has barely started his first tenure-track job. He will begin teaching philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill this fall.
Note: Subscription required.

Poverty rate rises to 12.7 percent
The Associated Press (National)
Even with a robust economy that was adding jobs last year, the number of Americans who fell into poverty rose to 37 million - up 1.1 million from 2003 - according to Census Bureau figures released Tuesday. ..."America should be showing true leadership on the great moral issues of our time - like poverty - instead of allowing these situations to get worse," said John Edwards, the former North Carolina senator and Democratic vice presidential candidate. He has started a poverty center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Regional Coverage

Students finding Spanish instruction more practical
The San Bernardino Sun
It is the dialect Miguel de Cervantes used to lead Don Quixote toward the windmills and which Benito Perez Galdos used to spark riots upon performances of "Electra." ... "The demand for Spanish teachers of any kind if they are good is fierce," said Erika Lindemann, interim romance languages department chairwoman at the University of North Carolina. "But we want native speakers. We do have a good exchange program with Spain, but the rest of the native speakers available are from Latin America."
Related Link: http://www2.sbsun.com/news/ci_2987012

State & Local Coverage

We are captives of our origins
The Chapel Hill News
On Monday, new Carolina students entered our classrooms for the first time, and together, we had a conversation about race. In a discussion that I led with Student Body President Seth Dearmin, students confirmed what I suspected -- that we all tend to shy away from substantive conversation about race relations. The students in our section all admitted that tended to be true for them, too. ...James Moeser is chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Teaching moments
The Chapel Hill News
They sat on the famous stone walls around picturesque Polk Place, shaded from the heat but not from the discomfort of a frank discussion about race. ..."It seems to me it's almost incumbent upon you as majority students to open up these conversations if they're going to take place," Chancellor Moeser said.

UNC to dedicate Hooker center
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill officials will dedicate the university's Michael Hooker Research Center today. The facility -- named for Chancellor Michael Hooker, who died in 1999 -- will help meet the expanding research needs of UNC-CH's School of Public Health.
UNC Media Advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2005/mhrcadvise082905.htm

UNC adds to center's classes
The Charlotte Observer
UNC Chapel Hill's Office of Economic and Business Development has announced a partnership with the Hickory Metro Higher Education Center.UNC Chapel Hill will offer undergraduate, graduate and non-degree programs at HMHEC and will promote the university's distance-learning programs and online courses through the center.

At last, the Legislature comes through (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Tuesday was the first official day of classes at UNC and, amazingly, the campus looked transformed. Well, maybe a little bit. Even though the streets were far busier, with students racing to and from different buildings, it seemed somewhat easier to maneuver around.

Researchers debate ethics of blood study
The Duke Chronicle
After more than a year of delays, Duke University Hospital has joined several other trauma centers nationwide in testing PolyHeme, the first blood substitute to reach the clinical trial stage. ...“Each of us as human beings has certain rights; informed consent is a critical part of respecting a person’s autonomy and allowing them to make their own decisions about what they get involved in,” said Dan Nelson, director of the office of human research oversight and ethics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Jeopardy Bus Stops in Chapel Hill
WTVD-TV (ABC, Durham)
n search of knowledgeable contestants, the producers of Jeopardy are auditioning students at Triangle universities. Tuesday, they tested hundreds of students at UNC Chapel Hill for a possible taping of the quiz show in Raleigh in October.

Sandwich-stumped? Cottage cheese opens possibilities (Commentary)
The Charlotte Observer
Another school year, more lunches to pack. For those of us with schoolchildren, it won't be long before you're tired of the same old lunches. ...Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at UNC.

Issues & Trends

UNC plans to increase scrutiny
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Admissions officers at public universities across North Carolina will get special training this fall about how to spot trouble in a student's college application. ...The effort is part of a new set of procedures at UNC campuses after the killings last year of two female UNC-Wilmington students by classmates in separate cases.

Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.

Carolina in the News is also posted daily to the News Services Web page, http://www.unc.edu/news/clips/index.shtml.

Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu.