December 20, 2001

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

Dr. Y. Jack Ng, professor of physics and astronomy, has been named one of 30 "R & D 
Stars to Watch" by Industry Week magazine for his ground-breaking research on the nature 
of space. The magazine recognizes "the contributions of individuals who drive innovation and 
provide the initial spark to economic growth." The magazine's list was published Dec. 1. This
year's three Nobel laureates in physics previously were on the same Industry Week list -- two 
in 1995 and one in 1996. 
http://www.industryweek.com/CurrentArticles/Asp/articles.asp?ArticleId=1172

From the streets of Marin to the Taliban
Along the picture-postcard streets of his former hometown, no one has an answer to the 
question that has vexed a nation: Why did John Walker Lindh take up arms with America's 
enemy?
...He could face treason charges, be indicted for conspiracy or supporting terrorism in a 
civilian court or be tried before a military tribunal. Eric Muller, a law professor at the University 
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill points to the case of Tomoya Kawakita, a US citizen who went 
to Japan during World War II and joined the Japanese cause. He was convicted of treason for 
mistreating US prisoners of war.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2001/1220/p1s4-ussc.html

A ‘defense’ that civilization can do without (Editorial)
It is difficult to tell exactly what Lynne V. Cheney, Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn., and others 
who constitute the American Council of Trustees and Alumni are trying to accomplish with their 
project, “Defending Civilization: How Our Universities Are Failing America and What Can Be Done 
About It.” The title is as overblown as the sentiment that drives the effort: No one should ask 
questions of the American war effort...
...That quote is immediately preceded by a report of a sign at the University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill that read, “An eye for an eye makes the world blind.” Presumably those history courses 
the American Council of Trustees and Alumni advocates would not include a semester on Gandhi. 
But then, of course, he might not make it into a study of Western civilization except by way of his 
association with the British.
http://www.natcath.com/NCR_Online/archives/121401/121401o.htm

State and Local Coverage

Battling Bacteria: Taking too many antibiotics can cause germs to build resistance and grow 
harder to treat
While much of the nation is terrified by headlines about anthrax, many doctors are worrying 
about a less prominent but potentially deadly threat – one that the anthrax scare might be 
making worse.
...“This is not some theoretical, community-type problem that might affect somebody else, 
sometime,” said Dr. Meera Kelley, a clinical assistant professor in the division of infectious diseases 
at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill.
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/features/stories/6997featuresstorypage.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

For Some Students, Early Decision Is Best (Opinion-Editorial)
Last week thousands of high school seniors received acceptance letters from the colleges of their 
choice. But the early-decision process that they used has received much unfair criticism. Richard Levin, 
president of Yale, for example, has said he wants to end early-decision admissions, the process by 
which a student applies to one college and promises to attend that college if he or she is admitted 
in December, before the regular admissions cycle begins.
http://www.nytimes.com/2001/12/18/opinion/18BALL.html

ROTC grads ready to serve 
William L. McCoy beamed as his daughter became a Navy ensign in a commissioning ceremony, 
but the retired Marine captain was glad she won't be sent straight off to war. 
http://www.newsobserver.com/thursday/news/Story/846440p-831943c.html

A Constitutional Flaw (Opinion Editorial)
Wake Superior Court Judge Abe Jones ruled properly Friday when he said that civil and administrative 
"fines are the property of the state's public schools. But his decision points out a serious constitutional 
flaw with regard to the distribution of those funds.
Jones ruled that $75 million in fees collected annually for violations as varied as overdue library books at 
University of North Carolina campuses and pollution by major corporations must go to public schools. In 
doing so, he overturned state policy that had been returning much of that money to the state's General 
Fund.
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/opinion/editorial/MGBES19CEVC.html

Part-time instructors are a worry
UNC system committee studying whether students are losing out
Colleges looking to cut costs are increasingly hiring part-time instructors, sparking concerns 
that students are being shortchanged.
The numbers have jumped so much that the University of North Carolina system has formed 
a committee to examine the issue.
http://www.charlotte.com/observer/natwor/docs/adjunct1217.htm

TTA sets 2007 start date -- without RDU stop
The Triangle Transit Authority said Wednesday that it will start running trains between 
Durham and downtown Raleigh in December 2007 and add a North Raleigh link in 2010. But 
it probably won't be able to reach Raleigh-Durham International Airport when rail service starts.
http://www.newsobserver.com/thursday/news/triangle/Story/846449p-831952c.html

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