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Dec. 12, 2005
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:International Coverage
Night work premature birth link
BBC News (UK)
University of North Carolina researchers looked at the working conditions of 1,900 pregnant women. The Obstetrics and Gynaecology study found standing for long periods and lifting heavy weights did not increase the risk of premature labour. But working nightshifts in the first three months was linked to a doubling in a woman's risk of early labour.
More women doctors choose pediatrics
United Press International
The number of U.S. women choosing to become pediatricians is rising and more are choosing pediatric subspecialties. In 2003, data showed that 63 percent of pediatricians seeking certification were women, and women dominated several subspecialties including adolescent medicine, developmental and behavioral medicine and neurodevelopment. More than 70 percent of practitioners in those areas were women, said Dr. Michelle Mayer at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec05/shia120905.htmGolden land or urban swamp (Opinion-editorial column)
Bangkok Post (Thailand)
It has taken nearly half a century to transform a place once called Nong Ngu Hao (Cobra Swamp) into a leading international airport named Suvarnabhumi, or Golden Land. Now, Thailand has a one-time chance to coordinate development around its new airport to create a truly ``Golden Land'' that can boost the nation's well-being for the next half century. ...John Kasarda directs the Kenan Institute at the University of North Carolina and advises airport operators and governments around the world on airport-driven economic development and land-use planning.
National Coverage
Family challenges effort to integrate new school
The Associated Press (National)
When Michael Winsten and his wife, Cheryl, moved here four years ago, they expected their young children eventually would attend the high school down the hill, about a 3½-mile bike ride from their home. ...The courts have never said children have a right to go to a particular school, only that they have a right to an equal education, said Jack Boger of the University of North Carolina’s Legal Center for Civil Rights.
Is UMass Pricing Out Kids Like Joe Drury?
The Boston Globe
Growing up in Pittsfield, Joseph Drury Jr. never thought of himself as different. His father worked as a machinist at the General Electric defense systems plant; his mother juggled a home day-care business and evening waitress shifts. After his father lost his job in the massive layoffs of the late 1980s, the family struggled, but so did the families of most of Drury's friends. ...The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is phasing in the Carolina Covenant, a pledge to meet 100 percent of low-income students' financial need in exchange for participation in a work-study program.
Carolina Covenant Web site: http://www.unc.edu/carolinacovenant/Getting girls to go for it
The Los Angeles Times
Even as sports opportunities for girls have expanded over the past decade, the sad fact remains that when girls hit middle school, they are much more likely than boys to become physically inactive. To make matters worse, exercise habits at this age often set patterns for life. In a new study confirming this disparity, researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill identified 200 sixth- to eighth-graders considered at risk of being physically inactive, then surveyed them to find out what would motivate them to exercise.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov05/haverly113005.htmHospital bills -- but with interest
The Chicago Tribune
With many Americans struggling to pay their medical bills — and more of those bills going unpaid — hospitals and medical providers are scrambling for solutions. They may have found at least a partial one: credit cards that can be used only for healthcare expenses. ... "These products ultimately could increase financial difficulties facing patients," said Melissa Jacoby, an associate professor of law at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who specializes in medical debt.
Regional Coverage
Immigration puts pressure on Southern schools
The Charlottesville Daily Progress
Sitting on the floor around teacher Angela Naggles, first and second graders watch intently as she prints words on her whiteboard and asks the children to read them. ..."We have more emphasis on language and culture study," said Education Dean Thomas James at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who added three professors to focus on immigrant education. "We are looking at a program of intensive language study for educators. But we have not yet taken that step."
State & Local Coverage
UNC gets $100,000 Ford grant
The Chapel Hill Herald
Difficult conversations on UNC's campus may soon be a little easier thanks to a $100,000 grant from the Ford Foundation. UNC was one of 26 institutions chosen for the grant, which aims to encourage difficult dialogues in academic settings. Judith Wegner, the chair of the university's faculty council who was a driving force behind the grant application said the school has had experience in recent years dealing with controversy, and she thought the grant would allow faculty and students to take the next step in open communication.
Ford Foundation News Release: http://www.fordfound.org/news/view_news_detail.cfm?news_index=160
UNC gets grandest of grand pianos
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Most any professional pianist would be happy to play the large concert grand Steinway in Memorial Hall at UNC-Chapel Hill. But given a choice, some might prefer the German Steinway over the made-in-America model. Performers at Memorial Hall can now take their pick.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/674/story/377094.html
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec05/hamburg120605.htm
Note: Also mentioned on today's edition of WUNC-FM's "The State of Things."
Opinions vary on diversity at UNC
The Chapel Hill Herald
For some Carolina professors, the question of diversity is not just of academic interest. "This is real," said Bruce Cairns, a surgeon and assistant professor in the School of Medicine. ... Issues related to diversity affect how faculty members perceive the paths of their own careers, their interaction with each other and where they see the university heading in general, Cairns argued. It's an "undercurrent" that isn't always acknowledged, he said.
N.C.'s headache... (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
It comes as no surprise, but it's still troubling that nearly one in six North Carolinians lives the touch-and-go existence of not having health insurance. Most Americans receive health care coverage through their jobs, and this state has endured many job losses in industries where health insurance used to be a reliable benefit of employment. The pattern was bound to increase the number of North Carolinians whose day-to-day prayer is that they and their dependents just won't get sick. The latest numbers come from the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services at UNC-Chapel Hill, which uses U.S. Census Bureau data for its annual survey.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/dec05/ricketts120605.htmBacklash targets storm evacuees
The Charlotte Observer
Community activist Wade Ikard spent weeks trying to help hurricane evacuees. ...Joanne Caye is a professor of psychology at UNC Chapel Hill who specializes in disaster trauma. Diminishing sympathy for evacuees, Caye said, stems from the "emotional fatigue." The devastation from the storm is so overwhelming that people have "run out of gas," she said. "I remember during Hurricane Floyd hearing people say, `For crying out loud, can't these people get it together?' "
Democrats see chance for snaring seats in two congressional districts
The Associated Press (N.C.)
Bad news for voters with short attention spans: Nearly a year before polls open to elect the 110th Congress, Democrats in North Carolina are already running hard in a pair of key districts held by Republicans. ..."I think it's a lightning bolt in the sky that you may have a storm coming at you, when you get polls like this showing people are moving away from your party," said Thad Beyle, a political-science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Another track, another time
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
If you needed to go somewhere in Raleigh in 1886, chances are you walked. ...David Godschalk, an emeritus professor of city planning at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the new rail system has the potential to create a new pattern of denser urban living. Residents could live, shop and play near the stations, and use the train to commute.
Winston-Salem, N.C., firm offers innovative financial advice online
The Knight Ridder Tribune
The first clue that SimpliFi LLC isn't your typical financial-services company is Sophie, the main adviser for the Winston-Salem business. ...SimpliFi faces a significant challenge in its bid to differentiate itself from other financial advisers, said Sridhar Balasubramanian, an associate marketing professor in the Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, "I know that the virtual adviser is their attempt to personalize the Internet, but some people may not like to deal with the pace the Web site is set at," Balasubramanian said.
Church may offer park/ride spaces
The Herald-Sun (Durham)/The Chapel Hill Herald
For all the park/ride lots that ring Chapel Hill and Carrboro, there still isn't one along the U.S. 15-501 North corridor. UNC officials hope to change that in the future, working with the Chapel Hill Bible Church on Erwin Road. The aim in part would be to offer a park/ride option for people coming into work at the university from the Durham area.
Yesulaitis, UNC-CH band director
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
He came from the Air Force and built a national powerhouse at Chapel Hill. Millions of sports fans watched the maestro on TV. No, not Dean Smith. John Yesulaitis, the former UNC-Chapel Hill band director known affectionately, because of his military rank, as "Major Y."
Related Link: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/13374727.htmIssues & Trends
Loan plans draw protest
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Congress probably will approve changes soon that could make it more expensive to repay college loans, but some students aren't giving up hope just yet. ...The UNC system enrolls 138,844 students who have borrowed money to attend college -- about 70 percent. Those who complete their undergraduate degrees accumulate an average of $17,500 in debt.
Teacher Crunch
The Winston-Salem Journal
Mary Simms walked slowly among the students in the first-grade class at Kernersville Elementary last week, saying words for a spelling test. ...One of the problems facing North Carolina's public schools is that there aren't enough university students who feel the same way. Every year, more than 12,000 teachers leave the state's school systems - including many who leave the profession - and the state's colleges and universities produce only one fourth of the number needed to replace them.
DukeCard questioned (Letter to the editor)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
After a poorly attended 9th Street block party Duke sponsored during student orientation, the Old West Durham Neighborhood Association received feedback from merchants suggesting that DukeCard policies contributed to the poor turnout. The DukeCard allows students to use the card rather than cash for purchases, but only for purchases on the Duke campus. ...We also learned that UNC One Cards can be linked to an area bank account and used as check-cards at off-campus businesses -- a model Duke should consider.
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.
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