February 19, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current International and National Coverage

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

Public flagships battle for funds - and prestige
International Herald Tribune
"We're number 1!" This chant is regularly recited by athletes and their fans after 
notable victories in football or other sports. Now it's becoming the mantra of 
public universities themselves in the United States as they jostle for prestige and 
resources on an increasingly competitive academic playing field. ... Although 
there were some exceptions - the University of North Carolina was founded in 
1789 - public higher education in the United States did not take off until the time 
of the Civil War, when Congress established land grant colleges as a means of 
extending agricultural research and knowledge to the westward-moving 
frontier ... 
http://www.iht.com/articles/87106.html

The Best Places With The Best Education 
Forbes 
The real estate brokers' mantra, "Location, location, location!" ought to be changed 
to "Location, location, education." The reason is that the quality of local schools is 
just as important to home values as location. If there's a mix of strong local public 
and private schools that are sending lots of graduates to Ivy League colleges, 
parents will spend top dollar to live there ... 
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/2003/02/14/cx_bs_0214home.html
(Note: Forbes scored the Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill area "a perfect 100 on 
Places Rated Almanac's education rankings, as it receives tremendous fiscal 
support from local sources, and it's home to a number of colleges and universities, 
including Duke University and University of North Carolina." Forbes.com 
requires free registration to access the article.)

Current National Coverage

Economists Scale Back Forecasts for First Half
The Wall Street Journal
Economists are reining in their expectations for growth early this year, 
concluding that consumers and businesses may pull back amid worries about Iraq 
and terrorism. ... James F. Smith, a professor at the University of North 
Carolina who is by far the most bullish economist in the survey, said he believes 
the rapid expansion will begin this quarter ... 
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1045145252325767423,00.html?mod=economicforecast%5F1
(Note: The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to access articles.)

Much Rides on Terror Case 
Washington Post 
Attorney General John D. Ashcroft stood before the nation and forcefully 
declared that terrorists would soon face the unrelenting pursuit of American justice.
... "This strikes me as new ground here," said Eric Muller, a professor of 
constitutional and criminal law at the University of North Carolina ...
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A27596-2003Feb18.html

Pulse Points: Soft balls, hard heads 
The Boston Globe
A softer baseball reduces children's risk of injury, but baseball purists and some 
parents with visions of stardom for their child believe the safer ball is inauthentic, 
according to a new study funded by Major League Baseball. ... Writing in the 
Journal of the American Medical Association, study author Steve Marshall of 
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said baseball was generally 
saferthan many other sports and the softer ball would make it safer still, with no 
discernible impact on how the game is played. ...
http://www.boston.com/dailyglobe2/049/science/Soft_balls_hard_heads+.shtml
(Note: A UNC news release on Marshall's research is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan03/marshal013003.html)

National News Note

Ernest Grant, nursing education clinician at the North Carolina Jaycee 
Burn Center at the University of North Carolina Hospitals, was featured
in the newsmakers section in the February 17th issue of "Jet Magazine." Grant 
was featured because of his selection as 2002 Nurse of the Year by Nursing 
Spectrum. No online links are available.

Regional Coverage

Tell young and reckless that HIV can be a killer (Editorial)
Palm Beach Post 
New research suggests that after a decade of relative containment, the AIDS 
epidemic may be growing again in the United States. Worse, public health 
officials worry that human behavior is to blame...As for ex-inmates, the 
University of North Carolina surveyed 86 HIV-infected men and women and 
found that one-quarter had sex without condoms with regular partners 
within a month of their release. 
http://www.gopbi.com/partners/pbpost/epaper/editions/monday/opinion_e3f43ef3a449409700af.html
(Note: A UNC news release on this study is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb03/wohl021003.html)

State and Local Coverage

Intestinal fortitude
Chapel Hill News
In the real world, it’s a place where the sun doesn’t shine. But on Tuesday, a 40-
foot-long, 4-foot-high replica of a human colon took shape on the brightly lit lawn 
of the Morehead Planetarium. ... The display, which is being sponsored on campus 
by the Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center, opens Wednesday at 
10 a.m. ...
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/snapshots/story/2218774p-2094456c.html
(Note: Other related coverage includes The Charlotte Observer, 
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/living/health/5198844.htm. A UNC news 
releaseon the Colossal Colon Tour is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb03/colon020603.html)

Eating Disorders A Weighty Issue On College Campuses 
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
When they go off to college, most young women dread gaining weight -- commonly 
known as the "freshman 15." Many students are going to the other extreme, losing 
weight through anorexia or bulimia. ... "Eating disorders, more so than any medical 
or psychiatric illness, are shrouded in this cloak of secrecy," said Dr. Susan 
Girdler of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ... 
http://www.wral.com/health/1986404/detail.html

Call to close UNC campus came early
Chapel Hill News
The call was made about 9:30 a.m. Monday and it wasn’t even close. Provost 
Robert Shelton cancelled the day’s classes at UNC. ...
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2218775p-2094463c.html

Rich in details
Chapel Hill News
In the spring of 2000, two Buddhist monks inaugurated an exhibit on Buddhist art 
and ritual at the Ackland Art Museum by spending several weeks here creating
a brilliant, remarkably intricate mandala with colored sand ... 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/our_town/story/2218577p-2094261c.html
(Note: A UNC news release on this exhibit is available at 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan03/acktangka013103.html)

Study downplays school program 
News and Observer
After-school programs have become an attractive refuge for students in families 
with one parent or those in which both parents work outside the home. ... At Scroggs 
Elementary School in Chapel Hill, volunteers from the America Reads program at 
UNC-Chapel Hill provide one-on-one tutoring. ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2220449p-2095544c.html

The costs of war (Letter to the Editor)
News and Observer
The Progressive Faculty Network of the University of North Carolina states its 
unequivocal opposition to the war against Iraq now being planned by the U.S. 
administration and President Bush. PFN opposes the war because: • hundreds of 
thousands and perhaps millions of innocent Iraqis as well as many American 
soldiers could die or be wounded if there is war ...
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2211704p-2088447c.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Justifying a Liberal Arts Education in Hard Times
The New York Times
Liberal education is under siege. Critics, of whom there are many, call it an 
overpriced indulgence for the affluent few who do not have to worry about earning 
a living upon graduation. Fewer and fewer of today's undergraduates are pursuing 
the liberal arts, with most of them studying practical subjects like finance, marketing, 
real estate and pharmacy. ...
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/02/19/education/19FREE.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Gridiron grad rates don't make cut 
News and Observer
Fewer than half the recruited football players who enrolled in 1996 at N.C. State 
University and UNC-Chapel Hill earned diplomas within six years, continuing a 
general decline in football graduation rates at both campuses. ...
http://sports.newsobserver.com/sports/story/2221674p-2095666c.html

UNC should review policies on athletes (Editorial)
Chapel Hill News
The University of North Carolina Board of Governors received reports last week 
on the state of athletics on the campuses. They were not very reassuring. ...
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/2218766p-2094440c.html

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