February 6, 2004

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

State & Local Coverage

UNC-CH aims to be better place to work
The News & Observer
UNC-Chapel Hill plans to give its 7,500 employees better access to health programs, educational opportunities, computer training, career counseling and convenient transportation as part of a 34-point plan to improve the workplace.

Divide seen between UNC faculty, staff
The Herald-Sun
In Michael Brady's view, UNC's work force can be divided -- military style -- into two camps...."It's as important as any issue we've dealt with since I came to Carolina," said James Moeser, UNC's chancellor since 2000. "While our staff ranks second to none, it is foolish to believe it will always be that way simply because it has always been that way."

Panel examining lobbying rules
The News & Observer
As a state senator, Secretary of State Elaine Marshall would go out to dinner on Monday nights with her colleagues intending to pay for her own meal only to find out that a lobbyist had picked up everyone's checks....The council, headed by Gene R. Nichol, dean of the UNC-Chapel HiIl law school, is to recommend changes by April 30 -- in time for when the General Assembly reconvenes in May -- and tell Marshall's office how it could better enforce existing rules.

Hospitals push heart services to women
The News & Observer
Hospitals, taking a cue from the breast cancer awareness effort, are starting to market their heart services to women to boost business and raise awareness....Dr. Paula Miller, a cardiologist who is director of the women's heart program at UNC Health Care, said even physicians have been caught by surprise by the issue...."They're our most important audience," said Karen McCall, vice president for public affairs at UNC.

Doubts raised on sale of land
The News & Observer
In public, the debate over a new state prison in Greene County focused on creating 400 jobs and making room for more inmates...."It's so that they don't end up in some way benefiting in their private capacity from a contract that they are involved with in their public capacity," said Frayda Bluestein, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill's Institute of Government and an expert on public contracting law.

Issues and Trends

Music subpoenas under fire
The News & Observer
The state Attorney General's Office is seeking to quash subpoenas that the recording industry issued last year in an attempt to learn the identities of two Triangle students suspected of illegally sharing music over school computer systems. The motion and brief filed Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Greensboro ask a judge to quash the subpoenas issued to UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University in light of an appeals court ruling last year.

Shift in lobbying debate hides intentions (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
It's always a bad sign when a faction that launches a political argument tries to change the subject shortly after discussion begins. The attempt usually signals a willingness to use spin and perhaps even naked power as a substitute for facts and logic....It's still another thing to continue to change the terms of debate over university expansion until you find an argument that finally resonates.

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