February 2, 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

Is college getting out of reach?
USA Today
Paying for college is becoming more of a struggle, especially for the growing number of low-income kids aspiring to earn degrees. And many experts say most colleges and states are turning a blind eye to the problem....Richard Kahlenberg, editor of America's Untapped Resource, a 2004 book on low-income students in higher education, says a few elite universities such as Harvard, the University of North Carolina and the University of Virginia are trying to address the problem.

Gaps found in lung care ; Study cites widespread racial disparities
USA Today
An exhaustive report released today by the American Lung Association finds that minorities have a disproportionately wide range of respiratory ailments, from childhood infections to occupational lung disease, asthma and cancer....Poverty probably plays a role, too, says James Donohue, chief of pulmonary medicine at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Questions are Raised About the Department of Defense's New Intelligence Unit
Voice of America
The more intelligence the better the war on terror, says Jack Spencer, senior policy analyst for defense and national security at Washington's Heritage Foundation.....One concern about the new Pentagon units is the possibility they may avoid Congressional scrutiny so as not to compromise their secrecy. Richard Kohn, professor of military history at the University of North Carolina, says this could be a failing.

State & Local Coverage

Educators to learn their economic role
The Chapel Hill Herald
For years now, UNC officials have spoken of the university's increasingly important role in giving the state's changing economy a boost. ...UNC system President Molly Broad and UNC Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser are among the higher education leaders taking part this morning in the first of three "listening tour" events around the state.

AP Tests
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
About 16 percent of North Carolina's high school students passed AP, or Advanced Placement, tests last year. Some schools in the state see the rigorous college preparatory classes as the best challenge for accelerated students. Others find AP courses limiting and choose not to offer them. Host Rusty Jacobs leads a discussion about AP classes and their role in schools and college admissions. Guests include: Ted Fiske, education writer and author of "The Fiske Guide to Colleges" and Jerry Lucido, UNC's vice provost for enrollment management.
Note: This program will be archived on WUNC's website.

Watchdog: College textbooks too costly
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
With the start of a new semester, college students are facing higher costs than ever. But it's not just the classes they're having trouble paying for -- it's the books....At UNC, Student Body President Matthew Calabria said he pays hundreds of dollars for books every semester.

Issues & Trends

Bush Faces Crunch in College-Aid Goals
The Wall Street Journal
President Bush wants to put more aid money in college students' pockets. Here's the hard part: Deciding whose pocket to take the money out of first.

Congress Should Not Impose Cost Controls on Colleges, Senate Republican Says
The Chronicle of Higher Education
In a far-ranging speech delivered on Tuesday, Sen. Lamar Alexander, a Tennessee Republican and former U.S. secretary of education, spoke out against price controls and political correctness on college campuses.

Reality weighs down dreams of college
USA Today
Twenty years ago, teachers in suburban Baltimore urged Lisa Turner to go to college, pushing the SAT, she says, "like it was candy."...But new research also reveals a huge gap between aspirations and reality, especially for poor and minority students. For them, high school dropout rates remain high and college graduation rates low.

How to Pick a College That Cares if You Graduate (Commentary)
The Washington Post
That appears to be snow falling outside my kitchen window, but I know spring will soon be here, and another 2 million high school juniors, with their fretful parents, will be out looking for the right college.

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/newsserv/clipsindex.htm.

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