Feb. 3, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

State & Local Coverage

Hispanic healthcare examined
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
So far, Scott and Debbie Townsend have been able to help most of their Latino customers. ...Betsy Sleath, associate professor at University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy, is conducting a study to see how the North Carolina Latino community relates to pharmacies. Sleath said that the concept of registered pharmacies is unfamiliar to many immigrants. Mexico, Central and South America don't require prescriptions for drugs that require them in North Carolina.

Botanical Garden wins $20,000 grant
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The N.C. Botanical Garden at UNC-Chapel Hill recently was awarded $20,000 for site enhancements and establishment of a research nursery. The grant, from the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust, will be used at the botany pond area of the Mason Farm Biological Reserve.
UNC News Brief: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb06/gardengrant020206.htm

A cooperative climate (Opinion-editorial column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...In a recent forum at UNC-Chapel Hill, representatives of the business and academic community agreed that global climate change is real, rising carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is the major culprit, and that we must get on to solutions before it is too late. A number of business opportunities await those who are encouraged to embrace solutions to global warming, including the design of high-mileage vehicles, better photovoltaic cells and high-efficiency appliances. William H. Schlesinger is dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University.

Exploring black experience
The Chapel Hill Herald
They write about the civil rights movement, jazz musicians, family relationships and myriad topics that reflect the black experience. ...Stone is a professor emeritus in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC Chapel Hill. A Tuskegee Airman in his youth and the first president of the National Association of Black Journalists, he is recognized as one of the most influential black journalists of the 20th century. "Squizzy the Black Squirrel: A Fabulous Fable of Friendship" is his first book for children.

Group wants development rules more strictly enforced
The Asheville-Citizen
The Coalition of Asheville Neighborhoods is trying to turn the heat up on the city Planning Department to enforce development rules more strictly, sponsoring two appeals filed Thursday by city residents seeking to overturn department decisions. ...Richard Ducker, a professor who specializes in zoning issues at The School of Government at UNC-Chapel Hill, said the time period for appeals generally begins running when a person might reasonably be expected to become aware of a project.

Judge sifts evidence against fraternity
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
An Orange County District Court judge will permit some but not all of the evidence collected with a search warrant during a raid in September of a UNC-Chapel Hill literary fraternity. More than a dozen students were charged with underage drinking, running a bar without a permit and some minor drug charges related to marijuana possession.
Related Link: http://www.heraldsun.com/orange\10-697202.html

Issues & Trends

American Colleges Must Change to Compete in the Global Economy, Speakers Tell Panel on Future of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
There was plenty of praise for for-profit institutions at the third meeting of the Secretary of Education's Commission on the Future of Higher Education, held here Thursday, and plenty of criticism for how traditional colleges do business. The theme of the meeting was "innovation," and speakers used the opportunity to highlight how proprietary institutions are using private financing and the Internet to provide education more efficiently.

N.C. sings praises of new UA chief
The Tucson Citizen
Robert N. Shelton has an aristocratic aura about him, as though wealth and prestige marked his upbringing. ..."Robert is an extraordinarily decent human being. There isn't an inauthentic bone in his body," said Sue Estroff, a UNC social medicine professor. Whether it is Shelton's expertise in higher education issues or his fairness in dealing with personnel issues, Estroff said he is a "rarity" in academia.

Habitat project still rankles
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A reconfigured plan for a 50-unit Habitat for Humanity project doesn't resolve the main concerns held by residents of an adjacent upscale subdivision and other neighbors. ...Susan Levy, executive director of the Orange County Habitat chapter, said the organization doesn't want to budge on the number of homes. She said many people work in Chapel Hill but can't afford to live here, particularly lower-paid UNC-Chapel Hill employees.

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/news/clips/index.shtml.

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