June 25, 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:

Impact on Universities Will Range From None to a Lot
The New York Times
Universities across the country began grappling yesterday with the meaning of 
Monday's Supreme Court rulings on affirmative action. ... Dr. James C. Moeser, 
chancellor of the University of North Carolina, said he could not answer 
definitively, but that he, too, was optimistic.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/national/25COLL.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Admissions shifting well before ruling
The Christian Science Monitor 
At the University of Minnesota, administrators decided to make a bold move. ... 
At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the court's ruling will mesh 
with that school's already modified system, says Jerry Lucido, director of 
admissions.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/0625/p01s03-usju.html

"Universities See Affirmative Action Ruling As Guideline"
National Public Radio, "All Things Considered"
Jerry Lucido, vice provost and director of undergraduate admissions, was 
interviewed as part of a lengthy story airing Tuesday on National Public Radio's 
"All Things Considered" about how the Supreme Court ruling affects a university 
that has not used point-based admissions. The story also today during "Morning 
Edition." To listen to this segment online, go to 
http://discover.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.jhtml?prgDate=06/24/2003&prgId=2 
and scroll down to "Universities See Affirmative Action Ruling as Guideline."

Updates on Billion-Dollar Campaigns at 23 Universities
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The 23 American universities that are seeking to raise at least $1-billion collected 
a total of $284.9-million in gifts and pledges during the last month for which they 
had data available. ... The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, $1.010
billion as of May 31 (increase of $26.7-million in the last month); the goal is $1.8
-billion by 2007. 
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/06/2003062503n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription to access 
articles.)

Job-seekers get a helping hand 
Financial Times (London, U.K.)
Business schools are not usually in the habit of chartering private aircraft. But in 
March the Johnson Graduate School of Management at Cornell University 
mustered four jets, packed them with 24 corporate recruiters from New York 
City, Boston and Chicago and flew them to its Ithaca campus in New York state 
to interview MBA students. ... Online technology is also used by the University 
of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler, which in April launched a career network 
designed to tie into its alumni database.
http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1054966120598&p=1036161556747

Stacking up among the best at 125
The Baltimore Sun 
From their titles alone, it's clear that the books being offered this year by the 
Johns Hopkins University Press are not exactly bodice-rippers. ... "If presses 
were suddenly to say, 'Sorry, we can't publish any of these,' it would be viewed
not as a crisis in scholarly publishing, but a crisis for university life as a whole," 
said Kate Torrey, director of the University of North Carolina Press.
http://www.sunspot.net/news/education/bal-te.md.press23jun23,0,1240789.story?coll=bal-education-college
(Note: The Baltimore Sun requires free registration to access articles.)

State and Local Coverage

Council may vote tonight on UNC plan 
The Herald-Sun
The fate of UNC's proposed parking deck swap could be decided tonight, when 
the Town Council is set to resume its discussion of the proposal. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-365347.html

Town resists changes to campus plan
The Chapel Hill News
The first major modification to the university’s massive, eight-year development 
plan remains in limbo as the Town Council and university officials continue to 
debate the size and direction of the new plan.
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2644594p-2452877c.html

Hairy truth about computer images (Question and Answer)
News and Observer
Ming C. Lin, 37, says there were no tell-tale signs during her upbringing in Taiwan 
signaling that she would become a computer scientist. Lin, an associate professor 
in the computer science department at the University of North Carolina at 
Chapel Hill, simply said that she found visual representation to be one of most 
compelling means of communication and was quietly drawn into the field.
http://newsobserver.com/business/story/2646001p-2454078c.html

Asthma rates trouble experts 
News and Observer
Even with a diagnosis, medications and a firm understanding of his ailment, Aaron
Braxton gets panicky when an asthma attack hits and he starts heaving for air. ... 
A recent study funded by the state Department of Health and Human Services
and conducted by UNC-Chapel Hill found that up to 17 percent of the state's 
seventh- and eighth-graders have undiagnosed asthma symptoms. "The current 
asthma that is out there is probably not being managed as well as it could be," 
said Karin Yeatts, a researcher at UNC-CH's School of Public Health ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2645927p-2454050c.html
(Note: This study was the subject of a UNC news release.)

The sweet life 
News and Observer
Face it: we're fat. Yes, we've taken low-fat and no-fat pledges, but government 
statistics and a trip to the beach show we're just getting fatter. ... "The debate 
that has come about is between three sets of recommendations," said Anna 
Maria Siega-Riz, a registered dietitian and associate professor in the 
department of nutrition and maternal child health at the UNC School of 
Public Health.
http://newsobserver.com/features/story/2646037p-2454143c.html

Harry Potter casts reading magic spell 
The Herald-Sun
When 12-year-old Macon Foscue picked up his first Harry Potter book, no one
knew about the young, glasses-wearing wizard with a scar in his forehead. ... 
What makes the fantasy series so popular? Several things, said Brian Sturm, an 
assistant professor at the UNC School of Information and Library Science. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-363870.html

'Strong Black Women' - A Lesson in Stereotyping (Commentary)
Up & Coming Magazine
"Strong black women." It is a positive image, don't you agree? Maybe. But 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Prof. Trudier Harris-Lopez's
recent book, Saints, Sinners, Saviors: Strong Black Women In African American 
Literature challenges that view. 
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?BRD=1147&dept_id=483437&newsid=8568211&PAG=461&rfi=9

Bringing home the message (Commentary)
The Chapel Hill News
Call it freshmen economics. When university workers rallied on the steps of the 
South Building last week to ask for a better shake from the school and the state, 
they had on hand a convenient prop to underline their cause. This summer,
incoming freshmen and transfer students are assigned “Nickel and Dimed: On 
(Not) Getting By in America” by Barbara Ehrenreich.
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/2635476p-2444703c.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

ACC Invites Miami, Virginia Tech 
The Washington Post 
After 11/2 months of deliberations, discussions and telephone meetings, the 
Atlantic Coast Conference stunned nearly everyone last night, extending invitations
to Virginia Tech and Miami, according to a source close to the situation. Boston 
College and Syracuse -- Big East schools that had gone through a formal process 
to receive invitations -- were not included, the source said.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28663-2003Jun24.html

A.C.C. Reaches Decision to Invite Miami and Virginia Tech to Join
The New York Times
The presidents of universities in the Atlantic Coast Conference voted tonight to 
invite Miami and Virginia Tech to join the A.C.C., according to an official with 
intimate knowledge of the vote. In a surprising last-minute compromise, the 
presidents excluded Syracuse and Boston College from the expansion plan. ... 
North Carolina's chancellor, James Moeser, was pushing a plan to expand 
to 10 universities with the addition of only Miami. North Carolina and Duke 
reportedly voted no tonight.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/06/25/sports/ncaabasketball/25colleges.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

ACC invites only Miami, Va. Tech
USA Today
The Atlantic Coast Conference's expansion efforts took an unexpected turn 
Tuesday night when school presidents voted to invite Miami (Fla.) and Virginia 
Tech — leaving out Boston College and Syracuse — according to a person with 
knowledge of the discussions.
http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/2003-06-24-acc-invites_x.htm

No budging on budget 
News and Observer
North Carolina's elected leaders edged closer Tuesday to an end no one wants 
-- a partial shutdown of state government. 
http://www.newsobserver.com/front/story/2646066p-2454053c.html

In the affirmative (Editorial)
News and Observer
Based on long experience, universities in this country know some things about 
how the makeup of their student bodies affects the education they offer. Academic 
qualifications of course are paramount. 
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2645875p-2454103c.html

Court draws fine line on admissions (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun
It is official now: racial diversity in the nation?s colleges and universities is a 
compelling state interest. That is what the U.S. Supreme Court said Monday in its 
most important ruling on affirmative action since the landmark Bakke decision in 
1978. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/opinion/hsedits/56-365246.html

High court rulings again acknowledge diversity is in society's best interests (Editorial)
Asheville Citizen-Times
A factor, but not the only factor. That's the gist of two Supreme Court rulings 
handed down Monday regarding affirmative action policies at the University of 
Michigan. In a 6-3 vote the court ruled against Michigan's undergraduate
admissions policy regarding affirmative action, and in a 5-4 vote ruled in favor of
the policies toward affirmative action in place at Michigan's law school.
http://cgi.citizen-times.com/cgi-bin/story/editorial/37276

Court’s ruling aids fairness, diversity (Editorial)
Greensboro News and Record
Campus diversity benefits all students and college admissions officers can 
consider race so long as it is not the only factor. 
http://www.news-record.com/news/opinions/edit25.htm

A good decision for the country (Editorial)
Wilmington Star-News
Americans of every color and background won Monday when the U.S. Supreme 
Court affirmed the rightness and the practicality of carefully designed affirmative 
action programs. 
http://www.wilmingtonstar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20030625/EDITORIAL/306250324/1016/editorial

Affirmative Action (Editorial)
The Winston-Salem Journal
Even though the U.S. Supreme Court issued opposite rulings in two cases dealing 
with affirmative action in college admissions, the overall message was strongly in 
support of the practice of taking race into account to achieve diversity within a 
student body.
http://www.journalnow.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=WSJ%2FMGArticle%2FWSJ_ColumnistArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031769872459&path=!opinion&s=1037645509163

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

***

Note: The following story was published yesterday but not available online.

Court upholds race as admissions factor;
Justices: Racial preference cannot be dominant
Greensboro News & Record 

North Carolina university officials cheered the U.S. Supreme Court's decision Monday 
to uphold some use of race in deciding who gets into college. 

A divided court ruled that race cannot be the overriding factor, but a majority 
acknowledged a broad social value in encouraging all races to learn and work together. 

The decisions, which came in separate but related cases involving the University of 
Michigan's admissions policies, essentially upheld the methods that UNC - Chapel Hill , 
N.C. State and other selective colleges use to pick their students. 

"We're thrilled with the decision," UNC -CH Chancellor James Moeser said. "It leaves 
everything intact that we're doing at UNC - Chapel Hill . ... It really affirms what we're 
doing." 

At issue was the use of race in college admissions. The decision, the court's first state-
ment on the topic in 25 years, applies to public colleges such as UNC -CH and State 
as well as private schools and other institutions that try to increase minority enrollment 
without violating constitutional guarantees against discrimination. 

The cases were brought by white applicants who were rejected by the University of 
Michigan despite having better grades and test scores than some minority students who 
were admitted. 

In its decision Monday, the Supreme Court essentially upheld its 1978 decision that
forbid colleges from using quotas that had excluded a white student from a California 
medical school. In that case, the court said that colleges could use less structured forms 
of affirmative action. 

The Supreme Court struck down Michigan's undergraduate admissions policy that
awarded applicants points for criteria. Racial minorities got 20 points on an 150-point 
scale. That was less than a straight-A average, which was worth 80 points, but more 
than a perfect score on the SAT, which was worth 12 points. 

That system was too "mechanical" and "predetermined," the court said. 

But the court approved of a less formal approach used by Michigan's law school, which 
seeks a "critical mass" of minority students that the school and its backers said helps 
break down racial stereotypes and benefit the entire student body. 

To get more than token numbers of minority students, the law school gives extra consid-
eration to blacks, Hispanics and to applicants from other groups the school says have 
historically suffered from discrimination. Michigan says it accepts only academically 
qualified students, no matter their race. 

The Constitution "does not prohibit the law school's narrowly tailored use of race in 
admissions decisions to further a compelling interest in obtaining the educational benefits 
that flow from a diverse student body," Justice Sandra Day O'Connor wrote in the 
majority opinion. 

She added: "In order to cultivate a set of leaders with legitimacy in the eyes of the
citizenry, it is necessary that the path to leadership be visibly open to talented and 
qualified individuals of every race and ethnicity." 

But no student's transcript will note that he or she "Works and Plays Well With Others," 
Justice Antonin Scalia retorted in his dissent. 

The vote to uphold the law school's method was 5-4, with O'Connor siding with the
court's more liberal members. She was joined by Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader 
Ginsburg, David Souter and John Paul Stevens. 

Chief Justice Justice William Rehnquist wrote the majority opinion in the 6-3 decision 
against the undergraduate school. He was joined by O'Connor, Breyer and Scalia, and 
Justices Anthony Kennedy and Clarence Thomas. 

No matter the outcome, the ruling would have had little or no effect on N.C. A&T and 
UNCG, Greensboro's two public universities. Admissions directors at both colleges 
have said an applicant's race plays no factor in their admissions decisions. 

But UNC -CH and State, which reject thousands of prospective students each year, 
had watched the case closely. Like Michigan's law school, both colleges look at an 
applicant's race along with high school grades, SAT scores, extracurricular activities 
and special family or personal circumstances. Both are aiming for a diverse student body, 
one that more or less reflects the makeup of the state as a whole. 
The court's decision upholds this practice. 

"It should not affect what we do in terms of admissions," said Joanne Woodard, State's 
vice provost for equal opportunity and equity. "We're happy to hear we can use race 
because we think we're using it appropriately." 

Jack Boger, a UNC -CH law professor and deputy director of the UNC Center for 
Civil Rights, called the decision "a big win for American higher education." 

If the court had ruled otherwise, it "would have disrupted how students were selected 
... and would have dramatically changed the landscape of American higher education," 
said Boger, who wrote a legal brief to the Supreme Court supporting Michigan. 

George Leef, director of the Pope Center for Higher Education Policy in Raleigh and 
an affirmative action critic, said the court's ruling kept the legal waters muddy. That
could lead to legislative actions or lawsuits, which have forced state universities in 
California and Texas to turn to race-neutral approaches in college admissions. 

"My guess is that there will be some sort of unhappy applicant" who might sue if denied 
a spot at UNC -CH or State, Leef said. "Then we'll find out if UNC 's admissions 
policies are legally acceptable or not."