June 8, 2004

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

Threats to Rights and Financial Barriers to Poor Are Cited at Graduations
The New York Times
Julius L. Chambers, Director, Center for Civil Rights, North Carolina, Chapel Hill
If you were black, living in Mount Gilead, your parents would not be hired in any position at the local mill, and if they were fortunate enough to land a job at the local lumber company, they could rise no higher than the lowest-paying and most menial jobs. You could not travel far from home unless you had family and friends along the way because you could not be accommodated in public accommodations; you could not count on being able to buy gas; and if you used public transportation you would be segregated in an undesirable space and could be put off the bus along the way as I was in traveling from Durham, from North Carolina Central, to my hometown in Mount Gilead. You probably went to the county's own black public schools; your textbooks had been used. If you had a dream, as I did, of attending the university in 1954, you were turned down solely because of your race. I grew up in this segregated environment.
Note: News Services initiated this placement.

Pills or Talk Therapy? If You're Confused, No Wonder
The New York Times
Moody teenagers who visit therapists for help often wonder how useful all that talk about feelings and emotions really is. Now, many doctors are asking the same thing...."This provides what I would consider definite, clear-cut evidence for the effectiveness of medication in a segment of the pediatric population for which very little evidence existed, and supports what many psychiatrists have been doing in practice," said Dr. Jeffrey A. Lieberman, a professor of psychiatry and pharmacology at the University of North Carolina.

Political observers say Ronald Reagan triggered political transformation in the South
National Associated Press
Before 1980, conservative whites in the South often rallied around homegrown, segregationist politicians such as Alabama's George Wallace and South Carolina's Strom Thurmond...."With Reagan's victory, the Republican Party became much more of the party for conservatives in the South," said Ferrel Guillory, director of the program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life at the University of North Carolina.

Thomas J. Watson Jr.: Junior Achievement
Business Week
As part of its anniversary celebration, BusinessWeek is presenting a series of weekly profiles for the greatest innovators of the past 75 years...."The credit for making IBM a great computer company goes to Tom Jr.," says Fredrick P. Brooks Jr., professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Johnson Keeps All in Perspective
The Washington Post
It was probably worthy of at least a passing mention, for it is something of a defining characteristic...."Allen never talks about things like that," said Dennis Craddock, the head track coach at Johnson's alma mater, the University of North Carolina.

Lilly-Amylin drug controls blood sugar, study says
Bloomberg Wire Service
Eli Lilly and Co. and Amylin Pharmaceuticals said injections of their experimental diabetes drug exenatide lowered blood sugar in patients who hadn't responded to currently available medicines....The research suggests that a class of medicines known as incretin mimetics may help more patients with type-2 diabetes avoid complications, said John Buse, director of the Diabetes Care Center at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. Indianapolis-based Lilly and San Diego-based Amylin plan to seek U.S. permission to sell the drug around midyear.

"Holding Hands"
Slate
/as if she and I would never / tire of each other's touch / and try to figure out how / to escape this embarrassing / collision of crinkled skin, / this padded cage of bones, / these too-long opened fists / before somebody passing by / mistook for love our resigned / inability to quite let go.
Michael McFee is the author of six collections of poems, most recently Earthly. He teaches at the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill.

State & Local Coverage

Stroke Knows No Age Limit
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
Stroke is one of the leading killers of adults, but stroke can happen at any age and even before birth....Dr. Ana Felix, of University of North Carolina Hospitals, says stroke is a disease that does not pick ages.

UNC-CH to offer cell phone service
N.C. Associated Press
A pilot program at UNC-Chapel Hill will let students buy cell phone service through the university, and school officials hope that eventually, students will register for class on their phones.

Issues & Trends

Budget clears House hurdle
The News & Observer
After five hours of debate Monday night, House members gave tentative approval to a $15.8 billion proposed budget that does not raise taxes and pays for the rising numbers of students in public schools, colleges and universities.

UNC leaders may get raises
The News & Observer
UNC President Molly Broad and chancellors at five campuses could get big raises under a plan to lift salaries to a minimum level compared to executive pay at other universities across the nation....UNC-CH Chancellor James Moeser receives $255,625 annually -- $40,079 below the minimum of the peer group. He could get a $48,767 raise.

Plan boosts 5 chancellors' pay
The Chapel Hill Herald
A plan endorsed Monday would boost the salaries of five chancellors in the 16-campus UNC system, including UNC Chapel Hill's James Moeser.

Campus needs its own special precinct (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Student participation in local elections is laughably low, and it doesn't help that the UNC campus occupies part of no less than six precincts.

Triangle rated No. 3 in biotech
The News & Observer
The Triangle ranks third among the nation's metropolitan areas as a nurturing region for biotechnology companies, according to a new study released Monday at a biotechnology industry conference.

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 Lisa Katz, lisa_katz@unc.edu.

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