June 14, 2004

Carolina in the News

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

International Coverage

The Complete Guide To Joyce's Dublin
The Independent, U.K.
James Joyce's Ulysses is the story of a day in the life - 16 June, 1904 - of one Leopold Bloom as he perambulates around Dublin....It promises hundreds of lectures and discussions on all sorts of topics, from "Stepping out of the Page: Kate Bush's Joycean (Re)creations" by Patricia Smith of Hofstra University, to "Some Effects and Implications of Narrative Omniscience in Ulysses" by Weldon Thornton of the University of North Carolina.

National Coverage

Mammogram wait times can often exceed three months
USA Today
If you want to mark your 40th birthday by getting your first mammogram, you might want to think about scheduling it before you hire the band and caterer for your celebratory bash....The number of machines might have increased, but fewer and fewer doctors want to read mammograms. National Academies report co-author Etta Pisano, director of breast imaging at the University of North Carolina Hospitals, says she and her colleagues in the field face a "triple whammy": high malpractice risk, low reimbursement and high regulation.
UNC media advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2004/iom060704.html

Faithful campers
The Mercury News, San Jose, CA
Minal Belani of Saratoga has gone to leadership camp near Santa Cruz, and a community day camp in Cupertino where she drew pictures, played ball and made lanyards.....Nearly 40 percent of U.S. teens have, at least once, attended a summer camp run by a religious organization, according to the National Study of Youth and Religion at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

State & Local Coverage

Online database compiles public service projects (Question & Answer)
The News & Observer
UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor James Moeser says it whenever he gets a chance: "The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill serves North Carolina every day in meaningful, relevant ways. In short, 'Carolina Connects.' "...Lynn Blanchard, director of the Carolina Center for Public Service, answers questions about the new database, which at last count included information about more than 700 projects.
UNC news release on "Carolina Connects": http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may04/carolinaconnects052704.html
Carolina Center for Public Service: http://www.unc.edu/cps

Passion marks outgoing Duke president's tenure
The Herald-Sun
They're called "miracle boxes" because they pop into place with ease and can store a row of papers just over a foot long....UNC recently named a $3 million visiting professorship in Keohane's honor. The gift was unveiled at a dinner in Chapel Hill attended by more than 300 UNC and Duke faculty. "I think most would agree, we've built a stronger relationship between Duke and UNC than ever existed," said UNC Chancellor James Moeser.

UNC receives $3M endowment
Triangle Business Journal
An anonymous donor has given $3 million to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill to endow a new professorship in honor of Richard Cole, who has served as dean of the School of Journalism and Mass Communication for 25 years.
Note: The endowment was also mentioned as an item in today's Footnote section in the News & Observer.
UNC news release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun04/cole061004.html

Better living can ease obesity
The News & Observer
The notice to join a clinical trial appeared on the bulletin board at work one day, and Herbert Maddox instantly was interested -- if only to pick up an easy $150....Last fall, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researchers reported that one in eight rural North Carolina schoolchildren had early phases of heart disease -- in no small part because they were overweight and out of shape.

The bill's a whopper
The News & Observer
The instant in October that Don Groh suffered a heart attack, the tab for some unhealthy choices started to mount. Medicare paid most of the $40,000 bill for three days at Rex Healthcare and more than $200 a month for rehab at Rex Wellness Center....Scientists at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill analyzed food consumption records from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and found that Americans are downing an extra 132 calories a day in corn sweeteners, primarily in sodas and fruit juices.
Note: The previous two articles are from a series that has been in development for 4-6 months. The School of Public Health and News Services assisted the reporter with background, contacts and interview setups.

State's nursing ranks dwindle
The News & Observer
North Carolina's nursing work force could dwindle to dire proportions during the next decade if measures are not taken to bolster nursing school enrollments and make the job more attractive to those currently working at patients' bedsides...."We need to increase enrollments in our existing public and private nursing schools," said Cynthia M. Freund, professor and dean emerita of the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Nursing.

Pass it in memory of Jessica, Christen (Editorial)
The Wilmington Star-News
A few days after Jessica Faulkner was murdered, a state legislative committee proposed a long list of legal changes aimed at making such crimes less likely....A UNC-Chapel Hill professor who studied such a program at the Albemarle Correctional Institute says it seemed to help.
UNC news release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jun04/woodstudy061004.html

Economy shapes race for Senate
Greensboro News & Record
Ailing pillars of North Carolina's traditional economy are taking center stage in the U.S. Senate race...."The old economy is collapsing and a lot of people are feeling the pain," said Ferrel Guillory, who directs the Program on Southern Politics, Media and Public Life at UNC-Chapel Hill.

City perks persist in hard times
The Charlotte Observer
As Kings Mountain struggles to close a nearly $3 million revenue gap created by the loss of major industries, interim City Manager Gary Hicks said the city might eventually need to look more closely at its fringe benefits -- including Christmas bonuses for employees, the mayor and city council....After hearing a rundown of some of the fringe benefits in Kings Mountain's budget, David Lawrence, professor at the UNC Chapel Hill Institute of Government, said, "Nothing strikes me as unique here."

UNC sociologist rethinks the lessons of Iran
The Chapel Hill News
In the world of politics, it has been said, a revolution is a perfect storm - rare and uniquely destructive....One such sociologist is UNC-Chapel Hill's Charles Kurzman, who has focused his studies on the Iranian revolution of 1978.
UNC tip sheet: http://www.unc.edu/news/newstips/2004/kurzman012904.html

Subsidies bypass small business
Greensboro News & Record
As Greensboro-based RF Micro Devices Inc. asks for its third round of subsidies from local and state governments to hire workers and expand its plant, one local man said economic developers should rethink their job creation strategy....An economist at UNC-Chapel Hill said economic developers should not stop recruiting big businesses but they should cast a wider net than they have in the past.

Immigration laws dim college hopes
The News & Observer
Sara conquered limited English and homesickness for her native Mexico to become an outstanding student at her Raleigh high school....State public universities don't accept applications from such students, said Bobby Kanoy, UNC-CH associate vice president for academic and student affairs.

UNC grievance process under siege
The Chapel Hill News
University workers on the lower rungs of the employment ladder are routinely mistreated, and the avenues available to seek redress are riddled with potholes, union members and a local civil rights lawyer say.

Issues & Trends

Future occupations rely on education (Editorial)
Greensboro News & Record
The biotechnology industry in North Carolina can continue to grow rapidly but needs a greater supply of qualified workers.

No need for law to regulate UNC enrollment (Editorial)
The Fayetteville Observer
The mission of the University of North Carolina system isn't to garner prestige or preen over high national rankings of top campuses. It is to educate students of this state.

Misplaced priorities (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
A panel of the UNC board of governors wants to hand out big pay raises for top executives in the 16-campus University of North Carolina system -- $58,697 more for UNC President Molly Broad.

UNC raises another stink (Editorial)
The Wilmington Star-News
Displaying their customary judgment, some members of the UNC Board of Governors want to give huge raises to the chancellors of five campuses and to Molly Broad, the president of the system.

NCSU sets fund-raising target
The News & Observer
N.C. State University plans to raise $1 billion in its capital campaign, a big-time move that would put it alongside just a few dozen universities in the nation's top tier of higher education fund raising.....Locally, Duke University recently finished a $2 billion capital campaign, and UNC-Chapel Hill is in the midst of a $1.8 billion capital campaign.

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

Past issues of Carolina in the News are located at http://www.unc.edu/news/clips/index.shtml.

Note: Web links on this page are time-sensitive, so stories might not be available after the day they first appeared.