March 10, 2003

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

An enduring debate: cancer and abortion
The Los Angeles Times
Could having an abortion increase a woman's risk of breast cancer? The 
politically charged question, the subject of more than 30 peer-reviewed studies 
over recent decades, was supposed to have been put to rest five years ago when 
one of the largest and most respected studies on the topic found no correlation ... 
Because of reporting and other biases involved in abortion-breast cancer research, 
"most of the conclusions from [these] case-controlled studies aren't worthwhile," 
says David Grimes, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the 
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill ...
http://www.latimes.com/features/health/la-he-cancer10mar10,1,1344152.story
(Note: The Los Angeles Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Lawn of Averages (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Washington Post
The University of Virginia, the child of Thomas Jefferson's old age, is a university 
of national stature ... State universities nationwide have seen tax support decline, 
but Virginia provides U-Va. little more than half the funding per student that North 
Carolina does for its flagship Chapel Hill campus and only about 60 percent of 
what Berkeley receives from California ... 
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A59738-2003Mar7.html

Q&A
Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Q: A recent report said researchers had determined that taking aspirin reduces the 
risk of colon cancer among people prone to the malignancy. What was the dosage?
... "Based on these two studies, I think we can conclude that aspirin works, but we 
are not sure of the best dose," said Dr. Robert Sandler of the University of North 
Carolina, who directed one of the studies ...
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/sunday/metro_e3a61e58b2d5c04a0087.html

Plan to elevate UMass Amherst raises questions
The Lowell Sun (MA)
Gov. Mitt Romney's complex plan to overhaul the state's public higher education 
system has its controversial elements, perhaps most notable, a plan to eliminate the 
University of Massachusetts president's office and dismiss its high-profile occupant, 
William Bulger. ... It's an idea that has been floated often in the past. Can UMass 
Amherst, surrounded on all sides by world-renowned private universities, one day 
be mentioned in the same breath with the University of California at Berkeley or the 
University of North Carolina/Chapel Hill? 
http://www.lowellsun.com/Stories/0,1413,105%257E4746%257E1231657,00.html
(Note: This article also appeared in The Fitchburg Sentinel.)

Regional Coverage

Legislature up against DUI deadline
The State (SC)
South Carolina legislators traditionally have been slow to pass legislation that would 
toughen the state's traffic laws. ... Researchers have found that educating the public 
as to how alcohol impairs drivers won't change people's behavior, as they say 
people who drink and drive don't believe they are really impaired, said scientist Rob
Foss, manager of alcohol studies at the University of North Carolina Highway 
Safety Research Center. 
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/local/5351510.htm

State and Local Coverage

Budget leaves UNC research funds alone
Chapel Hill News
Education leaders said they are pleased that Gov. Mike Easley’s proposed budget, 
released last week, limits cuts to education. They remain hopeful that legislators, too, 
will hold the line as they sharpen their pencils and prepare their own version. ...
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/2295093p-2157620c.html

Fans kick up Heels 
News and Observer
For an afternoon, it was like old times: bitter rivals, lead changes, blood on the floor 
and a 3-point shot that swished a split second late ... About 600 people flooded 
downtown Chapel Hill to celebrate UNC's first victory over Duke in two years with 
exuberant screams, streaming toilet paper and blaring horns. 
http://newsobserver.com/sports/story/2305334p-2164981c.html

Divided loyalties
Chapel Hill News
Back during those bitterly cold weeks in January, Melissa Anderson was one of the 
hundreds of college students camped out in Krzyzewski-ville ... Anderson is one of 
30 students — half at Carolina, half at Duke — who constitute the inaugural class 
of Robertson Scholars. The scholarship, instituted in 2001 thanks to a $24 million 
gift from UNC alumnus Julian Robertson and his wife, Josie, is designed to 
encourage academic excellence, service, and collaboration between the two 
universities. ... 
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/our_town/story/2294570p-2157140c.html

Four area students among 40 Morehead Scholars 
The Herald-Sun
Forty young leaders from high schools across the nation and Great Britain — 
including 22 from North Carolina — have been named Morehead Scholars at 
UNC. ...
http://www.herald-sun.com/chatham/13-328741.html
(Note: Other stories covering Friday's announcement of the 2003 Morehead 
Scholars includes The Winston-Salem Journal, 
http://www.journalnow.com/wsj/MGB3YB621DD.html, The Fayetteville Observer, 
http://www.fayettevillenc.com/story.php?Template=region&Story=5517102, The 
News and Observer, http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2297394p-2159414c.html, 
and The Charlotte Observer, 
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/local/5344842.htm. News Services 
works closely with the Morehead Foundation in coordinating the public announcement 
of these winners in North Carolina and beyond. To view the news release, go to 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar03/morehead030703.html.)

Chemists make air quality discovery 
News and Observer
Atmospheric chemists at UNC-Chapel Hill do whatever it takes to whip up bad air. 
They'll fire up a worn-out Mercedes sedan or stoke a wood stove to generate the 
right fumes. ...
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/2305406p-2164945c.html

An obligation of informed opinion (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer, Q Section
Journalist-philosopher Walter Lippmann didn't think much of public opinion. In the 
1920s, he noted that forming intelligent, coherent opinions on complex world issues 
was like a fat man trying to be a ballet dancer. It was just too much to expect. ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/q/story/2301808p-2162395c.html
(Note: Robert L. Stevenson is a professor of journalism at UNC Chapel Hill. ) 

Bush unique in his defiance of so much opposition (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer, Q Section
If George W. Bush persists in his headlong march toward war with Iraq, he will be 
making history -- but not in the way he imagines. ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/q/story/2301808p-2162392c.html
(Note: William E. Leuchtenburg is a professor emeritus of history at 
UNC-Chapel Hill.)

Foreign service recruits to look like America (Question and Answer)
News and Observer
Before she joined the U.S. Foreign Service nearly 20 years ago, Pamela Corey-
Archer held a variety of jobs, including consumer affairs reporter in Bangkok, 
diplomatic gossip columnist in Laos, advertising copywriter in Panama, film producer, 
real estate agent, even a Spanish language broadcaster for Voice of America. As 
a diplomat, she has been posted to six countries. ... Today, Corey-Archer is one 
of 14 diplomats based at campuses across the country. Part of her job at UNC-
Chapel Hill is to recruit students, faculty and staff to join the U.S. Foreign Service. 
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/2305408p-2164952c.html

4 suicides at UNC raise alarm 
News and Observer
Jeffrey MacLaren bought the shotgun at Dick's Sporting Goods on a chilly 
Wednesday in January, one day after he quit taking an antidepressant that made 
him too sleepy ...
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2303010p-2163463c.html
(Note: This story also appeared in The Charlotte Observer, The Winston-Salem
Journal and The Wilmington Morning-Star.)

UNC families told to move out 
The Herald-Sun
The wording of the announcement seemed innocuous. Residents of Odum Village 
were invited last week to a series of "Lease Renewal" meetings. ...
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-328976.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

More Students Line Up at Financial Aid Office
The New York Times
Appealing to the financial aid office is an annual ritual for Christy Kull, a senior at 
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University. Tell all and plead desperately has 
always been her motto and, somehow, things seemed to work out fine. ... 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/10/education/10AID.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

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