March 27, 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:

Experts Support Move to Curb Some Smallpox Vaccinations
The New York Times
Medical experts said the government acted correctly on Tuesday when it 
temporarily suspended smallpox vaccinations for people with heart disease. ... 
"It's certainly plausible, and I think the literature suggests that back when 
smallpox vaccine was being used, there were kind of vague reports about
inflammatory involvement of the heart," said Dr. Sidney Smith, director of 
the University of North Carolina's Center for Cardiovascular Science 
and Medicine.
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/27/international/worldspecial/27SMAL.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Cell phone talking and driving don't mix 
United Press International
Driving while on the phone could double a person's chances of getting into a 
rear-end collision, a new study shows ... The authors, from the University of 
North Carolina in Chapel Hill, found most drivers who talk on their phones 
while on the road are between ages 25 and 39.
http://www.upi.com/view.cfm?StoryID=20030326-061025-7644r
(Note: This coverage was the result of a UNC news release, 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar03/stutts032603.html)

Political landscape also shapes battlefield plans
South Florida Sun Sentinel
The U.S. military's plan to take Iraq in a lightning-fast drive instead of a 
methodical march reflects the Bush administration's desire to remove Saddam 
Hussein from power with as little fighting and destruction of the country as 
possible. ... ``The real purpose in a sense is to try to excise the cancer of the 
Saddam Hussein regime out of Iraq," said Richard Kohn, a professor of 
military history at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. 
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/search/sfl-astrategy26mar26.story

Disease Detectives Face a New World 
The Washington Post 
When Denise Sockwell accepted a job as an epidemiologist for the Virginia 
Department of Health three years ago, she barely noticed one line in her job 
description -- that she'd be involved in bioterrorism preparedness and 
response. ... She went to graduate school at the University of North Carolina's
School of Public Health and has worked for the Centers for Disease Control 
and Prevention and in the private sector.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A29182-2003Mar25.html

OHSU finds new possible alcoholism link in brain 
The Oregonian
Addiction to alcohol may be driven in part by a previously unknown brain 
signaling pathway discovered by researchers at Oregon Health & Science 
University. ... "That is very compelling evidence, I think, to suggest that this 
may actually be a neurochemical pathway involved in alcohol consumption," 
said Todd Thiele, an assistant professor of psychology at the 
University of North Carolina.
http://www.oregonlive.com/science/oregonian/index.ssf?/base/science/1048683993194250.xml

National News Note

Bill Roper, dean of the School of Public Health, was interviewed by NBC 
Newschannel for a segment about the smallpox vaccine effort yesterday. 
This segment is expected to be distributed to NBC affiliates nationwide and 
is being shared with NBC, MSNBC and CNBC. Roper will also be the 
featured guest on the "The Jerry Agar Show," which airs on WPTF-AM 
(680 AM) today from 3:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. about bioterrorism preparedness.

Regional Coverage

Great American Public Universities: How does the UM vision size up?
The Daily Mississippian (student publication of the University of Mississippi)
Six years ago, before he took office as chancellor, Robert Khayat had a vision 
for Ole Miss. ... He mentioned the University of Virginia, University of North 
Carolina, University of Michigan, University of Texas and University of Illinois 
as schools he views as great American public universities.
http://www.thedmonline.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2003/03/27/3e82c4442ef76

Survey finds positive TOPS outcome 
The Baton Rouge Advocate (La.)
One in five freshmen who entered Louisiana's public colleges with a TOPS 
scholarship in 1998 received a bachelor's degree four years later, according 
to a preliminary Board of Regents study. ... "That's a nationally competitive, 
high retention rate. It's what you would find at the University of Texas at 
Austin and the University of North Carolina," Savoie said.
http://www.theadvocate.com/stories/032703/new_tops001.shtml

State and Local Coverage

Developer will be sworn in today as UNC trustee 
The Herald-Sun
Local developer Roger Perry won’t be doing any business with Carolina for a 
while. Perry, a 1971 UNC graduate, will be sworn in today as the university’s 
newest trustee. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-335555.html

Region's campus experts try to give war issues context 
News and Observer
When U.S. attention turns to unfamiliar lands such as Iraq, Mark Crescenzi 
knows it's just a matter of time until his phone will ring. An assistant professor 
of political science at UNC-Chapel Hill, Crescenzi is an expert on 
international conflict and war. 
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2380909p-2218863c.html

Former Baghad Resident Watches War From Unique Perspective
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
War touches people in different ways. One Triangle woman has a unique 
perspective on the action in Iraq. ... Dr. Maha Allatar knows about life under 
Saddam Hussein. ... In fact, the assistant professor at the University Of 
North Carolina in Chapel Hill believes it's her responsibility to share her 
story with the media.
http://www.wral.com/news/2066782/detail.html
(Note: A related story was featured on News 14 Carolina (Time-Warner, 
Raleigh), http://rdu.news14.com/content/headlines/?ArID=26222&SecID=2)

More blacks question Iraq conflict 
News and Observer
With clippers in hand and a talkative former military man in her barber chair, 
Marilyn Chaplin cut to the chase when the topic of conversation turned to the 
war in Iraq. ... "All of us can surmise [that black opposition] may have a great 
deal to do with the number of foot soldiers who are African-American," said
Joseph Jordan, director of the Sonja Haynes Stone Black Cultural 
Center at UNC-Chapel Hill. 
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2382105p-2218919c.html

Sing out, for war or peace (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer
Our nation has embarked on a war designed ostensibly to liberate Iraqis from 
a brutal dictator and establish something approximating American democracy ... 
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2380834p-2218916c.html
(Note: Arnold H. Loewy is a Graham Kenan professor of law at the 
UNC School of Law. )

New UNC Liver Failure Device Aims To Save Lives
WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh)
Without a transplant, most cases of acute liver failure are deadly, but a new 
device out of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill could help save 
lives.
http://www.wral.com/health/2051248/detail.html
(Note: A UNC news release on this device is available at
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar03/livercells031103.html)

Study finds drivers distracted 
News and Observer
Talk on a cell phone while driving, and you may soon be talking to a bumper. 
A new study that examined car crashes involving cell phones showed that 
drivers who talk on the phone are more prone to rear-end collisions than any 
other type of crash. Of all crashes involving cell phone users, 45 percent were 
rear-enders, according to researchers at the UNC Highway Safety Research 
Center, which released the report Wednesday.
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/triangle/story/2381068p-2218935c.html

Native son coming to Carolina for tribute 
The Herald-Sun
He’s got a friend right here. Chapel Hill Museum Director Morgan Kenney 
hopes the town’s native son, James Taylor, has at least 10,000 friends who’ll
turn up to honor the singer on April 26 at the Dean Dome. ... The free, public 
1 p.m. tribute to the Chapel Hill-bred musician will feature a keynote speech 
by Governor Mike Easley, remarks by UNC Chancellor James Moeser and 
Chapel Hill Mayor Kevin Foy and centers around the dedication of a bridge 
in Taylor’s name. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-335582.html

Asian oysters to boost local population, harvests
Outer Banks Sentinel
The Asian oyster may soon be introduced into North Carolina waters to 
provide relief for the dwindling native bivalve population and those who 
harvest them. ...The Golden Leaf Foundation recently awarded Charles 
"Pete" Peterson of the University of North Carolina Institute of Marine 
Sciences in Morehead City a $50,000 grant to study what impact introducing 
the Asian oyster would have not only on the state's waters, but also on the 
Eastern oyster population. 
http://www.obsentinel.com/features.cfm?&features_id=188

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

College Officials Urge Lawmakers to Fix Problems That Security 
Measures Pose for Foreign Students
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The U.S. Departments of State and Homeland Security must eliminate the 
backlog of visa applications by international students and fix serious problems 
with the federal database that tracks them, a panel of college experts warned 
the U.S. House of Representatives Science Committee on Wednesday.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/03/2003032701n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription 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