March 31, 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:

Military Mirrors Working-Class America
The New York Times
They left small towns and inner cities, looking for a way out and up, or fled the 
anonymity of the suburbs, hoping to find themselves. ... "The officer corps has 
always been more conservative," said Richard H. Kohn, a professor of 
military history at the University of North Carolina. "But even so, the change 
there is dramatic."
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/international/worldspecial/30DEMO.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

A change of heart in Miami
The Chicago Tribune
For decades, the idea of talking with the Cuban government would have been 
tantamount to treason in an exile community unflinchingly devoted to the 
overthrow of the Castro regime. ... "A new generation of Cuban-Americans 
are trying to reach out and come to an accord," said Louis Perez, an author 
and history professor at the University of North Carolina.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0303300351mar30,1,2635125.story
(Note: The Chicago Tribune requires free registration to access articles. )

Hug a day may help the heart stay fitter
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Getting a better grip on your health might be just a squeeze away, according to 
a recent study. Holding hands and hugging were linked to lower blood pressure 
in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill research.
http://www.accessatlanta.com/ajc/epaper/editions/monday/features_e378ce91841b409400a8.html

National News Note

William Leuchtenburg, William Rand Kenan Professor of History 
Emeritus, was a featured guest on National Public Radio's "The Connection" 
on March 27.  Leuchtenburg spoke about the presidency of Lyndon Baines 
Johnson.  For more information or to listen to this program online, go to 
http://www.theconnection.org/shows/2003/03/20030327_b_main.asp.

State and Local Coverage

Here's the deal on admissions 
News and Observer
If the rules of getting into college could somehow be reduced to a card game, 
it wouldn't take long for parents to realize their children can indeed build 
themselves a perfect hand. ... "Once in a while you get an application from 
some student who is Mr. or Mrs. Everything," said Jerry Lucido, admissions 
director at UNC-Chapel Hill. 
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2394353p-2230265c.html

N.C. colleges watch cases closely 
News and Observer
Donna Sweeney, a Southeast Raleigh High School senior with a 4.3 grade- 
point average, waited for months to find out whether she was accepted at 
UNC-Chapel Hill, even though some of her classmates got in right away. ... 
Numbers show Duke, N.C. State University and UNC-CH are about 10 
percent African-American. Duke and UNC-CH have won national praise for 
their success in recruiting black students.
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2394353p-2230193c.html

Keeping race in the picture (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer
On Tuesday the U.S. Supreme Court is to hear oral argument in the much-
noted University of Michigan affirmative action case. It is a matter of no small 
import.
http://newsobserver.com/editorials/story/2394300p-2230284c.html
(Note: Gene R. Nichol is dean and the Burton Craige professor of law 
at the UNC School of Law.)

UNC gets new dean in School of Pharmacy 
The Herald-Sun
Robert A. Blouin, a longtime faculty member and administrator with the 
University of Kentucky College of Pharmacy, has been named the ninth dean 
of UNC’s School of Pharmacy. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-336415.html
(Note: For more information, visit 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar03/blouin032703.html)

Tar Heel Bus Tour resumes after year layoff 
The Herald-Sun
UNC’s annual Tar Heel Bus Tour, canceled last year because of budget 
constraints, will resume this year. 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-336296.html

The push on is on for Safe Ball
Charlotte Observer
For a guy who grew up in New Zealand and never played Little League, UNC 
Chapel Hill's Steve Marshall knows a lot about youth baseball -- especially 
about injuries. Marshall, an assistant professor, is principal author of a new 
study that says softer safety balls and face guards on batting helmets can 
significantly reduce injuries.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/living/health/5521815.htm 
(Note: Marshall's research was the subject of a UNC news release, 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/feb03/marshal013003.html.)

Bush as James Bond doesn't work, either (Opinion-Editorial Column)
News and Observer, Q Section
In international politics as in personal relations, the use of force does not 
show influence but rather its lack. 
http://newsobserver.com/news/q/story/2391381p-2227869c.html
(Note: Timothy McKeown is an associate professor of political science 
at UNC.)

Carolina North: Not what, but why? (Commentary)
Chapel Hill News
Since Professor Williams passed on in 1940, there have been all kinds of
concepts for what to do with his land off Airport Road, a place a UNC Board
of Trustees member once described as "the Thousand-Acre Woods."
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/2386176p-2223494c.html

Stop squabbling over Amber alert system (Editorial)
Charlotte Observer
Here's hoping Congress will buckle down and approve nationwide expansion 
of the Amber alert system. ... From a new study by researchers at UNC 
Chapel Hill: Drivers talking on cell phones are nearly twice as likely as other 
drivers involved in crashes to have rear-end collisions.
http://www.charlotte.com/mld/observer/news/5521776.htm
(Note: This study was the subject of a UNC news release, 
http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/mar03/stutts032603.html)

Poll: North Carolinians optimistic about war 
News and Observer
A statewide poll of North Carolina residents showed a large majority supports 
the war in Iraq and is optimistic about its outcome. The poll, conducted Sunday 
through Thursday by the School of Journalism and Mass Communication 
at UNC-Chapel Hill, showed 69 percent of 613 adults surveyed said that the 
war "was a good idea." 
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2387948p-2225132c.html

Look who's standing up to big media 
The Independent Weekly
This summer, leaders in Washington will make a decision that will affect 
everything you see, hear and read. ... "Whatever you think about the level of 
television news, within television WRAL has a superb reputation for local 
connection and attention to the local issues," said Ferrel Guillory, director 
of the Program on Southern Politics, Media & Public Life at UNC-CH. 
When Guillory's group used a Pew Foundation grant to promote coverage of 
local political candidates, he says WRAL "took the lead" by setting aside the 
last two to three minutes of the evening newscast as free airtime for political 
candidates.
http://indyweek.com/durham/current/cover.html

Researchers peek inside growing minds 
News and Observer 
William Jennings of Durham showed up for his first experiment at Duke 
University in a red sailor suit, with a jaunty little matching cap. ... Steve 
Reznick, a professor of psychology and director of the developmental 
psychology program at UNC, sends out a letter in English and Spanish in 
hopes of adding to his database of baby volunteers.
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2387912p-2225068c.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Attack on Colleges' Aid to Minorities Widens
The New York Times
As the Supreme Court prepares itself to tackle affirmative action in university 
admissions this week, a new offensive is well under way against scholarships 
and summer programs intended to ease minority students into college life. 
http://www.nytimes.com/2003/03/30/education/30AFFI.html
(Note: The New York Times requires free registration to access articles.)

Education Dept. Calls for Colleges to Use Alternatives to Race-
Conscious Admissions
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Colleges have many race-neutral ways to obtain diverse student bodies and 
need to stop relying on race-conscious admissions policies, according to a 
report released Friday by the U.S. Education Department.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2003/03/2003033101n.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