May 1, 2003

Current National Coverage

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

Rumsfeld is perched at 'pinnacle of power'
USA Today
Wednesday, a grinning Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld toured Baghdad,
capping a giddy couple of weeks in which his vision of modern warfare seemed
largely vindicated, his place in history assured. ... "He seems utterly lacking in
humility or the normal concerns that most people have for what others think of
them," says Richard Kohn, a University of North Carolina history professor
and authority on military culture.
Full story

Amused? Want to Hear More? One Term Says It All: 'Shut Up!'
The Wall Street Journal
As chief of staff to a California assemblyman, Bob Hartnagel chooses his words
carefully -- especially when his boss is around. ... "Words that were once
considered rude are now included in regular conversation, but in a context that
lets you know it's not impolite," says Connie Eble, professor of English at
the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the author of "Slang and
Sociability."
(Note: The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to access articles.)
Full story

Earth's Best Friend: Corporate America?
BusinessWeek Online
David Leith, an environmental researcher at the University of North
Carolina, has noticed a pronounced changing of the guard in the effort to
protect the nation's air, water, and natural resources.
Full story

Singing soy's praises
The Record (Bergen County, N.J.)
Some poor but highly publicized research has created misunderstanding about
the health benefits of soy. "The bottom line is that soy foods are generally a
healthful addition to most people's diets - particularly when they replace full-fat
dairy products and meat, which are high in nutrients often eaten in excess by
Americans," says Suzanne Havala Hobbs. Hobbs is a vegetarian author and
assistant professor at the School of Public Health at the University of
North Carolina.
Full story
(Note: This article originally appeared in The Miami Herald.)

Kindergarten quandary at DPS
Rocky Mountain News (Col.)
Regina Alcorn has one kindergarten student who easily reads Magic Treehouse
books with chapters. ... Donna Bryant is a senior scientist at the Frank Porter
Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Feeling pressure to boost achievement scores starting in kinder-
garten, U.S. schools have moved in the opposite direction by raising the age of
children allowed to enter kindergarten, she says.
Full story

Birthday marked in bayous
The Washington Times
Louisiana is having a birthday this year and everyone is welcome to see its birth
certificate. ... Seeing it is "astonishing and wonderful," said Seth Reice, an
ecology professor at the University of North Carolina who was vacationing
in New Orleans.
(Note: This Associated Press story also appeared in The Grand Rapids (Mich.)
Press.)
Full story

National News Note

David Weber, professor of epidemiology in the School of Public Health
and of pediatrics and medicine in the School of Medicine, was interviewed
by NBC Newschannel, based in Charlotte, about SARS. The interview has been
incorporated into news feed sent yesterday afternoon to the 200-plus NBC-TV
stations around the country, as well as MSNBC-TV and CNBC-TV. Locally,
a story was scheduled to run during the 5:30 p.m. newscast Wednesday on
WNCN-TV (NBC, Raleigh).

State and Local Coverage

Will to Live
WNCT-TV (CBS, Greenville)
It's an amazing story of determination, faith and a will to live. One man who
barely made it out alive of the explosion at West Pharmaceuticals in Kinston
is still recovering three months after the blast. Forty-six-year-old Jim Edwards
is the last victim from the explosion at the North Carolina Jaycee Burn
Center in Chapel Hill.
(Note: WNCT-TV reporter Kara Lusk is an alumnae of the School of
Journalism and Mass Communication.)
Full story

Staying above water
Asheville Citizen-Times
... The swim test that has been required of University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill students has been sunk in a sweeping series of curriculum
revisions. "We felt that, whatever its merits, it doesn't belong in the general
education curriculum," said Laurie McNeil, a physics professor.
Full story
(Note: To view this brief, which was picked up by the Associated Press, Raleigh,
from The Herald-Sun, go to the about url and scroll down the web page.)

A fresh look at eggs (Commentary)
News and Observer
According to many recent articles, the egg is making a comeback. Eggs are
not the feared cholesterol-packing orbs we've all been instructed to shun, but
little wonders of nature that pack many of the things we need to eat.
Full story
(Note: Suzanne Havala Hobbs is an assistant professor at the School of
Public Health.)

Phi Beta Kappa keys go to local residents
The Herald-Sun
Several local residents are among 96 UNC students inducted into Phi Beta
Kappa recently.
Full story
(Note: For more information, see a UNC news release.)

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

Tuition Minefield at State Schools
The New York Times
Last week the trustees of Miami University in Ohio, the state's highly ranked
public university, thought they had found a novel solution to the university's
financial predicament. ... With projected budget deficits totaling $100 billion in
coming months, many state legislatures have slashed funds for higher education,
and half the states are considering further cuts next year. The longer-term trend
is also for relatively less public support: the share of public colleges' revenues
from state subsidies has declined over the last two decades. Because two-thirds
of college students attend public institutions, dwindling subsidies have far-
reaching consequences.
(Note: The New York Times requires a subscription to access articles.)
Full story

Senate passes $15.1 billion budget
News and Observer
The Senate gave final approval to its proposed $15.1 billion state budget
Wednesday, giving negotiators two months to reach a compromise with a
slightly smaller House spending plan.
Full story

In the numbers (Editorial)
News and Observer
To their credit, state senators who supported their chamber's budget plan made
some hard decisions. They saw that additional revenues are a need that can't
be denied in a year when North Carolina's finances remain anemic.
Full story

A better budget (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
Not to be outdone by the state House's fast action on Gov. Mike Easley's
proposed budget, the Senate has also acted quickly, approving a $15.1 billion
budget that delays scheduled tax cuts in order to meet pressing state needs. ...
The Senate plan instead balances the budget by increasing tuition for UNC
system students, state parks entry fees and other fee increases. ... The Senate
plan also granted 1.8 percent pay raises for state workers ...
Full story

ACC boundaries
News and Observer
The University of Miami is considering a move to the ACC that could prompt
other Big East schools to follow suit, even as officials at ACC schools disagree
on the merits of expansion.
http://newsobserver.com/sports/story/2504134p-2327094c.html

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

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