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May 16, 2005
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:National Coverage
European Chosen to Head WTO
Los Angeles Times
Former European Commission trade chief Pascal Lamy on Friday won the race to be the next head of the powerful World Trade Organization, the overseer of global commerce....His political leanings also have made him more empathetic to the potentially harmful effects of trade on the environment and human rights, said Susan Aaronson, who directs a project on trade and corporate social responsibility at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School.
Budget Cuts at NSF May Signal a Crisis in Computing
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Many researchers warn that a crisis looms for academic supercomputing in the United States, largely because of what they see as the National Science Foundation's failure to support the technology adequately...."There is at the moment a lot of uncertainty," says Daniel A. Reed, a former director of the National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and the vice chancellor for information technology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Subscription required.Forging a Place for Environmental Studies (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Environmental-studies programs have become immensely popular with students, but the question of how to incorporate them into the curriculum has posed difficult challenges for colleges and universities....Douglas J. Crawford-Brown is a professor of environmental science and public policy and director of the Carolina Environmental Program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Subscription required.In a Lawsuit, North Carolina Schools Seek Proceeds From Colleges' Parking and Library Fines
The Chronicle of Higher Education
A lawsuit before the North Carolina Supreme Court argues that public schools should get all of the proceeds from parking and library fines collected by state universities....An official of the University of North Carolina system says the approximately $6-million collected annually from parking tickets and library fines are needed to hire parking-enforcement officers, replace lost books, and pay off revenue bonds for parking facilities on the 16 campuses.
Subscription required.Regional Coverage
Student stood up for desegregation
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
Some high school students excel in academics.....Just a few weeks ago she received a Robertson scholarship - a full ride to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill plus money to pay for summer community service projects in the United States and abroad.
William and Mary grads urged to be fearless
The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Va.)
Former vice presidential candidate John Edwards urged law graduates at the College of William and Mary on Sunday to work not just to increase their paychecks, but also to lift others out of poverty....Edwards, the former U.S. senator from North Carolina who ran with Democrat John F. Kerry in last year's presidential campaign, launched a center to attack poverty earlier this year at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
State & Local Coverage
The class of 9/11 graduates
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Chanel Francis was never much of a news hound....Then came September 11 of 2001, and Francis, then a new freshman on the idyllic, cloistered UNC-Chapel Hill campus, got the reality check of a lifetime.
Related links: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/ncwire_news/story/2411285p-8789426c.html
http://newsobserver.com/news/story/2405409p-8783059c.htmlHumor, sadness tinge ceremony
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
The sound of Tar Heel voices rose to the sky Sunday morning as UNC said goodbye to another 4,600 graduates.
Two women journey from 'what if?'
News & Record (Greensboro)
Shanda Moon stood in the doorway of the classroom, amid the emotional chaos of what is middle school...."I'm probably not going to change the world, but I want to do what I can to impact their lives one student at a time," said Moon, 22, who graduates today from UNC-Chapel Hill.
Mebane mayor, 72, back for sheepskin
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Michael Jordan did it. Vince Carter did it. Now Glendel Stephenson is going to do it....At age 72, Stephenson likely will become the record holder for the oldest player to ever return and earn his degree at UNC.
Who's the speech for, anyway? (Commentary)
The Chapel Hill Herald
The Rev. Peter Gomes seems like a pretty accomplished guy. A Baptist minister at The Memorial Church at Harvard, Gomes also teaches at the nation's preeminent institution. A distinguished preacher, his biography suggests a lifetime of rich experiences gathered from behind both the church pulpit and the classroom lectern.
Grads learned lessons off-campus, too (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Most of the students who will march into Kenan Stadium today and then march out with their diplomas from UNC will not stay around this community. They will head off to parts near and far to begin the rest of their lives, make their livings and find their futures.
Into the world (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
No matter what controversies the UNC system may be facing, most families who are connecting with a public or private university this time of year have smiles on their faces. Somebody's graduating.
Robertson Scholars span the Duke-UNC divide
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
They will graduate at the same time Sunday, only 10 miles and a few shades of blue apart.....Commencement is the end of an unusual journey for the first class of Robertson Scholars -- some of whom attended Duke University and some, UNC-Chapel Hill.
Campus effort would hurt UNC system (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Remember the parsing of words, including attempts to define what "is" is, during the run-up to the impeachment trial of President Bill Clinton? We are reminded of that less-than-glorious episode because of the less-than-glorious debate that has recently engulfed the UNC system Board of Governors, the state Senate and UNC-Chapel Hill administrators.
UNC showdown (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Those who have orchestrated the backstage scheming in which UNC-Chapel Hill officials and boosters have tried to get their way with state legislators ought to be ashamed. Instead, as The N&O's Jane Stancill reported Friday, they offer no apologies for the fact that staff members and others were deeply involved in reviewing and discussing with lawmakers two misguided Senate budget provisions that would give UNC-Chapel Hill and N. C. State University freedom to set their own tuition levels and would classify all full scholarship holders as in-state students.
Related editorial cartoon: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/powell/Board opposes tuition move
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC Board of Governors made a public statement Friday about protecting its authority to set tuition on the system's 16 campuses....The board approved a resolution opposing a controversial state Senate budget provision that would give trustees at the two research campuses -- N.C. State University and UNC-Chapel Hill -- the power to raise tuition on their own. UNC system officials say the measure would severely undermine the 16-campus governing board's oversight and could fracture the system.
UNC students launch painting business
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Many college students spend their summers guarding lives at swimming pools, waiting tables or filing paperwork to get some cash for the fall. But Ron Jillard, a senior at UNC, wanted a bigger challenge. He has turned his house-painting skills into a business venture and will lead a team of students in sprucing up area houses this summer.
Army Research Office in Durham Could Close
The Associated Press (N.C.)
While Fort Bragg and Seymour Johnson Air Force Base grabbed many of the headlines, the Army Research Office here could quietly be on its way to ending a five-decade residence in North Carolina....The office was established in June 1951 to advance the Army's technological capabilities. Nearly half the scientists and engineers on staff are affiliated with Duke, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and North Carolina State University -- which allows the office to stay on the leading edge of research while reviewing grant proposals and writing requests for them.
Zipcars zapping commuter woes
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Gas prices are rising, parking on campus is disappearing and zipcars are beginning to catch on....It took around six months for the cars to become popular, but Randy Young, spokesman for the university's Public Safety Department, said he is satisfied now with their role on campus.
Chill pill gets him into hall of fame
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Some inventions leave jumbo-size footprints. Take airplanes, nuclear fission and the computer mouse....You can say the same of hysterectomies, Caesarean sections and antibiotics," said Dr. Robert Golden, psychiatry chairman and vice dean of UNC-Chapel Hill's medical school.
Old games, new twist
The Charlotte Observer
Fuhgedabout green felt tables and cheap drinks, chips you can roll between your fingers and the hard eyes of the liar who is sitting next to you, waiting for your decision...."That kind of disciplining has a surprisingly strong effect," said Koleman Strumpf, an economics professor at the University of North Carolina who follows the industry.
Staying open for business (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
We've learned a lot of hard truths about economic globalization over the past few years....Peter A. Coclanis is associate provost for International Affairs, and the Albert R. Newsome professor of history, at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Burr formulating bill to coordinate national emergency response
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A hurricane devastates a coastal town. A chemical spill causes a chaotic mass evacuation. A bioterrorist manipulates the smallpox virus to infect a major city....She added that North Carolina needs to monitor its public-health work force because many employees in the field were approaching retirement. Her agency, which is affiliated with the UNC School of Public Health, coordinates a student search team that has worked approximately 2,000 volunteer hours in disaster relief in the past 18 months.
Related link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/ncwire_news/story/2408857p-8786979c.htmlRescuing Charlie Poole
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Long before he ran a record label, Sugar Hill Records founder Barry Poss was a typical fan of old-time folk and country music.....Throw in last month's Poole symposium at UNC-Chapel Hill and next weekend's annual Charlie Poole Music Festival in Eden (www.charlie-poole.com), and there's the potential for a full-blown Poole revival.
Wilkes mining deal on hold
The Associated Press (N.C.)
The deal would have allowed a mining company to strip the top off a Wilkes County mountain. Instead it started a petition campaign by opponents who say they were blindsided...."It is complex, and evidently, the (UNC-Chapel Hill) Institute of Government had to research it for a day to come up with it," Mayor Norman Call said.
Issues & Trends
Leaders call for top-tier cancer center
The Charlotte Observer
Medical, business and academic leaders in Charlotte are taking steps to create a nationally recognized cancer center that will attract biomedical researchers and biotechnology companies to the area....There are 60 NCI-designated centers in 30 states, including Duke University, UNC-Chapel Hill and Wake Forest University in the Carolinas.
Army office in RTP would go to Md.
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
There has been speculation for years that Department of Defense officials would move the Army Research Office out of the Triangle and closer to Washington. But nothing came of it until Friday, when Secretary Donald Rumsfeld released the Base Realignment and Closure report....Nearly half of the scientists and engineers on staff are affiliated with Duke, UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University. This allows them to keep on the cutting edge of research while reviewing grant proposals and writing requests for them.
As building booms, so do opportunities for new architects in the Triangle
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Construction projects in the Triangle aren't just building neighborhoods, shopping malls or college campuses -- they're also building business at local architecture firms....Architecture work from the UNC system's $3.1 billion bond issue is on the decline, but building projects at private universities are on the upswing, as are some private sector pharmaceutical projects, he said.
Chapel Hill residents seeing red (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Chapel Hill will soon be voting on whether to join in a project called the Community Carbon Reduction project; also known as CRed. Proposed by Douglas Crawford-Brown, the director of UNC's "Carolina Environmental Program," the CRed project calls for the town to pledge to reduce carbon dioxide emissions 60 percent by 2025. And CRed advocates are hoping other towns and cities will also join the CRed program.
At home in Orange County (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Consider it a case of through-the-roof housing prices being the Mother of Invention. In just five years in existence, the Orange Community Housing and Trust program has finished building 100 homes.
Summer sizzles with downtown projects
The Chapel Hill Herald
The town is gearing up for improvements to downtown streets this summer that could total $530,000....Mayor Kevin Foy cited a similar pole along South Road on the UNC campus, which he said looked a bit too industrial for his tastes.
Produced by News Services, Carolina in the News is an e-mail sampling of current news media coverage about Carolina people and programs, as well as issues and trends that affect the university. Stories usually will be online and available free for a limited time - often one to two weeks. Expiration dates before stories move to archives vary by media outlet. Some outlets require free user registration or a subscription.
Carolina in the News is also posted daily to the News Services Web page, http://www.unc.edu/news/clips/index.shtml.
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