May 18, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

National Coverage

When the lines between fiction and history get blurred
Scripps Howard News Service
Apparently, I'm one of maybe three people on the planet who haven't either read or burned "The Da Vinci Code." So I could be way off. ... "Most of the descriptions of ancient documents, in fact, are not factual - they're part of his fiction," Dr. Bart Ehrman, a University of North Carolina professor and one of the world's leading experts on early Christian documents, said.

'Lavender graduations' gain ground
USA Today
Echoing a tradition already established on many campuses for minority students and other groups, a small but growing number of schools are holding "lavender graduations" to honor gay and lesbian students. "We're finally ... getting our names and faces out there," says Alex Ferrando, 22, who helped organize the inaugural lavender graduation last month at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

State & Local Coverage

UNC, UNCC confab set for Thursday
The Charlotte Observer
UNC Charlotte and UNC Chapel Hill faculty and administrators will discuss higher education in North Carolina on Thursday, including possible future collaborations between the two schools. The breakfast meeting, which will be held at the Prospector Cafe on campus, is part of the annual Tar Heel Bus Tour that sends new UNC Chapel Hill faculty and administrators on a week-long trip across the state. A tour of UNCC's campus also is planned.
Related Link: http://www.charlotte.com/mld/charlotte/14606443.htm

UNC coming to Chimney Rock
The Asheville Citizen-Times
UNC Chapel Hill is bringing 36 new faculty and administrators to this tourism-oriented town in western Rutherford County today as part of a bus tour of the state. The tour, which will also visit Charlotte today, is designed to improve the school’s understanding of the state and strengthen ties to its communities.

Community visit opens eyes
The Fayetteville Observer
University of North Carolina employees on a tour of the state heard Wednesday about this poor black community’s efforts to get sewer and other municipal services. Professors and staff members said they were troubled by the inequity they saw between Jackson Hamlet and its wealthy neighbor, Pinehurst. Some said they would like to help.

History and education together
Roanoke Rapids Daily Herald
North Carolina history, the celebration of one of the state's founders and a group of new University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill faculty members blended together in a unique gathering Monday. The educators are touring the state as part of their official introduction to the university system and North Carolina. Monday, they stopped in Halifax.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/may06/bustour051106.htm
UNC Media Advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2006/bustour06dayfour051706.htm
UNC Media Advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2006/bustourdaythree051606.htm
UNC Media Advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2006/bustourdayone051206.htm

Memory-loss drug shows promise in trial
The Winston-Salem Journal
Targacept Inc. said yesterday that it received positive results in an advanced drug trial to treat age-associated memory impairment in older patients. Targacept a biotechnology company in the Piedmont Triad Research Park, is developing the drug, called TC-1734, as part of its $300 million collaboration agreement with AstraZeneca PLC, one of the world's largest pharmaceutical companies. ... "There's a whole evolutionary process for drug development," said Dr. Daniel Kaufer, an associate professor in the department of neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "There are many drugs which show promise in phase two which, for one reason or another, fizzle out."

Human genome map's a wrap
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In 2003, scientists proclaimed that they had completed the map to the human genome. That was not exactly correct. Today, led by a Duke University geneticist, researchers are publishing a final installment: a detailed guide to the last and largest human chromosome. ... "We've been practicing medicine blindly for the past 2,000 years because we've been ignorant of individuals' genetic constitution," said Dr. James Evans, a medical geneticist at UNC-Chapel Hill whose field depends on reliable genetic information. "Now we can begin to put together the nuts and bolts."

Making the case for organic food (Commentary)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Is organic food worth the extra money? It's a question I hear increasingly often from readers, and it's no wonder. In the food biz, organic is where it's at. The market segment has been enjoying double-digit growth in sales annually for more than a decade. The Wall Street Journal reported that this year market researchers expect sales to top $15 billion. ... Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a licensed, registered dietitian and author. She holds a doctorate in health policy and administration from UNC-Chapel Hill, where she is a clinical assistant professor in the School of Public Health.

West House fate stepped up
The Chapel Hill Herald
West House will be demolished sooner than expected. UNC will raze the building -- which preservationists had been trying to save -- before the fall semester, instead of around Oct. 1, which is when officials had planned to destroy the house.

Issues & Trends

First, you set priorities (Editorial)
The Charlotte Observer
When University of North Carolina system President Erskine Bowles took office in January, he quickly noted the long-range goals for the UNC system didn't always mesh with funding. Just as quickly, he asked the 16 university chancellors to set 10-12 priorities for their schools and rank them by importance. That may sound like simple housekeeping, but it's not. It's proof that having a business perspective at the helm of the UNC system will pay dividends for the citizens who pay the bills.

Girl's father sues father of her killer
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The father of a UNC-Wilmington student from Cary who was raped and killed in a dorm two years ago is suing the university system and the killer's father for wrongful death. Jessica Lee Faulkner, 18, was one of two female UNC-Wilmington students killed in 2004 by male classmates who stalked them. The killings shocked the campus and prompted changes across the UNC system. ... UNC system also faces a lawsuit.
Related Link: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2006/05/18/suit

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.

Please share any questions, comments or suggestions at news@unc.edu.