November 4, 2003

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

International Coverage

Study: Mixed race kids suffer more ills
United Press International
A new study involving 90,000 adolescent U.S. students indicates those who considered themselves to be of mixed race suffered more illnesses. Researchers at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill said such children were found to be more likely than others to suffer from such illnesses as depression, substance abuse, sleep problems and various other health problems.
UNC News release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct03/udry10302003.html

First human clinical trial of HIV vaccine in South Africa begins
International Associated Press
The first human clinical trial of an HIV vaccine in South Africa begins this week, researchers announced Monday....The drug developed by researchers at the University of North Carolina and North Carolina biotechnology company AlphaVax, along with South Africa's University of Cape Town and Medical Research Council, is also being tested in the United States.

National Coverage

Students seek flexibility
The News-Gazette (Champaign, Il.)
At one point a year ago, Lacey Parr was considering 15 colleges....In addition, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Beloit College in Wisconsin and Mary Washington College in Virgina dissolved their early decision programs too, according to the schools' official Web sites.

State and Local Coverage

Out-of-staters seen giving edge to UNC
The News & Observer
Amanda Shive, a UNC-Chapel Hill freshman from Charlotte, spent a recent afternoon in the campus hub known as "the Pit," chatting with three good friends -- two from Florida, one from Thailand....Admissions Director and Vice Provost Jerry Lucido said more out-of-state students would lift the level of classroom interaction.

Health research gets help
The News & Observer
UNC-Chapel Hill's Carolina Population Center has signed a $70 million cooperative agreement with the U.S. Agency for International Development for a five-year project to improve the collection of health information in developing countries.
Related link: http://www.heraldsun.com/features/54-407999.html
News Services release link: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/nov03/curtis110403.html

Affirming liberty with a pledge case (Point of View)
The News & Observer
I was interested to see that the U.S. Supreme Court has decided to review the Pledge of Alegiance case. The California-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit has taken unshirted hell for ruling that the phrase "under God" cannot be used in public school recitations. The judges actually applied existing Supreme Court precedent in a straightforward and predictable way to reach their conclusion. Still, I'd guess that a majority of the justices of our highest tribunal...Gene R. Nichol is dean and the Burton Craige professor of law at the UNC School of Law.

UNC expert says Cherokee working against Lumbee bill
N.C. Associated Press
A university expert on the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians says the tribe is working against efforts by the Lumbee Indians to get federal recognition....Brett Riggs, an archaeologist of American Indians and professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, spoke Sunday to the annual meeting of Historic Robeson Inc.

Doctors stand by some off-label uses
The Charlotte Observer
Charlotte area doctors say they routinely and safely prescribe drugs for unapproved uses, especially after approved treatments haven't worked or when so-called "off-label" uses become so common that not using them would violate standard practice....Off-label uses develop because "science gets ahead of the regulatory process," said Dr. Richard Weisler, a Raleigh psychiatrist and UNC Chapel Hill researcher.

Deer-car crashes rise during mating season
The Greensboro News-Record
Joy Combs' family appears to have a magnetic approach to deer-mating season, or at least their vehicles do....Earlier this week, UNC's Highway Safety Research Center in Chapel Hill reported that automobile crashes with deer reached an all-time high statewide in 2002.

Campus Y students act on convictions
The Herald-Sun
In 1859, a unique student organization was founded at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill -- an organization that has become an integral part of the campus and the surrounding community.

'No chicken, no show'
The Chapel Hill News
Judging by the large and enthusiastic crowd gathered on the patio of UNC's Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence Thursday afternoon, Southern culture is alive and well, thank y'all very much....Last Thursday, Bill Ferris of the UNC Center for the Study of the American South brought SCOTS...to the patio.

Issues and Trends

A Product of the American College Admissions Race (Class Struggle--Column by Post Higher Education reporter Jay Mathews)
The Washington Post
By the fall of 1995, Austin Brentley knew he wanted to go to Harvard, but he needed a glittering application to get him there....This year, dissatisfied with his share of what that company was getting for each essay he helped fix, Brentley started, along with his Harvard classmate Alex Freedman, his own essay polishing company, With Honors, and created the with-honors.com Web site.

Growth may squeeze universities
The Fayetteville Observer
State Sen. Tony Rand on Monday told Fayetteville State University officials to expect another tight budget next year....The General Assembly appropriated $45.59 million for enrollment growth at the state's public institutions this fiscal year. The UNC system's preliminary request for the second year of the biennial budget is $38.36 million, Mark Fleming said. He is vice president for state governmental affairs at the UNC General Administration office in Chapel Hill.

Perform your civic duty today: Vote (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
There is no bitterly contested race for the presidency on the ballot today. There is no electoral competition this first Tuesday in November to see who will become the next governor of North Carolina....Those council members will help determine how our community will look for the next 50 or 100 years as they work with the university to thrash out the details of Carolina North.

Note: If you have any questions about Carolina in the News, please call Russell Campbell at News Services, (919) 962-2091, russell_campbell@unc.edu, or Mike McFarland in University Communications, 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.