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Nov. 9, 2007
Carolina in the News
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Toads are 'open-minded' about sex
BBC News (United Kingdom)
US researcher Karen Pfenning found female spadefoot toads will flout the general evolutionary rule of not breeding with other species...Dr Pfenning, from the University of North Carolina, has discovered that when a pond is very shallow, one species of female spadefoot, S. bombifrons, will often mate with another closely relates species, D. multiplicata, rather than males of their own kind.Regional Coverage
Yeshiva teaches boys who have difficulty learning
The Journal News (White Plains, N.Y.)
The boys in Rabbi Pinchos Gradman's sixth-grade class were debating ownership, arguing whether a quarter found lying on a floor belonged to the person who found it - and if so, why...Educational theory is based on Schools Attuned created by Dr. Mel Levine, a pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the University of North Carolina who has researched learning styles for more than 15 years.In drought, a girl can't be too picky
The Arizona Daily Star (Tuscon, Ariz.)
Strange male toads start looking better around closing time at the pond, at least to the females of one Southern Arizona species of spadefoot toad. Interspecies dating is generally bad — at least that's the common wisdom among scientists, says Karin Pfennig, a researcher in ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Selling Jesus to Jews
The Jewish News of Greater Phoenix (Phoenix, Ariz.)
An arctic blast has emptied the streets of the East New York neighborhood of Brooklyn, yet inside the Living Springs Family Center, a storefront Pentecostal church with stamped-tin ceilings, the space heaters are cranked up...Israel has more than 100 Messianic congregations, says Yaakov Ariel, associate professor of religious studies at the University of North Carolina and author of "Evangelizing The Chosen People."New Jersey educators hear outspoken vouchers critic
The Star-Ledger (Newark, N.J)
The lines were longer for a workshop on artwork in Spanish class and another on strategies for diverse classrooms, but the afternoon session at the New Jersey Education Association's convention yesterday certainly had the most provocative title: "The Truth About Vouchers in New Jersey." The teachers union has staunchly opposed vouchers in any form and so far kept them out of New Jersey. Yesterday, the NJEA sought to further rouse the troops by enlisting Walter Farrell Jr., a University of North Carolina professor who helped draft the first voucher law in Wisconsin before turning outspoken critic.State & Local Coverage
External appointments a growing trend
The Daily Tar Heel
The past three UNC chancellors came from other universities, following a national trend of schools to go beyond their campus boundaries to find leaders. But as the University moves to replace Chancellor James Moeser, some have advocated hiring a candidate who knows UNC's characteristics before taking office.Students' 10 Year Plan?
WUNC-FM (Chapel Hill)
Graduate students at UNC-Chapel Hill are called the "critical one-third" of the student population. Like their counterparts at NC State and Duke, graduate students teach classes and serve as research assistants. For most, earning a doctorate is the goal. But as many as half will never make it. And for those graduate students who do graduate, it may take more than ten years to do it. As Dave DeWitt reports, the experience of being a graduate student is changing...The piece includes sound from UNC graduate school dean Linda Dykstra.Trustees move up tuition vote
The Daily Tar Heel
The reason for moving the trustee decision to November, Perry said, is to finalize a proposal to the UNC-system Board of Governors. The BOG meets in February to approve tuition hikes on all campuses, and UNC trustees say that crafting a proposal in January doesn't allow enough time for system-level review.Shuler crafts a sensible and timely immigration bill
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)
The immigration bill Rep. Heath Shuler, D-Waynesville, introduced in Congress this week doesn’t go far enough, but it’s a reasonable first step toward addressing one of the most politically charged issues facing the nation...A 2004 study by the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill on the impact of Hispanic immigration concluded that Hispanics in general and Hispanic immigration in particular have a positive economic effect on the state.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/jan06/economicimpact010306.htmFluoridation fears
ABC-11 (Raleigh)
For years, cities and towns have added fluoride to water supply. We've been led to believe that fluoride is supposed to make our teeth stronger. But now some scientists are pointing to a growing body of evidence suggesting fluoride could be damaging our teeth, causing cancer and possibly leading to other health problems...Dr. John Stamm is a professor at the dental school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He doesn't think we should be worried about fluoride.Room tax future still unclear
The Highlander (Franklin)
Six months after Macon County proposed to take over management of occupancy tax money, its future use is still unclear...However, according to the University of North Carolina School of Government, the county can assign anyone the authority to manage the money - including chambers of commerce.Desegregation then, what now for Chapel Hill?
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Forty-five years of history fell away at UNC-Chapel Hill on Thursday night. Participants in Chapel Hill's tumultuous civil rights demonstrations of the early 1960s said that, in some ways, a lot of progress has been made. In others, there's still a long way to go...Parker, the first black woman to graduate from UNC-CH, said her interest in the civil rights movement came well before she became a student.Create new healthful traditions
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
You should change some things every decade or so. Your hairstyle, a favorite suit. Even your diet -- and some longstanding holiday food traditions -- may be worth considering for a makeover. You may wonder: Why bother breaking with tradition when it comes to holiday foods? After all, Thanksgiving only comes once a year...Suzanne Havala Hobbs is a registered dietitian and a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy at UNC.Issues & Trends
Here and there (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Mass transit for a rapidly growing North Carolina metropolis -- a big winner at the polls this week...From that rejection, however, a promising new crop of transit possibilities is emerging, including a mix of special buses, roadway lanes, streetcars and light rail. With luck and good planning, Triangle voters too could be giving a thumbs-up before long to the funds needed to get things going in an ever-growing region.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/growth/story/763484.html
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/news/story/766036.htmlUNC panel presents safety goals
The Chapel Hill Herald
The UNC Campus Safety Task Force delivered a summary of goals and recommendations, the product of six months of intensive committee discussions, to the Board of Governors Thursday morning. Intended as a framework for shoring up overall campus security, emergency response techniques and communication systems, the report is a direct response to issues raised by the April campus shootings at Virginia Tech.
Related Link: http://www.nbc17.com/midatlantic/ncn/news.apx.-content-articles-NCN-2007-11-08-0017.htmlReal Change launched on panhandling problem
The Chapel Hill Herald
The Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership did not shy away Thursday night from a handful of long-term problems that need to be addressed...Real Change has been in the works for several months. It's based on the assertion that money given to panhandlers on Franklin Street is merely a "Band-aid" for one of the town's most discussed problems.Peeling the Orange
The Chapel Hill Herald
As OWASA is regularly reminding us, "Toilet flushing accounts for almost one-third of indoor residential water use." Try to limit it, OK. That advice is being taken to heart in a most elemental way in Carroll Hall on the UNC campus. In the restrooms in Carroll, there are new flush handles on the toilets and an instructional sign facing users.
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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