October 2, 2002

Carolina in the News

Current National Coverage

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

Self-Exams Don't Reduce Breast-Cancer Death Risk
The Wall Street Journal
In another blow to the hope that early detection of breast cancer will save lives, the most-rigorous-
ever study of the value of teaching women breast self-examination has found that it doesn't reduce 
the risk of dying from the disease... The finding, reported in Wednesday's issue of the Journal of 
the National Cancer Institute and coming, ironically, as Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins, 
threatens to dash the hopes of women who are already reeling from the controversy over whether 
regular mammograms save lives. An editorial in the medical journal pulls no punches: "At least for 
the great majority of women whose [exam] practice is not optimal, it does not reduce the risk of 
dying of breast cancer," write Russell Harris and Linda Kinsinger of the University of North 
Carolina, Chapel Hill...
http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB1033495837737963033,00.html?mod=health_home_top_story
(Note: The Wall Street Journal requires a subscription to access articles. Other coverage known 
to date includes Canadian Television, The San Francisco Chronicle, The Baltimore Sun, 
United Press International, and WRAL-TV (CBS, Raleigh). A National Associated Press 
story was also featured in The Boston Globe, BBC News, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, 
the San Jose Mercury News, WebMD, KNBC-TV (NBC, Los Angeles), Buffalo (N.Y.) 
News, The Arizona Daily Star, The Tampa Tribune, Dayton (Ohio) Daily News, the Kansas 
City Star, and The Bettendorf (Iowa) News.)

Heartfelt Hurt
U.S. News & World Report
Cardiologist Paul Phillips has had a longtime love affair with the cholesterol-lowering drugs called 
statins... One four-patient study isn't enough to radically alter physicians' current approach to statin 
therapy, says Sidney Smith, the American Heart Association's chief scientific officer and chief 
of cardiology at the University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill...
http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/021007/health/7statin.htm
(Note: News Services helped arrange this interview.)

State and Local Coverage

Cancer center axing bemoaned 
The Herald-Sun
A state House committee has wiped out funding for a $130 million cancer center at UNC, putting off 
the proposed new facility for at least a year... "I’m very disappointed about it," said Jeffrey Houpt, 
dean of UNC’s medical school and chief executive officer of the UNC Health Care system. "I don’t
think anyone down there doubted the need. It just related to the budget time and how late it came in 
the session." 
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-272665.html

Business school dean leaving for San Diego 
The Herald-Sun
Robert Sullivan, dean of UNC’s Kenan-Flagler Business School for the past five years, will leave 
the university at the end of the year to lead a new school of management in San Diego...
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-272669.html

Location of psychiatric hospital may not be settled
Chapel Hill News
University officials say they want to avoid a fight with Duke over which school will become the lead 
agency at a new psychiatric hospital at Butner, but local legislators say it's still possible that the new 
hospital might be built elsewhere... Dr. Robert Golden, chair of the department of psychiatry at 
UNC-Chapel Hill, said he was surprised to hear that Butner had been selected as the site for the 
new facility. UNC officials had pushed initially for a site in Pittsboro, but later opted for a site near 
Siler City advocated by Chatham County...
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/story/1779669p-1787560c.html

Roses and Raspberries
Chapel Hill News
... Roses to the Public Service Officers of the Year recognized by the Chapel Hill-Carrboro 
Chamber of Commerce. The association recognized seven local officers for their outstanding 
community service. They are: Matthew Dodson, UNC Public Safety...
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/1779690p-1787788c.html
(Note: To view this story, please go to the above url and scroll down the web page.)

Bus ridership has climbed steadily (Letter to the Editor)
Chapel Hill News
Since Chapel Hill Transit has become fare-free, ridership has seen incredible growth ranging from a 
40 percent increase the first few months, to close to a stunning 70 percent increase for the month of 
July, and a 50 percent increase in ridership since the start of the academic year..
http://www.triangle.com/triangle.com/communities/chapelhill/opinion/story/1779687p-1787786c.html
(Note: Debby Freed is the UNC transportation demand management coordinator. The Chapel Hill 
News publishes all letters to the editor on the same web page. Several published today are on this 
same topic. To view this letter, please go to the above url and scroll down the web page.)

Campus crime stats in 
The Herald-Sun
Robberies increased at Duke, while beefed-up police attention was credited with increased reports 
of aggravated assault at N.C. Central University and a jump in liquor law violations at UNC, 
according to 2001 campus crime statistics...
http://www.herald-sun.com/orange/10-272694.html

Issues and Trends Affecting Carolina

'Report Card' on States and Higher Education Finds Better Student Preparation, Mixed Opportunities
The Chronicle of Higher Education
American students are better prepared for college now than ever before, but the opportunity to engage 
in advanced study varies sharply across the nation, according to a key "report card" on state-based higher 
education released today... "I understand their analytical techniques and I'm not taking any issue at all 
with them, but I'd have to say that if even one student or family used this report card as a basis for a 
decision to attend the University of North Carolina, they would not have correct information," said Molly 
Corbett Broad, president of the UNC system. "I think its usefulness is diminished in all categories where 
the data does not provide a current picture." In 2000, North Carolina received an A in the affordability 
category. This year it received a C, even though its statistical performance did not drop significantly... 
http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/10/2002100205n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription to access articles. A related story 
appeared in the News and Observer 
http://www.newsobserver.com/news/nc/story/1780757p-1788610c.html)

Reorganize Undergraduate Education and Raise Expectations for It, Report Urges Colleges
The Chronicle of Higher Education
A report released on Monday by the Association of American Colleges and Universities calls for a 
reorganization of undergraduate education, creating a "practical liberal education" and raising the 
expectations of students, professors, and the public.
http://chronicle.com/daily/2002/10/2002100103n.htm
(Note: The Chronicle of Higher Education requires a subscription to access articles.)

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