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October 13, 2003
Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina
people and programs cited recently in the media:
International News Coverage
The five most cited papers
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia
There is something strange about the five most commonly cited papers in science over the past 20 years....The fifth most cited paper was by Oliver Smithies's group at the University of North Carolina.
National News Coverage
Too Much Tuition (Editorial)
The Washington Post
Tuition rates for Maryland's state universities are already unnaturally high....Thanks to two tuition increases in the past year, combined with mandatory fees, the University of Maryland at College Park costs $6,759 this year for state residents, compared with $5,968 at the University of Virginia or $4,072 at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This is true even though state taxes and spending are also higher in Maryland than in Virginia, North Carolina and most other states -- and even though College Park is rated lower than Charlottesville and Chapel Hill in national surveys of academic quality....If tuition is to be raised, more should be done to help poorer families afford it -- North Carolina recently decided to offer full scholarships to all needy applicants.
Company Making Case to Allow Breast Implants
The New York Times
Yesterday morning, the breast implant documents appeared on the Food and Drug Administration Web site, voluminous files constituting one company's arguments for bringing silicone breast implants back on the market....Dr. [Stuart] Bondurant, who is professor of medicine and dean emeritus at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, added that the committee believed that the lawsuits and wrenching claims of serious illnesses had diverted attention from the problem of complications like ruptures and scarring.
(Note: Available by registration.)Obesity explodes from teens to 20s
USA Today
When young people leave the nest to fly on their own, their weight often soars, too. The percentage of people who are obese doubles from the teen years to the mid-20s, according to a study that tracked almost 10,000 people.... It's a jam-packed decade," says lead researcher Penny Gordon-Larsen, an assistant professor of nutrition at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
(Note: This study was the subject of a UNC news release.)
What They're Reading on College Campuses
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle's list of best-selling books was compiled from information supplied by
stores serving the following campuses: Brown U., Carleton College, Colorado College,
Harvard U., Iowa State U., Montana State U. at Bozeman, New Mexico State U. at
Las Cruces, New York U., Pennsylvania State U. at University Park, Princeton U., Reed
College, Santa Clara U., Stanford U., U. of Houston, U. of Idaho, U. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, U. of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and U. of Washington at Seattle.
(Note: Available by subscription only.)
Dead Tired
The Philadelphia Inquirer
It started as such an ordinary afternoon, such a leisurely Sunday, as languid and listless
as the warm spring rain...."We think about telling our kids, 'Don't you dare drink. Always
wear your seat belts.' But we never think about telling them not to drive when they're sleepy," says researcher Jane Stutts, associate director of the Highway Safety Research Center at the University of North Carolina.
State and Local Coverage
Covenant makes price right for all deserving students (Editorial)
Greensboro News & Record
Beginning next fall any North Carolina student from a low-income family who qualifies for admission into the state's flagship university can enroll without one worry about the cost. In exchange for a commitment to work on campus up to 12 hours a week over the four years, UNC-Chapel Hill will guarantee that the student graduates debt-free.
(Note: The article is not available online. Please see the end of today's Carolina in the News for the editorial text.)
UNC lauds leadership of Michigan president
The Chapel Hill Herald
Even with a much-heralded U.S. Supreme Court victory under her belt, University of Michigan President Mary Sue Coleman believes her university -- and American education in general -- still have a great deal of work to do....Coleman, a former graduate student and administrator at UNC, returned to campus Sunday as the keynote speaker for the 210th University Day celebration.
Related stories: Day celebrates University's contributions (The Daily Tar Heel)
University of Michigan president spells out concerns at UNC (N.C. Associated Press)
Raise out-of-state cap (Letter to the Editor)
The Chapel Hill Herald
In response to your editorial of Oct. 8 opposing raising the cap on out-of-state freshmen,
I would stress the importance of retaining the quality and high rankings of UNC-Chapel Hill. Our flagship state university is the oldest state university as well as one of the five best public universities. Yet we have dropped in the U.S. News & World Report rankings from the top 25 to a tie for 29th and from third to fifth among publics. Virginia and Michigan, two of our peers, admit about 30 percent out-of-state without complaints. UNC already has an out-of-state admission rate as low as those at the best private universities. UNC's proposal is very modest but helpful in retaining the outstanding reputation of a university of which we should be proud.
RICHARD J. CALHOUN
Chapel Hill
Campuses reach out
The News & Observer
Other students at N.C. State University look at junior Travis Blanks' olive skin and dark hair and ask him, "What are you?" ...American Indian students, counselors and advocates are noticing the heightened interest from UNC-Chapel Hill and NCSU, two schools that historically wouldn't admit Indian students.
Related story: N.C. universities trying to attract American Indians (The Herald Sun)
State workers grumpy
The News & Observer
Charles Smith joined the maintenance staff at UNC-Chapel Hill six years ago mostly for the stability -- steady work, health insurance, vacation pay. He didn't do it for the money.
Related story: Maintenance (The News & Observer)
How do we boost civic involvement of youths?
The Charlotte Observer
It probably doesn't surprise as many people as it should that less than 10 percent of the young people in North Carolina could name both of the state's U.S. senators, even though one has run for president and the other currently is. Unfortunately, many adult N.C. residents couldn't name them....The nonpartisan N.C. Civic Education Consortium, located at the Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill, wants to help change that. It has launched a series of forums around the state for residents, grassroots organizations and local leaders to discuss how to improve civic education and boost their participation in their communities.
(Note: Available by registration.)Ideals divide, unite United States, France (Question and Answer)
The News & Observer
The American Revolution. World War II. Political conflicts in Algeria. American involvement in Vietnam. Each of these marks a notable point in the history of the United States, but they also share another common thread. In each case, the United States found its fortunes intertwined with the politics of France.... Lloyd Kramer , a professor of history at UNC-Chapel Hill, and a panel of other experts will examine that relationship and help put the current disagreements into perspective during a discussion with audience members at 7 p.m. Thursday in the George Watts Hill Alumni Center on Stadium Drive at UNC-CH.
Study links lawsuits to alma maters
The Charlotte Observer
Next time you're waiting for your doctor, pay attention to that diploma on the wall. It may tell you whether you'll soon need a lawyer, too....In North Carolina, 12 percent of licensed physicians went to UNC Chapel Hill's medical school, founded 124 years ago; 7 percent went to Wake Forest's school, age 101; 5 percent went to Duke (a private university), age 73; and 3 percent went to East Carolina University, which began
teaching med students 23 years ago. Other doctors went elsewhere.
(Note: Available by registration.)Lawyers got lots of exposure
The News & Observer
Cameras in the courtroom can make attorneys act differently, and the murder trial of Mike Peterson was no exception, local lawyers and academics said . ....But the pressure of gavel-to-gavel coverage may have weighed on District Attorney Jim Hardin, said Joe Kennedy, an associate professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill .
Related link: Peterson appeals verdict, but chances are slim (The Charlotte Observer)
Worker complaints mar Wal-Mart image
The News & Observer
Six months into a fruitless job search, Sherwin Turner got a break from the largest corporation in the world. His job at Wal-Mart pays only $7.25 an hour and provides no health insurance until he has worked six months. But Turner, 20, is grateful to be working in an economy that has left one in 10 black men in North Carolina unemployed....Bob Adler, a professor at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill's Kenan-Flagler School of Business, likened Wal-Mart to the 500-pound gorilla that wanders around looking for bananas -- while everybody else looks at the gorilla.
State lawmakers soon to take another stab at redistricting
Rocky Mount Telegram
The General Assembly will reconvene sometime in mid-November to redraw state legislative districts...."(Maps) must be in place by November 2004," said John Orth, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill law professor. "For whatever reason, they are not in a hurry to redraw these maps."
Hypnosis gains credence as effective medical tool
The Charlotte Observer
Hypnosis, often misunderstood and almost always controversial, is increasingly being employed in mainstream medicine....At UNC Chapel Hill, hypnosis is transforming the treatment of irritable bowel syndrome, an often-intractable gastrointestinal disorder, by helping patients to use their mind to quiet an unruly gut.
(Note: Available by registration.)The urge to splurge
The Charlotte Observer
Tom Robin sees it most every day. A customer walks into his SouthPark Godiva Chocolatier, spies the assorted goodies, notices some strawberries dipped freshly that morning in milk chocolate. Temptation on a tray. How much for one of those?...The difference, says Nick Didow, a UNC Chapel Hill marketing professor, is a culture in which consumers see splurges as repayment for the unpleasantries of daily life.
(Note: Available by registration.)Hearing on Leake residency is today
The Charlotte Observer
The Mecklenburg County Board of Elections will hold a hearing on Vilma Leake's residency today, but it's not clear that the board will settle the question of where the District 2 school board member lives..."What the person considers her residence is a primary factor," said Bob Joyce, an election law expert with the Institute of Government at UNC Chapel Hill. But other issues, such as where the voter spends time, gets mail and gets official documents, also count, he said.
(Note: Available by registration.)Issues and Trends
Boston College to join ACC
The Herald Sun
Boston College, left at the altar by the ACC four months ago, will be joining the league after all...."Once we became a conference of 11, the arguments for adding a 12th member became persuasive," UNC chancellor James Moeser said. "The ACC is now well-positioned for the future."
Related story: Money, football drives adding BC (The Herald Sun)
ACC Leaders Vote to Invite Boston College
The Washington Post
The ACC's wild ride to expansion finally came to a close Sunday when the league officially invited Boston College to be its 12th member, ending a six-month process that was at best unpredictable and at worst embarrassing
Related stories: BC leaving Big East for ACC could benefit Temple (Philadelphia Daily News)
Boston College to join ACC (The News & Observer)
BC accepts an invitation to join the ACC
The Boston Globe
Jilted at the altar in June following a formal invitation process that was as protracted as it was painstaking, Boston College will depart the Big East and walk down the aisle with the Atlantic Coast Conference after all.
N.C. is set to boom as a biotechnology industry - but is Asheville ready?
The Asheville Citizen-Times
Like many others across Western North Carolina, Jim Coats is betting on biotechnology to bring him a better job....North Carolina already is a leader in biotechnology, thanks largely to the Research Triangle Park built over the last two decades on the combined brainpower of UNC-Chapel Hill, N.C. State University and Duke University. The sequencing of the human genome in 2000 gave a huge boost to the industry. Now companies and researchers are scrambling to use that new knowledge in the creation of new drugs, vaccines, agricultural products and other items.
More funds sought to fight black mold
The Charlotte Observer
University of North Carolina officials are looking for another $17 million to help N.C. Central University deal with the potentially toxic black mold plaguing about a dozen buildings on the Durham campus.
(Note: Available by registration.)UNC system threatens autonomy of East Carolina
N.C. Associated Press
The University of North Carolina system has threatened to strip East Carolina University leaders of their authority to decide personnel issues unless school officials attend training sessions on the rules of hiring, firing and setting salaries.
Union delivers letter
The News & Observer
On a day when the Board of Governors met in Boone instead of the typical Chapel Hill site, a half-dozen representatives of the state public service workers union delivered a message to top UNC system officials at the General Administration building many miles from the mountain meeting site.
*****
Covenant makes price right for all deserving students.
Education is the solution to North Carolina's economic woes. A new programs at UNC-CH puts in within reach of more young people than ever
Greensboro News & Record (Editorial)
Beginning next fall any North Carolina student from a low-income family who qualifies for admission into the state's flagship university can enroll without one worry about the cost. In exchange for a commitment to work on campus up to 12 hours a week over the four years, UNC-Chapel Hill will guarantee that the student graduates debt-free.
The new program, called Carolina Covenant, is a great deal for deserving students who, discouraged by the cost of a college education today, might otherwise not apply. Tuition and fees at UNC- CH have increased 167 percent in the past decade; the going rate for in-state students is nearly $12,000. That's a chunk of change even for well-off families. For those struggling to make ends meet, it's prohibitive.
Currently students who need financial help can count on federal and state aid to pay about 60 percent of the tab. Many are forced to take out loans to bridge the gap. Consequently, debt among UNC-CH graduates has more than doubled in the past decade. Graduates in the Class of 2002, on average, left school owing $12,314. It's difficult enough making the transition from college to career without a huge debt hanging over your head.
The estimated cost to taxpayers will be about $1.4 million a year, a relatively small investment, considering the potential payoff. The money will come from reallocation of existing funds.
Granted, a college education is not for everyone. But it behooves North Carolina to ensure that any resident deserving of one isn't turned away for lack of resources. The benefits cut both ways. A well-educated work force is critical for the state to survive massive job losses.
Carolina Covenant is thought to be the first such initiative in the country, a fitting distinction for the nation's first public university. Let's hope others will follow the good example.
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.