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Oct. 25, 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
Little consensus on egg freezing
Nature News (United Kingdom)
Freezing a woman's eggs for use later in fertility treatments doesn't seem to greatly increase birth defects or abnormalities, new data suggest...“We acknowledge the interest women have in this technology,” says Marc Fritz, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.Documenting the health of youth and children
The Accra Daily Mail (Ghana)
The World Health Organization (WHO) has published the first internationally agreed upon classification code for assessing the health of children and youth in the context of their stages of development and the environments in which they live..."The ICF-CY is a tool that can be shared by clinical services as well as by schools, community agencies and government entities. Further, with the visibility of an international WHO standard, the ICF-CY can serve to affirm the universal needs and rights of children," said Rune J. Simeonsson, Chair, WHO Work group on ICF-CY Children and Youth; University of North Carolina.
Buying a wedding ring? You might want to order it a size too large
The Gazette (Montreal, Canada)
Betrothed Canadians might want to add gym memberships to their gift registries if the latest findings on marital weight-gain are any indication...According to (Penny) Gordon-Larsen, an assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, contributing factors to newlywed weight gain include having children, cooking bigger meals, having less time to exercise and not feeling the same incentive to be thin as when dating.National Coverage
Kids' pedestrian deaths drop, but steps urged
USA Today
The number of children 14 and younger who are killed as pedestrians has dropped dramatically in the past decade, but tougher safety campaigns are needed to further cut the toll, a safety advocacy group says..."While we don't have national data yet, we're starting to see some successes," says Lauren Marchetti, director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School at the University of North Carolina's Highway Safety Research Center, which helps communities establish Safe Routes to School programs.Under Waxman's Surveillance
The Washington Post
Since the Democrats took control of Congress, House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry A. Waxman (D-Calif.) has been involved in virtually every major issue, from the war in Iraq to global warming, from rising prescription drug prices to allegations of White House abuse of power...June 7: John B. Buse of the University of North Carolina Medical School tells the Oversight Committee that officials at SmithKline Beecham intimidated him when he raised alarms about the safety of the company's diabetes drug Avandia.MarketWatch Turns 10, But Can It Evolve for Another 10?
PBS MediaShift
As the financial news site MarketWatch celebrates its 10th anniversary next week, the stalwart Web 1.0 company stands on the precipice of change...Chris Roush is an associate journalism professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill who writes the Talking Biz News blog.Family History Of Alcoholism Linked To Love Of Sweets Among Women
Science Daily
A new study, the first of its kind, has found that cigarette smoking and having a family history of alcoholism have different effects on sweet-taste perception and food cravings...At the same time, said Alexei B. Kampov-Polevoy, research assistant professor of psychiatry at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, sweet taste is one of the first pleasures we experience, for example, mother's milk.Smoking Dulls Taste for Sweets
Health Day News
Cigarette smoking and a family history of alcoholism can both affect how a person perceives sweet-tasting foods, U.S. researchers say..."We may now use this knowledge to, one, identify individuals at high risk for alcoholism and, two, study biological mechanisms involved in the development of alcohol-use disorders," said Alexei B. Kampov-Polevoy, a research assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said.Learning from Failure in Health Care Reform
The New England Journal of Medicine
Since 1994, inaction and incrementalism have governed U.S. health policy, with the predictable result that both health care spending and the number of uninsured Americans have reached record levels...Dr. (Jonathan) Oberlander is an associate professor of social medicine and of health policy and administration at the University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill. Regional CoverageCommunication program reevaluates structure
The Daily Evergreen (Pullman, Wa.)
Deans from four of the nation’s best communication programs visited WSU on Monday to assess the Edward R. Murrow School of Communication...Tim Gleason of the University of Oregon, Jean Folkerts of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, E. Culpepper Clark of the University of Georgia and Terry Hynes, dean emerita of the University of Florida, toured the school’s facilities and spent the day in meetings to understand the school’s situation.Who are these evangelicals?
The Roanoke Times (Roanoke, Va.)
...And also to Christian Smith, University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) sociologist, who argues in his book "Christian America? What Evangelicals Really Want" that evangelicals as a group are hardly monolithic and are far more likely to advocate tolerance and change through example and personal Christian discipleship than through public mandates...State & Local Coverage
Chancellor connects with state
The Daily Tar Heel
As the flagship university in North Carolina's 16-university system, UNC has a responsibility to serve the people of the state. And as the first public university, UNC prides itself on being the "University of the People" - a mission emphasized by Carolina Connects, an initiative through which Chancellor James Moeser and other University officials visit N.C. counties to reinforce UNC's relationship with the state.Old playground gets new life
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For at least two generations, people have been playing in the woods blanketing Carolina North, UNC's 900-acre parcel two miles north of the main campus...Concern that the property was falling into neglect caused UNC to reconsider its approach to the tract.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct07/torcmou1018.htmlHunting season (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Once again, a search committee seeking a chancellor for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has corporatized the process, with a plan to spend over $100,000 to hire a Dallas-based company that specializes in finding university presidents.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct07/searchfirm102307.htmlCollege grads guiding next recruits
News 14 Carolina
Students in Durham are getting extra guidance on their path to college. Recent graduates of UNC Chapel Hill are working as advisers at Hillside and Southern high schools, helping students with everything from writing essays to filling out financial aid forms.Science students study in Highlands for semester
The Smoky Mountain News (Waynesville)
The Highlands Biological Station has become home base for a group of college students from across the state who are here both to advance their education in environmental science and contribute to the region through research...The program — now in its sixth year at the Highlands field site — is run through the University of North Carolina’s Institute for the Environment.Is UNC smoking ban just a puff piece? (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Smoke gets in your eyes. It also gets in your lungs and in your cardiovascular system -- even if you are not doing the smoking...So, then, it's really a no-brainer to endorse UNC Chapel Hill's decision to ban smoking on campus or near any university buildings beginning Jan. 1.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/oct07/smoking.htmlWhat became of the First Amendment? (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Last week the U.S. House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly (398 to 21) to approve a federal shield law to protect journalists like New York Times reporter Judith Miller, who spent 85 days in federal prison in 2005 for refusing to reveal the identity of a confidential source to a federal grand jury...(Associate Professor Cathy Packer teaches media law and works in the Media Law and Policy Center in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication).PlayMakers to honor Fletcher
The Chapel Hill Herald
Oscar-winning actress and Carolina alumna Louise Fletcher will receive the PlayMaker Distinguished Achievement Award at the 20th annual PlayMakers Ball on Nov. 10 at UNC...She is a 1957 graduate of UNC's dramatic art department and a self-described "Playmaker," who trained with the late Foster Fitz-Simons, a longtime PlayMakers member and professor of dramatic art, and acted in the outdoor drama "Unto These Hills" in Cherokee.Gorman defended on bond campaign
The Charlotte Observer
As critics accuse Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools of improperly lobbying for the bond request, the district's lawyer said Wednesday that Superintendent Peter Gorman has taken a more conservative approach than necessary...The article by David Lawrence, a professor of public law and government at UNC Chapel Hill's School of Government, said appointed executives, such as city or county managers, who work for elected officials and carry out those officials' policies, can "probably" speak out on issues.Sugar isn't why kids raise Cain (Commentary)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Should you find your child pinging off the walls this Halloween season, don't blame the Milky Way bars. Though its chocolaty goodness may impart an emotional high, candy and other sugary treats are unlikely causes of behavioral changes in children...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.New high tech University of NC Center to forecast urban growth
Tech Journal South (Raleigh)
The Renaissance Computing Institute (RENCI) today announced a partnership with the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to create a new RENCI engagement center focused on forecasting urban growth and its impacts...RENCI was launched in 2004 as a major collaborative venture of UNC Chapel Hill, Duke and NC State universities with a mission of initiating multidisciplinary research to address problems important to North Carolina.Issues & Trends
Businesses find ways to save water
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The typical North Carolina household will survive if the lawn turns brown, if dust coats the car, and if the kids rush through three-minute showers.But a serious drought could doom businesses that depend on massive quantities of water to make life-saving medicines or operate industrial complexes employing thousands of people...UNC-Chapel Hill, for instance, accounts for more than a quarter of the town's water consumption.Board urges patience in developing downtown
The Chapel Hill Herald
Fulfilling the economic potential of downtown Chapel Hill will take patience. That was the message of a Wednesday morning meeting of the Chapel Hill Downtown Partnership Board of Directors. Agenda items included several initiatives and studies intended to improve the business climate in the town's commercial district.Campus leader wants late-night bus
The Wilmington Star
Campus leaders at UNCW are trying to build support for a shuttle bus to run from downtown Wilmington to the areas near the university where most students live.Nearly a third of the college's students admitted in a survey last year to recently riding with a driver under the influence of alcohol, according to senior Daniel Thorpe, student body president...Other schools such as the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have similar programs, though with bars closer to campus housing, they may have less need, he said.Clemson must raise graduation rate, Barker says
The Greenville News (Greenville, S.C.)
Although Clemson University has reduced its student-faculty ratio and raised the average SAT of incoming freshmen, 25 percent still fail to graduate within six years...University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, ranked fifth among public universities, has an 84 percent graduation rate...
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.