Sept. 18, 2006

Carolina in the News

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

International Coverage

Report says fast action needed to stop HIV among drug users
Reuters
Injecting drug users spread the human immunodeficiency virus not only by sharing contaminated needles, but also by infecting sex partners and newborns through mother-to-child transmission. "This is an urgent public health challenge that remains largely unmet," said committee chair Hugh Tilson, professor of public health leadership at the University of North Carolina. "Several approaches to reducing risky injection drug behaviors can work, and affected nations cannot afford to wait to act," he said in a statement.

Workouts Help Beat Cancer
The Daily Record (Glasgow, UK)
The report stated: "Obese and overweight women who had higher levels of moderate or vigorus recreational physical activity within one year before diagnosis tended to have better five-year survival patterns compared to other groups." The University of North Carolina team studied 1264 American women who had the disease.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/exercise090806.htm

Soldier for God
Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (Canada)
Philip Gura, professor of American Literature and Culture at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, explores the life of Edwards and his legacy in Jonathan Edwards: America's Evangelical. This latest effort comes on the heels of the highly regarded James Marsden-penned biography Jonathan Edwards: A Life, a scholarly examination of the scholar and preacher. Gura states that his shorter but comprehensive book is a "consideration" of Edwards and not a full-scale biography. Regardless, his is a valuable addition into the slowly growing canon of modern Edwards scholarship.

National Coverage

Harvard Rejects its Early Admit Program
U.S. News and World Report
In 2002, the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill stopped its binding early decision program because of worries about the impact on who gets in. Harvard and Yale also dropped their binding early decision options, but the anticipated landslide of other colleges moving away from early admissions never happened. Meanwhile, UNC-Chapel Hill has seen no decline in the quality of its applicant pool. In fact, it has gotten better, according to Chancellor James Moeser. "We hope that more schools make the same decision about early admissions," Moeser says. "It's our responsibility to lead the way in reform and avoid the federal government stepping in."
Related Link: http://www2.universitybusiness.com/newssummary.
aspx?news_date=2006-09-18&news_id=11917#top

Farm family teaches kids healthy eating habits
The Associated Press (National)
But a study released this month by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found giving kids more vegetables in five Mississippi schools didn’t translate to healthier eating. "What you want to do is involve them in growing it and involve them in cooking it,” said Alice Ammerman, director of the University of North Carolina’s Center for Health Promotion and Disease Prevention. “You have to find creative ways to get kids to try things.”

Living at the Crossroads, Working There, Too
The New York Times
There is nothing outlandish about the concept of establishing communities and markets around international airports. John D. Kasarda, director of the Kenan Institute of Private Enterprise at the University of North Carolina, who has been involved in the Wayne County project, has written on airport cities emerging in Memphis, Amsterdam, Bangkok and other metropolitan regions.
Note: This article is available through subscription only.

Admirals train to think like executives
The Boston Globe
At last week's program, called ``Transformation Through Innovation," they engaged in role-playing to improve negotiating and problem-solving skills and read case studies on reducing staffing, sparking innovation, and installing better systems and processes. It was a kind of finishing school for some who previously had studied financial management, economics, and organizational design at the University of North Carolina and the University of San Diego.

Allergies
The People's Pharmacy (National Public Radio)
Pollen, peanuts, dust mites and animal dander are just a few of the many possible triggers for sneezing, wheezing or hives. During the fall, millions of people suffer from “seasonal rhinitis,” more commonly known as hay fever. What can be done to relieve their misery? How can allergic symptoms be prevented? Guest: David B. Peden, MD, MS. He is Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine and Chief of the Division of Pediatric Immunology and Infectious Disease. Dr. Peden is also Associate Chair for Research in the Department of Pediatrics and Director of the Center for Environmental Medicine, Asthma and Lung Biology at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine at Chapel Hill.

State and Local Coverage

James Moeser: The will and the way (Opinion)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Each of us in this room traveled our own paths to get to college. For some of us the path was set early in life and a college education was assumed, while others worked and earned scholarships. ... James Moeser is UNC chancellor. This is a condensed version of his keynote address to a conference on "The Politics of Inclusion: Higher Education at a Crossroads" last week at UNC.
UNC Speech Transcript: http://www.unc.edu/news/Speeches/poikeynotespeech.htm

Opening doors to degrees
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For most parents, the issue of college access boils down to a couple of very personal questions: Can my kid get into a decent college somewhere? Is there a job waiting after graduation? ... Last week, more than 200 people from throughout the country gathered at UNC-Chapel Hill looking for ways to keep college affordable and more accessible to all.
UNC Media Advisory: http://www.unc.edu/news/media/2006/politicsinclusionadvisory082906.html

A broken ladder of upward mobility (Question-answer)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
James Moeser is chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He spoke about the conference last week with assistant Q editor Burgetta Eplin Wheeler.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/690/story/487160.html

It costs money to secure and preserve quality education (Question-answer)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Shirley Ort, an associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid at UNC-Chapel Hill, helped organize the conference on "The Politics of Inclusion," which brought more than 200 educators to campus last week.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/690/story/487161.htm

Campus policies shutting out poor Americans
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A college degree is financially out of reach for more low-income students at a time when the young American population is becoming poorer and more ethnically diverse. ... After 2007-08, the United States will experience declining numbers of white, non-Hispanic high school graduates, says Jerry Lucido, a former UNC admissions official who is now vice provost for enrollment policy and management at the University of Southern California.

Higher education practices hamper the American dream
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Is the American dream still alive? ... One such program is UNC's Carolina Covenant, which provides a debt-free education to students who are below 200 percent of the federal poverty level.

Make financial aid easier to understand
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Money is available for any qualified student who really wants to go to college. And wouldn't it be wonderful if parents really believed it was that simple.

Educate children of illegal immigrants
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For a governor who built a reputation in the art of deal-making, Jim Hunt leaves no wiggle room when it comes to educating the children of illegal immigrants.

Broken K-12 system leads to dropouts, unpreparedness
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The lack of higher education opportunities for the poor isn't entirely a higher education problem. ... Even innovative financial aid strategies will do little good in the long run unless the stream of qualified students is enlarged, says Jim Johnson, professor of management at UNC-Chapel Hill. There is a finite pool of low-income high school graduates.
Related Links:
http://www.newsobserver.com/690/story/487156.html

Middle class feels the squeeze, too
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
For those families earning $100,000 -- a group that is still likely to consider itself middle class -- the annual "contribution" is roughly $15,000. That's pretty much the whole bill at a place such as UNC-Chapel Hill and more than most students will spend at many of North Carolina's public universities.

Moeser: UNC faculty salaries a top priority
The Chapel Hill Herald
At UNC's first faculty council meeting of the year Friday, Carolina Chancellor James Moeser had some news that likely pleased his audience: faculty salaries are the top priority for the university in the upcoming legislative budget cycle. Following salaries, research and engagement with the state are key areas for which the university wants money in its biennial budget request. UNC President Erskine Bowles has the final say on the university system's request to the state.

UNC chancellor, forum leader exchange views
The Chapel Hill Herald
The UNC Employee Forum's recent push for collective-bargaining rights for state and public employees has generated a back-and-forth between the forum chairman and Carolina's chancellor. The forum, which represents UNC's nonfaculty workers, called earlier in the month for the repeal of N.C. General Statute 95-98, which disallows any agreement or contract between government authority in the state and any union of public employees.

UNC reaches new NIH funding high
The Chapel Hill News
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill received nearly $300 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in fiscal 2005, placing Carolina 15th overall and first among public universities in the South.
Related Link: http://www.wchl1360.com/details.html?id=1755
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/nihtotal091306.htm

UNC school to celebrate milestone today
WCHL-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC’s School of Information and Library Sciences will celebrate it’s 75th anniversary this afternoon. For details, here’s WCHL’s Jeff Hamlin.
Related Link: http://media.www.dailytarheel.com/media/storage/paper885/news/2006/09/18/University/
School.To.Chronicle.Its.75Year.History-2281840.shtml?sourcedomain=
www.dailytarheel.com&MIIHost=media.collegepublisher.com
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/silsanniv091206.htm

Global outlook offered at UNC
The Chapel Hill Herald
A global perspective is a plus on resumés these days, and some Carolina undergraduates will get experience in two of the world's key business markets with a program that launched this year. In the program, called GLOBE, students from UNC, the Chinese University of Hong Kong and the Copenhagen Business School take courses -- and make business connections -- on each of the three campuses.
UNC News Release: http://www.unc.edu/news/archives/sep06/phillipsambassador090606.htm

Gordon edges his way back to national audience
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
WUNC-FM has taken the first major step in turning "The Story With Dick Gordon" into a national show. American Public Media, a division of Minnesota Public Radio, announced Friday that it would co-produce and distribute the Gordon show, which is produced at WUNC's studios at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Issues and Trends

College careers (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
You'd be right to feel cheated if that high-performance car you just bought would reach only 50 miles an hour. ... There's a big waste of horsepower somewhere, and kudos to Erskine Bowles, the new president of the University of North Carolina system, for insisting on an engine overhaul.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/681/story/486762.html

UNC helps patients pay (Letter to the editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Sept. 10 article "Hospital sues patient over bill as two-year medical ordeal drags on" illustrated the complexity of providing costly care in a sound and responsible manner for the patient and the caregiver. ... The financial situation and how it is addressed for every patient who comes through UNC Health Care is unique. ... William L. Roper, M.D. is CEO of the UNC Health Care System, dean of the UNC School of Medicine and vice chancellor for medical affairs at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Long-term care insurance change draws lawsuit from N.C. workers
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
State workers who bought insurance to help pay for long-term nursing home or hospice care have sued to reverse price increases they say violated their agreement. More than 3,000 people bought long-term care insurance policies for themselves and their dependents during the first five years the benefit was available and were told their premiums would stay the same, the lawsuit filed Thursday in Wake County Superior Court contends.

In coma and illegal, López was in limbo
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Rodrigo López was a man sin papeles -- without papers. He lived and worked in High Point illegally...
In López's case, everyone agreed he should go back to Mexico. UNC Hospitals was footing the bill for indigent care -- totaling $40,000 in a month and a half. The Mexican Consulate agreed he should return, but there were no papers proving his Mexican citizenship. López's family also wanted him home but lacked the money for transportation.

Horton hears a 'hooray'
The Chapel Hill News
Veteran town employee Maggie Burnett coined the perfect title for a man who helped lead this university town for 16 years: town manager emeritus. ... "Would you believe, he's had a total epiphany about the need for more parking on campus?" quipped UNC Chancellor James Moeser.

Too much Locke? Ripples in a liberal tide (Letter to the editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Public Editor Ted Vaden (Sept. 10 column "A conservative Locke on the paper?" ) might add to the "constellation of liberal/progressive interest groups" he pits against the conservative John Locke Foundation, the faculties of UNC, Duke and N.C. State University, not to mention the smaller local colleges, whose members can be counted on to supply The N&O with a steady stream of sound bites and opinion pieces with a predictably "liberal/progressive" slant.

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.