Home arrow Carolina in the News arrow Carolina in the News: Monday, March 24, 2008
Carolina in the News: Monday, March 24, 2008 Print E-mail
Monday, March 24, 2008
Carolina in the News

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

International Coverage

Nobel winner to share money with U of T
The Globe and Mail (Canada)
Roughly half a century separates the time Oliver Smithies spent in a Toronto lab from the Nobel Prize in medicine he received last fall, but the renowned scientist says the years he was in Canada helped set him on the path to his award-winning discoveries. As a gesture of his gratitude, Dr. Smithies is giving a share of his Nobel money to the University of Toronto's faculty of medicine, which will use the funds to establish an annual lecture in his honour. "It's my great pleasure to share the prize with them," said Dr. Smithies, 82, in an interview from his office at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

National Coverage

Obese Women Less Likely to Be Tested for Some Cancers
HealthDay News
A new review of 32 studies suggests that obese women -- particularly white women -- are more likely than others to skip screenings for breast and cervical cancer. ... However, the findings do point to a problem that deserves attention in the doctor's office, said study lead author Sarah S. Cohen, a graduate student in the department of epidemiology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UNC News Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/health-and-medicine/
obesity-may-keep-some-women-from-getting-screened-for-breast-cervical-cancer.html

An Epidemic No One Wants to Talk About (Column)
The Washington Post
A much-publicized study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this month highlighted the high rates of sexually transmitted diseases among teenage Americans. But for those of us who work in public health, this "news" is already old. ... Adaora A. Adimora is an associate professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

So the boss wants to be friends on Facebook?
The Orlando Sentinel
In the early days, the social-networking site Facebook had the feel of an exclusive club. ... Because Facebook, MySpace and other social-networking sites are so new, there isn't universally agreed-upon etiquette. One thing many people agree on: It's OK to accept a friend request from a subordinate, but it's not OK to send one to a subordinate. "That's an intrusion into their lives," said Fred Stutzman, 29, a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill who teaches a class on online social networks. "It's like the boss inviting themselves to their subordinate's party."

Synthetic heparin could be next step
The Chicago Tribune
The pursuit of a synthetic version of heparin, free of animal materials and made with stricter quality controls, is gaining more attention as awareness grows that the blood thinner can be sourced from an unregulated supply chain that starts with hog lots in rural China. ... "The reason we are pushing for the synthetic is that you can completely control the production process," said Jian Liu, associate professor of medicinal chemistry and natural products at the University of North Carolina School of Pharmacy, who is developing a synthetic heparin that is years from the U.S. market.

Colleges Need to Recognize, and Serve, the 3 Kinds of Latino Students (Commentary)
The Chronicle of Higher Education
What comes to mind when you think of a Latino student attending college in the United States? Do you think of the Chicana who made it, despite the odds, and now leads her campus chapter of the Chicano Caucus? The Latino student who started at his local community college but dropped out after a semester? Or do you think of the child of suburban doctors who attended a mostly white private school and is enrolled in an elite university? ... Margarita Mooney is an assistant professor of sociology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Borders may be on its final chapter
"Marketplace" American Public Media
Competition from online retailers like Amazon have hurt Borders profits enough for the book chain to consider going up for sale. Janet Babin reports a hedge fund supporting the store might end up buying it later. ... Paul Jones runs the internet archive Ibiblio.org at the University of North Carolina. He says Borders is also losing out to online competitors like Amazon. They can offer you any book you're looking for.

Regional Coverage

'Heaven' haunted by Carson slaying
The Athens Banner-Herald (Georgia)
Lawrence Lovette Jr. used to make the short trip from his home in Durham to play in a local youth basketball league. Five years later, the 17-year-old is facing a murder charge for the March 5 shooting death of Eve Carson, a 22-year-old Athens native and the student body president at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Immigration: The underground economy
The Sun News (Myrtle Beach, S.C.)
Just after sunrise, 20 job-seeking men crowd Labor Ready's counter and chairs in Myrtle Beach. After three days of trying, one man finally scores a $6-per-hour freight job. Another leaves with nothing. ... "Some employers exploit immigrant laborers because they can pay them less," said Jim Johnson, a University of North Carolina economist who studied immigration's effects in the state."But that's only part of the story."

State & Local Coverage

Remembering a special young woman (Column)
The Chapel Hill Herald
Last Tuesday, the university and the community celebrated the life of Eve Carson, the Carolina student body president and Board of Trustees member taken from us so suddenly and so violently at the age of only 22. Eve had compiled quite an impressive record of achievement in her short time with us. Morehead Scholar, member of Phi Beta Kappa, North Carolina Fellow -- her list of honors could easily fill this column. ... James Moeser is the chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Carson's death deserved all the coverage (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
 A comment on our web site Wednesday in response to the story of Tuesday's memorial service for Eve Carson succinctly summed up a reaction aimed not just at us but at many media.
Related link: http://www.thedurhamnews.com/viewpoints/story/126324.html

NCSU hits goal for Carson memorial
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
he N.C. State University Student Senate has exceeded its $1,000 fundraising goal for the Eve Marie Carson Memorial Fund. Details are still being arranged to present the donations to UNC-Chapel Hill's student government, which is serving as a liaison between the school and Carson's family. NCSU's tentative deadline for donations is March 28, but the Senate will send those that come in later to the fund's administrators.

Lawyer helped shield beaches from intensive development (Tar Heel of the Week)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Are you glad Carolina Beach doesn't look like Myrtle Beach? Thank Milton Heath. A professor in the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Government for more than 50 years, Heath drafted most of North Carolina's environmental laws, including the 1974 Coastal Area Management Act, which limited development along the state's shoreline.

Mexico now trails only U.S. as fattest nation
The Charlotte Observer
Fueled by the rising popularity of soft drinks and fast-food restaurants, Mexico has become the second fattest nation in the world. Mexican health officials say it could surpass the U.S. as the most obese country within 10 years if trends continue. ... In 1989, fewer than 10 percent of Mexican adults were overweight. No one in the country even talked about obesity back then, said Barry Popkin, a UNC Chapel Hill professor who studies global weight gain.

Change Comes Knocking
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
In 1963, Governor Terry Sanford sealed his legacy by establishing a privately-funded effort to abolish poverty in North Carolina. The initiative was called the North Carolina Fund. It was heralded for forging public-private partnerships, and condemned for threatening the power structure of the Jim Crow South. Filmmaker Rebecca Cerese examines the history and legacy of the North Carolina Fund in her new documentary, “Change Comes Knocking—The Story of the NC Fund.” She and UNC-CH history professor Jim Leloudis join host Frank Stasio to talk about the film.

Cuba is now poised for rapid growth (Commentary)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
 The economic rise of China over the past three decades is arguably the most important global development of our times. ... Peter A. Coclanis is Associate Provost for International Affairs and Albert R. Newsome Professor of History at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.

Controversy overshadows war speech
The Fayetteville Observer
Sen. Barack Obama didn’t cover a lot of new ground Wednesday in his Fayetteville speech on ending the Iraq war, and some experts say that topic won’t be the one to distinguish the Democratic presidential candidates in North Carolina. And while Obama may have scored points for his decision to confront the war in a military town, he and opponent Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton still have similar stances on most issues, including the war, said George Rabinowitz, a political science professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. “It’s hard to get a good issue fulcrum between them,” he said.

Milestones
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Professor Phil Meyer, a former journalist who holds the Knight Chair in Journalism at UNC-CH's School of Journalism and Mass Communication, will be inducted into the N.C. Journalism Hall of Fame on Sunday, March 30. The Hall of Fame recognizes those who have made outstanding career-long contributions to their field. Susan Fowler Credle, executive vice president and executive creative director at the BBDO agency in New York, will receive the Next Generation Leadership Award. A posthumous honor will go to James Davis, who became the state's first printer in 1749.

Citi's wealth expert to speak at UNC-CH
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Sallie Krawcheck, chief executive of Citi Global Wealth Management, and repeatedly named one of the most powerful women on Wall Street, is expected to discuss the role of women in leadership positions Tuesday in Chapel Hill. Krawcheck is a UNC-Chapel Hill alumnae and former Morehead scholar. Her speech is part of the activities for UNC Women's Week.

Campus to test emergency sirens
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill will test new emergency sirens Wednesday with the start of Alert Carolina, a safety awareness campaign. The test will occur between 11:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Although the university would use a variety of ways to share information in an actual emergency, this test will focus on the sirens.
Related Link: http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/2472/26/
UNC News Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/news/students/
university-to-test-sirens-march-26-to-launch-alert-carolina.html

UNC wrestler charged with assault
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Police arrested a member of the UNC-Chapel Hill wrestling team on an assault charge early Saturday morning, according to police reports. Vincent Toribio Ramirez, 21, also was charged with being drunk and disruptive. He was released on the misdemeanor charges after making a written promise to appear.

Issues & Trends

The Entrepreneur at the Helm
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Want to be a successful college president? Go out and earn a few million dollars first. College trustees are hiring more leaders from outside the academy, and it is the self-made executives who generate the buzz. ... Notable college leaders with corporate chops have included the president of the University of North Carolina system, Erskine B. Bowles, and Daniel L. Ritchie, who was chancellor of the University of Denver from 1989 to 2005.

Probation system fell short in Carson slaying
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Probation officers often speak of hearing about a terrible crime and worrying whether someone under their supervision did it. But in one of the Triangle's highest-profile killings in recent years -- the slaying of UNC-Chapel Hill student body president Eve Carson -- the reaction took a troubling turn.
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/print/monday/opinion/story/1010995.html

Private PCs complicate public e-mail
The Fayetteville Observer
When University of North Carolina system board members send e-mails about official business, their communication is a public record. But in almost every case, those e-mails are being sent and received on private e-mail accounts ...
Related Link: http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/letters/story/1009085.html

New facility for coastal studies
The Triangle Business Journal
Northeastern North Carolina soon will get a $32 million facility for a research institute set up to foster a better understanding of the history, culture and environment of maritime counties. The Coastal Studies Institute, or CSI, operated by the University of North Carolina System, is currently located in an old house in Manteo. ... CSI is a cooperative project of five UNC schools: the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina State University, East Carolina University, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington and Elizabeth City State University.