uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

Study Links Concussions To Brain Disease
CBS News
Dr. Ann McKee , a neuropathologist at the Boston University School of Medicine studied 16 athletes - including 11 football players - and identified a disease called Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy in every case. ... The game probably changed Johnson, however. He retired four years ago due to concussions and became clinically depressed, a condition that a University of North Carolina study of retired NFL players linked to severe repetitive head injury.

America's Greenest Colleges
Forbes
Everything under the sun is being sold as green nowadays, and colleges are no different. ... Twenty-six schools received the highest grade, an A-. Among them: Arizona State University, Middlebury College, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Pennsylvania and Pomona College. The schools were graded on a variety of categories, including green building initiatives, transportation, climate-change policy, investment priorities and the administration's efforts on sustainability (a buzz word for green policies).

Some Treatments Just Don’t Work
Newsweek
..."However, patients taking opioids have large increases in risks of experiencing adverse effects," such as nausea and constipation. Added Nortin Hadler, professor of medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and spokesperson for the American College of Rheumatology, "It is striking how little additional benefit patients with hip or knee pain can expect from taking opiates compared to placebo.

Regional Coverage

Put health before glory (Opinion)
Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Fla.)
When Tim Tebow last strapped on his helmet Sept. 26 against Kentucky, a blow to the head cold-cocked the University of Florida football star into next week. Literally. Doctors generally bench footballers for at least a week after a concussion. ... Meanwhile, the University of North Carolina's Center for the Study of Retired Athletes found that 20 percent of retired players had suffered three or more concussions. Researchers found these players three times more likely to battle depression than their peers.
Related Link: http://www.tennessean.com/article/20091009/SPORTS0602/910090365/2072/SPORTS/Concussion+can+be+hard+on+players

State and Local Coverage

UNC gets $3.2 million grant to study end-of-life decisions
Triangle Business Journal
A University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill researcher has received a $3.2 million grant to study how to make it easier for fatally ill kidney patients and their families to determine their end-of-life treatment options. Researcher Mi-Kyung Song will recruit 200 patients with end-stage renal disease, along with their selected decision makers, to discuss their beliefs about their illness, chronic dialysis therapy and what treatment options they would prefer at the end of their lives.
UNC Release: http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/2963/107/

UNC Gets Top 25 Ranking
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
The University of North Carolina has been recognized as one of the top 25 schools in the National Collegiate Scouting Association, or NCSA, power rankings. UNC came in at 24th on the list, and was one of five ACC schools listed in the top 25. Duke, Boston College, Virginia and Wake Forest also ranked highly.

Faith and work gather at firms, legally
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A dozen employees from all ranks fill a conference room, with as many more calling in by speakerphone. One carries a guitar, another distributes photocopies of hymn lyrics. ... An Arizona company was vindicated two decades ago in a federal appeals court ruling that set ground rules for workplace ministry, said UNC Chapel Hill law professor Glenn George. The federal court ruled that the private company could require its workers to attend devotional services as long as it paid the workers for the time spent in worship, and as long as an atheist employee was exempted from having to attend.

Health research hub (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Genetic research already has produced helpful results with regards to cancer treatment. It has, for example, broken down the different kinds of breast cancer, which obviously affects the kinds of treatments offered and their effectiveness. UNC-Chapel Hill is considered a leader in the field, which is why it will be getting one of the largest grants from federal stimulus money to continue research into how cancer grows and spreads.

Not Enough Room at The Houses
Triangle Business Journal
The Ronald McDonald House of Chapel Hill is getting ready to kick off a $5 million fundraising campaign to add 24 rooms to the house, which is being overwhelmed by the number of people in need of its help. ... In Chapel Hill, Day says leaders are working to secure a lease to University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill-owned property on which it can expand. The lease proposal would give the house 2.73 acres for 26 years at a cost of $1 per year. Bruce Runberg, UNC’s associate vice chancellor for construction, says the lease has been approved by the UNC Board of Trustees but needs to be approved by the state, though he sees no reason why it would be denied. “I think the chances are very high that it would get approved because it is for the common good,” he says. “We believe it is the right thing to be doing.”

Heels 'hungry' to help with reading
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
North Carolina offensive lineman Kyle Jolly stands at 6-6 and 310 pounds and spends most Saturdays playing in front of a crowd of thousands. But Thursday evening, Jolly and some of his teammates entertained a group of 5- and 6-year-olds with books. Eleven Tar Heels volunteered to read 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' to the Chapel Hill Titan youth football team as part of Jumpstart's Read for the Record on Thursday.

Illegal immigration foe sparks few fireworks
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Making no apologies for her conservative stance on immigration policy while attacking "cowardice" in Washington to enact meaningful reform, political activist Angela "Bay" Buchanan said the country is seething over the waves of undocumented foreigners who illegally enter the country. "I have never seen so much anger in the electorate in my entire life," Buchanan told an audience of about 75 people in the UNC's Frank Porter Graham Student Union Thursday night.

Issues and Trends

Bogle: Underage drinking needs a community solution
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
As a judge for many years, I am confident of one thing -- standing alone, the solution to underage drinking won't be found in courtrooms. But because of legislative mandates and alcohol's causal connection to many societal ills, courts will have a continuing role. ... Meant as a public health intervention by law enforcement, ALERT is not intended to criminalize youthful behaviors. Though most serious drinking problems relate to UNC students, the UNC Public Safety Department has not yet participated in ALERT activities.

Calling all runners
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Music and exercise have long held a strong correlation. But though most athletes listen to their favorite tunes while on the jog, UNC Sport Club seeks to encourage runners to hang around after this year's Race for a Reason to enjoy some post-run music. The fifth annual Race for a Reason 5K, to be held on Oct. 18 at 9 a.m. on UNC's Ram's Head plaza, has expanded beyond just the run to include a small gathering afterwards on Ehringhaus Field, complete with concerts by campus a cappella groups and food by various vendors.