uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

Simple school lunch best, says nutrition expert
MSNBC.com
Suzanne Havala Hobbs, registered dietitian and clinical assistant professor in the department of health policy and administration in the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was interviewed from the Carolina News Studio about serving more natural foods in schools. She recommended more involvement from parents and teachers as well as children in making healthier choices in what is provided in school cafeterias.

Adios to Spanish 101 Classroom
Inside Higher Ed
After several years of experimenting with “hybrid” Spanish courses that mix online and classroom instruction, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has decided to begin conducting its introductory Spanish course exclusively on the Web. ...“We were seeing that there was just a lot of demand on our resources, both monetary and space-wise, due to Spanish,” said Larry King, chair of the Romance Languages and Literatures Department.

When Are Kids Ready for Contacts?
Parade Magazine
If a child who wears glasses asks for contact lenses—perhaps for the not-uncommon reason that he or she doesn’t like the look of spectacles—it may not be a bad idea to give in. According to a recent report by researchers at Ohio State University and the University of North Carolina, kids who wear contacts not only get their vision corrected, they also tend to feel better about themselves.

Obama Goes AWOL
The Wall Street Journal
...The flip slide of this attitude is the notion that anyone who opposes left-wing politics must be against equal rights. In a Christian Science Monitor op-ed, Christopher J. Lee, a historian at the University of North Carolina, seems to argue that one cannot oppose socialism without being racist...

Regional Coverage

Teen driver deaths decline sharply in Illinois
The Chicago Tribune
It may be the relatively new teen driving laws or the sagging economy. More than likely, it's a combination of both. ...Illinois' results after imposing comprehensive GDL has mirrored that of other states, according to studies by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. Research indicates that states with GDL experienced declines in teen crashes of 10 to 30 percent, institute spokesman Russ Rader said. But Rader and Rob Foss, director of the Center for the Study of Young Drivers at the University of North Carolina, said the recession also contributed to the decline.

Finding the proper scale
The Washington Times
The U.S. Department of Education recently unveiled a $650 million fund to support innovation in America's schools by supporting local programs with a track record of raising student achievement -- as well as investing in programs that show promise. ...Finally, as University of North Carolina professor Jim Johnson shares, we tend to treat successful programs like a "buffet," taking only those ideas we like and ignoring others, leading to imperfect replication and oftentimes, failure.

State and Local Coverage

Gathering together as one (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
Fifty years ago, UNC beat Duke University 50-0 in a football game. That coincidence was too much for us not to celebrate it for Homecoming this year. This November, there will be a shared homecoming experience with the university and the town. With the spirit and competitiveness that comes from playing our rival, this will be an event to witness. (Jasmin Jones is the Student Body President at the University of North Carolina.)

Must demand results (Letter to the Editor)
The Winston-Salem Journal
Your Oct. 12 editorial, "Inexcusable waste," stated that UNC Chapel Hill must demand results from its Citizen-Soldier Support Program. We agree. Credit Chancellor Holden Thorp with bringing this issue to the board of trustees' attention. His administration has taken a hard look at the program and has noted serious flaws in it. Most important, he has demanded that it show immediate improvement. (Bob Winston, Chairman, UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, Raleigh)

Study: Soldiers’ wives at risk for problems
The Chapel Hill Herald
Wives of active-duty soldiers are at risk for psychological problems such as depression, loneliness and burnout, a study from UNC has found. But spouses are more likely to handle stress well if they are encouraged to build stronger relationships with their friends and communities, and can potentially lower their long-term medical costs if they receive military support services — including mental health care early, researchers found.

H1N1 a nightmare for local family
The Chapel Hill Herald
On a Saturday, Aaron Shah's twin 4-year-old sons seemed happy and healthy. ...Ahmad had contracted the H1N1 influenza virus, which was further complicated by the fact he had asthma. "He was very, very sick, on death's door," said Keith Kocis, a critical care pediatrician at UNC Hospitals who treated Ahmad. "We used extreme measures to keep him alive."

Economic hard times' toll shows in Roxboro clinic
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Blood pressure is a great measure of how efficiently the heart pumps vital fluid through the body, but at the Person Family Medical and Dental Center in Roxboro, it has also served as a gauge for economic health. ..."It has a lot to do with losing health coverage," says Jean Davison, a nurse practitioner at the busy practice north of Durham. ...Davison, 53, who also teaches nursing at UNC-Chapel Hill, says that as a front-line caregiver, she sees a need to eliminate one of the most pressing worries that face people who lose their jobs: How they'll get health care.

Old Well adorns design for rifle
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The Old Well, a campus landmark and symbol of UNC-Chapel Hill, appears on neckties, jewelry and other products, but a Colorado company's plans to put it on the stock of a rifle has raised concerns. ...The well is among the federally registered trademarks held by the university, said Derek Lochbaum, director of trademarks and licensing at UNC-Chapel Hill. Lochbaum said UNC-CH has not given Historical Armory permission to use the Old Well image.

State's growth pains, and gains (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Chapel Hill News
"It is like you picked up the entire population of the state of South Carolina and moved them into North Carolina" That's how Ferrel Guillory, director of UNC's Program on Public Life, begins to talk about the impact of population growth in North Carolina since he moved here in 1972.

Why no consent required for hacked UNC-CH mammogram study (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The UNC Chapel Hill med school mammography study victimized by a computer hacker did not need to get the consent of patients whose data was submitted to it due to a federal regulation related to studies of large populations.

Issues and Trends

Anoop relishing the normalcy of home
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
When Anoop Desai walked into a coffee shop recently, the other customers, immersed in books, conversations and their laptop computers, didn't blink, ogle, stare or swoon. Even after one photographer, then another began shooting his picture, still no one paid much attention. A few glanced over in mild curiosity, then went back to their work. Desai, 22, who grew up in Chapel Hill, graduated from East Chapel Hill High School and UNC, and placed sixth on "American Idol," likes it that way.