uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Something for the weekend
The Financial Times (United Kingdom)
With holidays fast approaching you may well be tempted by the counterfeit goods for sale in the markets and roadsides of your overseas destinations. But wearing a pair of fake designer sunglasses may not make you feel as good about yourself as you initially hoped. ...Academics Francesca Gino of Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Michael Norton at Harvard Business School and Dan Ariely at the Fuqua School of Business at Duke University ran a series of experiments to see what happened when individuals wore both fake and genuine sunglasses.

National Coverage

As oil spread, did BP battle to contain the media?
The Washington Post
...Perhaps the gulf operation is smoothing itself out after a month and a half of oil gush and media crush. Authorities had weathered criticism for a series of minor run-ins that gave the impression that BP was calling the shots. ...On Saturday, a University of North Carolina energy blog titled Powering a Nation posted images of a BP contract that barred owners of vessels it chartered from making "public statements." A BP spokesman said the company has standard contractual language designed to protect proprietary information, and that it has allowed media to cover its Vessels of Opportunity program, which employs local boat owners in cleanup efforts.

Why China's Weight-Loss Industry Is Gaining
Businessweek
...After struggling for millennia to feed its population, China, the world's fastest-growing major economy, now faces the opposite problem. Some 30 percent of adults are overweight or obese, compared with 25 percent in 2004, figures Barry Popkin, director of the Inter-Disciplinary Obesity Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Mediaite's Bad Coverage Of WSJ And Its iPad App (Blog)
Forbes Magazine
News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch spoke earlier this week at the Wall Street Journal's "All Things Digital" conference, and he praised the iPad. Frances Martel of Mediaite covered Murdoch's comments later on Fox Business Network and wrote, "Murdoch hinted that he would like to see the News Corp-owned Wall Street Journal make its way to the iPad." (Chris Roush is the Walter E. Hussman Sr. Distinguished Scholar in business journalism at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.)

What Freshmen Will Read
Inside Higher Ed
College orientation programs don't yet have the power of Oprah's Book Club, but they increasingly feature books that students are asked to read over the summer or during their first week on campus -- and to discuss with their new classmates. ...Some book selections have been controversial. In 2002, critics tried to block the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from a first-year program built around Approaching the Qur'an: The Early Revelations, but the university went to court to defend its choice -- only to face more criticism the next year over the selection of Barbara Ehrenreich's Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America. But despite such debates, the book concept has taken hold on many campuses.

State and Local Coverage

New UNC Imaging Center Opens
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC has opened the doors to a brand new research facility on its campus. The UNC-Olympus Research Imaging Center had its grand opening Thursday. The facility features start-of-the-art microscopes and equipment endowed to the university by Olympus America Inc. The center’s co-director Dr. James Bear says collaborative research from scientists in multiple fields will be encouraged through the use of the facility’s equipment.
UNC Release:
http://www.med.unc.edu/www/news/unc-and-olympus-partner-to-open-advanced
-imaging-center-for-life-science-research

RTI International, UNC: Drug combo cuts cost of alcohol treatment
The Triangle Business Journal
A new study from RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests that a combination of drugs with intervention treatment could be key to decreasing the long-term costs of alcohol dependence. The wider societal costs include other health care costs, arrest costs and motor vehicle accident costs. Researchers at RTI International and UNC-Chapel Hill, among other universities, found that participants who took acamprosate and naltrexone medications saved more than $3,800 in the median cost of treatment for alcohol dependence, compared to those who just received medical management and a placebo.

CDC: 1 out of 5 students abuse prescription drugs
WCNC-TV (NBC/Charlotte)
...The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has released a survey that finds 1 out of every 5 high school students has abused a prescription drug at least once. Students are mostly misusing drugs to treat ADHD, like Adderall and Ritalin, or painkillers such as Oxycontin, Percocet and Vicodin. "Some of these prescription pain medications can cause students to be really sleepy, even have respiratory problems," said Dr. Macary Marciniak with the UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy.
http://www.wcnc.com/news/health/CDC-1-out-of-5-students-abuse-prescription-drugs-95550694.html

Don't let your guard down about mumps
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Mumps was a prevalent childhood disease more than 50 years ago. After 1957, required vaccinations made it a rare disease in the U.S. Mumps might be rare in this country, but experts say it is still prevalent in other parts of the world. “A million people come and arrive in the United States from abroad each year, so there's always the possibility of these diseases,” said Dr. David Weber, an epidemiologist and associate director of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

UNC study: Women, minorities still rare on boards of N.C. public
The Triangle Business Journal
North Carolina’s largest public companies have made scant progress in diversifying their boards of directors over the past few years, a new study by the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s law school concludes. Just 12.3 percent of board members serving the state’s 50 largest public companies are female, and a mere 7.1 percent are minorities, according to the survey. ...“It’s awfully slow improvement, and it’s almost meaningless,” says Lissa Broome, a UNC law professor who worked on the survey. “We’re going in the right direction, but it’s going to take forever to get there I think.”
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3662/67/

Jungian admirers to tackle the psychologist's 'Red Book'
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
It costs nearly $200, spans more than 400 pages and weighs more than 9 pounds - not exactly light reading - but tonight in Chapel Hill, a group of devotees will gather to explore "The Red Book." Members of the group - therapists, doctors, writers and at least one retired nurse - share a fascination with the life and ideas of Carl Gustav Jung. ..."He's one of those people whose ideas will last forever," said Laura Herbst, a lecturer in journalism at UNC-Chapel Hill who is a member of the group.

Department of Justice investigating sheriff's department
The Times News (Burlington)
...Hannah Gill is a member of Fairness Alamance, a local group that has periodically questioned the sheriff’s handling of the 287(g) program. Fairness filed complaint letters “a long time ago,” but Gill said she couldn’t remember whether any went to the Justice Department and couldn’t access the information because she was out of town on vacation. “I don’t know exactly how they came to focus on Alamance County,” said Gill, who’s with The Institute for the Study of the Americas & The Center for Global Initiatives at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Last Haitian earthquake patient leaves N.C. Jaycee Burn Center
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The last burn patient from Haiti was discharged from the N.C. Jaycee Burn Center today. Eriek Louis was the worst burned of three patients who were airlifted from the earthquake-ravaged country for treatment at the burn center at UNC Hospitals. The other patients have already been discharged and are living in the area as they receive out-patient therapy.
Related Links:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/7716030/
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/7795009/article-Brush-collection-proceeding?

Health leaders honored at club
The Chapel Hill Herald
At its 12th Annual Meeting & Awards Ceremony, Chapel Hill-based NC Prevention Partners and leaders from the health, hospital, school, and business communities honored standout leaders who make it easier for North Carolinians to reduce tobacco use, eat healthier and get more physical activity. ...This Year’s Award Winners for Prevention Excellence were: ...Quitline Champion Hospitals, including UNC Hospitals, for leading their sector in linking tobacco users to the NC Quitline to help them successfully quit tobacco.

Green Gardeners seeks volunteers
The Chapel Hill Herald
Interested in talking to other gardeners about their gardening successes, failures, and questions? The N.C. Botanical Garden invites you to join The Green Gardeners — special volunteers who offer help and advice to visitors, callers, and e-mailers for a short shift each weekday.

Issues and Trends

Budget's fine-tuning begins after House approval
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The House approved an $18.9 billion budget Thursday after more than six hours of debate in which Republicans slipped through small, but meaningful, changes. ...A key issue for negotiators is the House's proposal to spare K-12 education at the expense of the UNC system. The House budget would move money from the state lottery to preserve K-12 teacher jobs and would include millions to cover a 16 percent increase in community-college enrollment driven by the recession. It includes deep cuts to the UNC system and banks on a half billion dollars in federal money that is anything but certain.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/opinion/nc-house-budget-bites-dire-cuts-to
-higher-ed?storylink=misearch

House gives final OK to nearly $19B budget
The Associated Press
The House has approved its spending plan for North Carolina government that's being billed as either an austere budget for 2010 or a plan that leaves the state unprepared for a $3 billion shortfall in 2011. The House gave preliminary approval Thursday of a nearly $19 billion spending plan by a party-line vote of 62-55. ...Senators have "lots of concerns" about the House budget , said Sen. Linda Garrou, D-Forsyth. A primary sticking point for her is a proposed cap on enrollment at University of North Carolina campuses.

State budget one step closer to reality
The Associated Press
The state House gave initial approval Thursday to a state budget that tries to preserve more public school jobs than the Senate's version but delays how to handle a potential half-billion shortfall coming from Congress. ...The University of North Carolina system would have to find another $139 million in spending cuts at its campuses and central office compared with the Senate plan.

ECU dental school changes its name
The Daily Reflector (Greenville)
A little more than a year before it enrolls its first students, East Carolina University’s dental school is changing its name. The school, which has just begun accepting applications for its inaugural class, has changed its name from the School of Dentistry to the School of Dental Medicine. The name change was approved May 12 by the UNC General Administration. Graduates will be awarded a doctor of dental medicine (DMD). The University of North Carolina School of Dentistry in Chapel Hill, which has the only other dental school in the state, awards the doctor of dental surgery degree (DDS).

NC medical school offers guaranteed admission
The Associated Press
A North Carolina medical school is offering guaranteed admission to students from two other state universities in hopes of increasing the number of doctors working in underserved areas. Multiple media outlets reported that East Carolina University in Greenville will guarantee admission to two students each from North Carolina A&T in Greensboro and the University of North Carolina-Pembroke.