uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Most U.S. parents spank preschoolers
United Press International
Despite studies that show spanking can increase aggression in children and lower IQ points, 79 percent of U.S. preschool children are spanked, researchers said. In addition, Dr. Desmond Runyan of the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center and colleagues found corporal punishment of children remains common worldwide, despite bans adopted in 24 countries since 1979.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2010/August/corporal-punishment-of-
children-remains-common-worldwide-unc-studiesfind?utm_source=release
&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=corporal

24 countries have banned all spanking
United Press International
Twenty-four countries -- only 12 percent of the world's nations -- have banned all corporal punishment, U.S. researchers found. Dr. Adam J. Zolotor, assistant professor of family medicine in the University of North Carolina School of Medicine in Chapel Hill, and colleagues conducted a systematic review of the laws and changes in attitudes and behaviors in countries that have adopted bans on corporal punishment since the passage of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1979.

National Coverage

DNA Test May Speed Colon Cancer Diagnosis
The New York Times
A new generation of DNA tests for colon cancer seems likely to improve the detection both of cancers and of the precancerous polyps that precede them. The tests, if validated, could reduce the burden of disease substantially by detecting tumors at an early stage, including those not picked up by a colonoscopy. ...By 2004 it was clear that looking for the Vogelstein mutations was “neat biology but not a home run,” said Dr. David Ransohoff, an expert on colon cancer screening at the University of North Carolina.

'Gaps Are Not Inevitable'
Inside Higher Ed
It's well-established by now that African American and Latino students graduate college at lower rates than do their white and Asian peers, so it follows pretty naturally that many individual colleges would have lower graduation rates for those groups than for white students, too. ...Similar gaps exist at more selective public institutions (the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill's 2 percentage point graduation rate gap between its Hispanic and white students, compared to the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's 16 percent, for example) and all manner of private institutions, too (Rice University's black and white students both graduate at a rate of about 92 percent, while black students at Lehigh University graduate at a six-year rate of 64.5 percent, compared to 86.3 percent for white students).

Regional Coverage

Make early education a part of school reform (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
...A recent study by the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina, commissioned by Bright from the Start, Georgia’s Department of Early Care and Learning, found that, on average, nonlottery-funded, center-based care across Georgia is of low to medium quality. This disparity means a large portion of Georgia’s children will not enter school ready to succeed. (Stephanie Blank is chair of the Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students.)

Heat blitzes playing fields
The Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Mo.)
...Forty-two football players have died from heatstroke since 1995, according to the National Center for Catastrophic Sports Injury at the University of North Carolina. Of those, 31 were high school athletes. ...However, the rate of heat-related deaths among football players has decreased from eight in 1970 to about five a year, said Frederick O. Mueller, director of the National Center for Catastrophic Injury Research. "Those were the days (before 1970) when players weren't getting water," Mueller said. "People thought that if you don't give water, it made kids tougher. It made them tougher, but it also killed more of them."

State and Local Coverage

UNC gets an Obama shout-out (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC got a shout-out today from President Obama. In a speech about higher education today at the University of Texas in Austin, Obama singled out UNC and the University of Maryland as two public universities that have managed to remain affordable while retaining quality. As I read it, it isn't actually clear whether Obama is citing UNC-Chapel Hill specifically or the entire University of North Carolina system. Either way, he'd be right. By most national markers, UNC-CH and the state's university system provide a lot of bang for the tuition buck.

President Obama Praises UNC
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
President Obama praised UNC for continuing to provide a quality education while dealing with harsh budget constraints in a speech at the University of Texas at Austin. Obama called for more universities to follow UNC’s lead even during an difficult economic climate, which he called the “worst recession since the Great Depression.”

Spanking Study
North Carolina News Network
Despite attempts across the world to scale back corporal punishment, a new study suggests a high number of pre-school kids across the world are still spanked. UNC social medicine professor Dr. Desmond Runyan led the study that looked at spanking rates in the U.S. and five other nations. Runyon says the findings conclude the rate of spanking is higher than most published rates would indicate.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2010/August/corporal-punishment-of-
children-remains-common-worldwide-unc-studies-find?utm_source
=release&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=corporal

Corporal punishment remains common
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Spanking has declined in the U.S. since 1975 but nearly 80 percent of preschool children are still disciplined in this fashion. In addition, corporal punishment of children remains common worldwide, despite bans on corporal punishment that have been adopted in 24 countries since 1979. These are some of the more thought-provoking findings reported in three separate, recently published studies of corporal punishment led by researchers at the University of North Carolina Injury Prevention Research Center.

UNC, family hope others learn from student's suicide
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
The death of a law student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill last April prompted his family to team up with the university to help provide awareness about suicide prevention for other young adults. ...The law school and Eric Bryant’s family saw a need for education about suicide – the third-leading cause of death among those between ages 15 and 24. They established an on-campus suicide education group called "Active Minds." “We want to educate our students on signs and what to look for,” said Kelly Podger Smith, assistant dean of student services.

NCAA focuses on UNC coach
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A part of the NCAA's investigation into the University of North Carolina's football program has turned to associate head coach John Blake and his relationship with agent Gary Wichard, according to Wichard. ...The NCAA has launched investigations into allegations of impermissible contact between sports agents and college football players at several schools, including UNC. Last month, NCAA investigators interviewed Tar Heels senior defensive tackle Marvin Austin and senior wide receiver Greg Little. Investigators were back on UNC's campus last week.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story_sports/9055740/article-Report--NCAA-is
-investigating-UNC-assistant-coach--agent?instance=main_article

Issues and Trends

Glance: Schools where students can make grade bets
The Associated Press
Students at 36 schools nationwide can bet on their academic performance, starting this month through the New York-based website Ultrinsic.