uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

Sugary drinks add 300 calories a day to youths' diets
USA Today
Teens who drink soda, energy drinks and other sugary beverages are guzzling about 327 calories a day from them, which is equal to about 2½ cans of cola, new government data show. ...Barry Popkin, a nutrition professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, says consumption of super-caffeinated energy drinks, especially among teens and young adults, is skyrocketing. "These are empty calories with no health benefits."

Eat your spinach … or else.
The Chicago Tribune
Better access to supermarkets — long touted as a way to curb obesity in low-income neighborhoods — doesn't improve people's diets, according to new research. The study, which tracked thousands of people in several large cities for 15 years, found that people didn't eat more fruits and vegetables when they had supermarkets available in their neighborhoods. ...The University of North Carolina study "raises the serious issue of how we get people to eat healthy," says lead author Barry Popkin.

Does Religion Cause Terrorism? It's Complicated
The Huffington Post
The shock of the 9/11 attacks was so great, and the personal losses so deep, that many people understandably sought simple answers for such overwhelming malevolence. ..."Religious violence has to stand in line with all sorts of other violence in the modern world," said Charles Kurzman, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and author of "The Missing Martyrs: Why There Are So Few Muslim Terrorists."

Changing One Word to Get Health-Care Workers to Wash Their Hands (Blog)
The Wall Street Journal
...He and his co-author, David Hofmann of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, tested a different approach: emphasizing patient health. In a paper that will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Psychological Science, they describe two experiments that pitted a sign stating that “Hand hygiene prevents you from catching diseases” against one stating that “Hand hygiene prevents patients from catching diseases.”

Big Graduation-Rate Gap Looms Between Football Players and Full-Time Male Students
The Chronicle of Higher Education
A sizable and pervasive gap between the average graduation rates of NCAA Division I football players and full-time male students over all at several conferences persisted in the years from 2000 to 2003, according to the 2011 Adjusted Graduation Gap Report from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s College Sport Research Institute.

Wide Gaps in Grad Rates of Football Players, Other Males
Inside Higher Ed
Wide gaps persist in the graduation rates of Division I football players and other male students, and these gaps are not limited to "football factory" institutions, according to a report released this morning by the College Sport Research Institute of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

U. of North Carolina to Investigate Christian Singing Group’s Dismissal of Gay Student
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill is looking into whether an officially recognized Christian a cappella group broke the university’s nondiscrimination policy when it voted to remove a member who is gay, The Daily Tar Heel, a student paper, reports.

State and Local Coverage

Free prostate screenings offered
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
UNC Health Care will offer free prostate cancer screenings on Sept. 21 and Sept. 22 from 1 to 6 p.m. each day in the Urology Clinic located on the second floor of N.C. Memorial Hospital. ...Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers in men in the United States,” said Raj Pruthi, chief of urology at UNC Hospitals and a member of the UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center. Pruthi said prostate cancer is treatable if diagnosed early.
UNC Release:
http://uncmedne.ws/prostate

Cleft Palate Gallop race set
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
...The race start location is the Old Well on the UNC-Chapel Hill campus. The Cleft Palate Gallop is organized by students of the UNC School of Dentistry. All profits from the race will be donated to the UNC Craniofacial Center to help cover the treatment costs of children with cleft lip or cleft palate.

Local firms partner to help patients take medication properly
The Triangle Business Journal
...Family Health is in talks with the University of North Carolina Hospitals to pursue an agreement that would connect physicians from the hospital with patients using the Family Health software. No deal has been reached yet, according to UNC Hospitals spokeswoman Jennifer James.

Set the right rules for city attorney (Editorial)
The News & Record (Greensboro)
...When that advice can make the difference in a hotly contested issue, the attorney might feel heavy pressure to favor whatever political faction holds power. But that’s exactly when the attorney must accept the risk of being fired for the sake of rendering honest advice. “Sure, there’s political pressure,” said Christopher McLaughlin, assistant professor of public law and government at UNC-Chapel Hill. That’s why it’s “hugely important” for an attorney and council to lay clear ground rules from the beginning. “If you don’t, that’s how expectations get set inappropriately.”

Robert Stewart trial: Defendant shows scars to jury as testimony ends
The Fayetteville Observer
...Under North Carolina law, the defense would normally have to prove its theory of automatism, that Stewart was not in control of his actions, beyond a reasonable doubt, said Jeff Welty, a public law professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Alumni Fight To Keep Popular UNC Course Safe From Budget Cuts
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
...As UNC faces an 18% budget reduction, the funding for that class has been cut in half, saving the department $15,000. Beginning next semester, the Honors department will only offer one course section per term instead of two. There are 70 students enrolled this Fall, enough to actually fill about three class sections. Jim Leloudis is the Associate Dean for Honors in the College of Arts and Sciences. He says that while Dr. Goldberg is an esteemed professor and the Elements of Politics can offer valuable lessons, he has had no choice but to cut back.

Issues and Trends

NASCAR goes to college
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
As students head off to college this fall, many will encounter the work of one of NASCAR's newest marketing campaigns. UNC Charlotte and UNC Chapel Hill are among the schools NASCAR has targeted this fall with its College Brand Ambassador Program, which will utilize student ambassadors to host events including viewing parties and trips to local tracks to watch NASCAR events.

Football Coverage

Accountability on the Quad (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The New York Times
A series of recent scandals involving players receiving money, cars and other improper benefits, along with violations by recruiters and sports agents, has debased the already tarnished reputation of college sports. Schools like the University of Miami, the University of North Carolina and the University of Southern California, to name just a few, have been in the news more for abusing the rules than for teaching their students.

Tudor: Could UNC's Withers stay on? (Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
With an excellent opportunity to start the football season 6-1 or possibly 7-0, let's say Everett Withers completes his interim head coaching season at North Carolina with nine or more wins. Keep in mind that Butch Davis, in four seasons, never finished better than 8-5 overall or 4-4 in the ACC. Then what?