uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Troy Davis' execution and the limits of Twitter
BBC News
...In an age when movies and music can be accessed instantly and a customer service issue can be resolved with a quick tweet, social media has already been cited in the success of the Arab Spring revolutions. But the case of Troy Davis showed its limits. "I'm not sure that 1,000 tweets or Facebook posts have the same power as one phone call," says Brian Southwell, a professor at the University of North Carolina. He says: "We've lowered the bar for activism. Now it's a click away."

National Coverage

Students should prepare for continued education cuts
The Chicago Tribune
...At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, students have lost $6.2 million in federal and state grants this year, and another $2.2 million in state aid could be on the chopping block for 2012-2013, according to Shirley Ort, associate provost and director of scholarships and student aid. "I don't want to sound the alarm bell too loudly," Ort said, "but there are challenges ahead of us." And students who prepare now will be better off.

Growing number of laws propelled by crime victims
USA Today
...A USA TODAY survey shows legislators in least 25 states have introduced or pledged to introduce versions of what has been dubbed Caylee's Law. In at least 12 of those states, legislation has been introduced, but it has not yet become law anywhere. ..."Is it a good way to draft law? No, it's not," says Frank Baumgartner, a professor of political science at the University of North Carolina. "The problem with this is, it's kind of a reflection of what you can call an overreaction or a disproportionate attention to a problem that's probably always been there."

Mideast action at U.N. casts spotlight on Christian Zionism
CNN
...These Christians, called dispensationalists because they believe history is divided into different eras, or dispensations, "believe the Jews need to go back to the land of Israel before or immediately after the Rapture and create a commonwealth," said Yaakov Ariel, a religious studies professor at the University of North Carolina. "This is not believed to be the great Davidic Kingdom that would be ushered in by Jesus' second coming," Ariel said of the Jewish state, "but it is a stepping stone in that direction. Dispensationalists believe they can help pave the way for that."

NC House panel begins talk on surplus property
The Associated Press
...The House Select Committee on State-Owned Assets also heard from Dr. Bill Roper, chief executive officer of the University of North Carolina Health Care System. He urged committee members not to direct the sale of its Rex Healthcare affiliate to Raleigh rival WakeMed Health & Hospitals, saying detaching UNC and Rex would harm the system's commitment to provide charity care and train physicians.

Reframing Mexico: Journalism Students Capture Day By Day Stories
The Huffington Post
...Journalism students who walked into Professor Pat Davison's multimedia and digital storytelling class at the University of North Carolina School of Journalism in January, were faced with a huge challenge. International reporting has long been a staple of their program, and this year, the students were teaming up with students at Tecnólogico de Monterrey in Mexico City to create documentaries about life in Mexico. However, the class was mandated to stay away from the drug war for safety reasons.

State and Local

Thorp: Football still a priority at UNC
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
University of North Carolina chancellor Holden Thorp and Board of Trustees chair Wade Hargrove said Thursday that the school remains committed to success in football, NCAA rules compliance and academic integrity. Hargrove's opening speech at a regularly scheduled Board of Trustees meeting followed Monday's news that UNC gave itself two years of probation and other sanctions after admitting nine major NCAA violations.

UNC chairman: 'Lessons learned' in football scandal
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Three days after the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill offered to punish itself for misdeeds by its football program, the school's Board of Trustees said Thursday that UNC would try to move forward with a new focus. "Lessons have been learned. This university (and the) board of trustees are committed to ensuring past mistakes are not repeated," Board Chairman Wade Hargrove said. "We can do better. We will do better."
Related Link:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=8364056
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/15632900/article-Thorp-to-Trustees
--Sanctions-show-integrity-?instance=homefirstleft

UNC took right steps to move forward (Editorial)
The Shelby Star
Administrators for the University of North Carolina — most especially Chancellor Holden Thorp — have been pilloried over the past several months over how NCAA allegations of academic misconduct and other malfeasance in UNC’s football program were handled. ...Timing, apparently, is everything. That’s why it was heartening to see the university take action against itself this week when it released a 110-page response to the NCAA’s allegations. It was the proper action taken at the correct moment.
Related Links:
http://www.thetimesnews.com/articles/good-47967-north-unc.html
http://www2.journalnow.com/news/opinion/2011/sep/23/wsopin01-public
-didnt-expect-this-disappointment-ar-1421251/

UNC BOT Selects Possible Designers For Carolina North Research Building
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
UNC’s Board of Trustees is one step closer to selecting a designer firm for the first building at Carolina North. “This is an exciting facility,” says Associate Vice Chancellor for Facilities Planning and Construction Bruce Runbe. “It’s the research facility at Carolina North, and it will span 225,000 square feet. It’s a building to bring various research related units together.”

UNC Board of Trustees meets to discuss budget cuts
News 14 Carolina
The UNC Board of Trustees has a meeting again Thursday to discuss how to cope with budget cuts. Less money from the state has forced UNC-Chapel Hill to eliminate 500 classes and slash more than $80 million from its budget. They are part of more than $400 million in cuts across the 17 campus university system.

Dean: Rex a critical part of UNC Health Care
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
The dean of the University of North Carolina medical school told lawmakers Thursday that selling Rex Healthcare to WakeMed would damage UNC's ability to provide care and train physicians. A House committee studying the potential sale of some of the state's more than 11,000 assets met for the first time Thursday morning, and WakeMed's $750 million bid to acquire Rex was among the assets discussed.
Related Links:
http://triangle.news14.com/content/647148/lawmakers-examine-future-of-rex-healthcare
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/sep/22/lawmakers-weigh-selling-rex-wakemed-ar-1421363/

Universities vital, leaders say; cut elsewhere (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
A half dozen university leaders from North Carolina have joined dozens of others in a plea to members of the congressional super committee crafting a plan for deficit reduction. ...North Carolina signers were Linda Brady, chancellor of UNC Greensboro; Richard Brodhead, president of Duke University; Philip Dubois, chancellor of UNC Charlotte; Gary Miller, chancellor of UNC Wilmington; Tom Ross, president of the UNC system; and Holden Thorp, chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill.

The Nature of Consciousness
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM
The nature of consciousness is hotly debated among philosophers, scientists and artists. We have thoughts, we feel, we remember the past and we anticipate the future. We think that is what it means to be conscious, but nobody can explain just exactly what that is or how it comes into being. Host Frank Stasio explores consciousness with Bill Lycan, a philosophy professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill...

To serve more, home needs to expand
The Triangle Business Journal
In March 2008, SECU Family House at UNC Hospitals opened its 40-bedroom facility for seriously ill adult patients at UNC Hospitals and their families. Now, SECU Family House, which in 2010 served nearly 1,400 families, is talking to an architect about doubling the size of the facility, an expansion that could cost $5.5 million.

Issues and Trends

Tough year and he's not yet inaugurated (Column)
The Charlotte Observer
Who could blame Tom Ross for pausing a bit over this question: Do you regret taking the job as University of North Carolina system president? ...Ross said the university system really "felt the shockwave" of the slashes in state funding this year. "Further cuts will be difficult," he said. Next year he hopes for more not less from state lawmakers to maintain the quality of higher education and access to it that North Carolinians need.

Larger class size, fewer courses for Fayetteville State University students
The Fayetteville Observer
Students at Fayetteville State University have fewer course options and larger classes this year because of state budget cuts, school officials said Thursday. Jon Young, FSU's provost and vice chancellor for academic affairs, told the board of trustees' Academic Affairs and Personnel Committee that the school is offering 1,192 course selections this fall. That's down from 1,257 last fall and 1,450 in 2007, he said.