uncnews.unc.edu

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

International Coverage

Obama Consumer Watchdog Said to Have Known About Bank of America Debit Fee
Bloomberg Businessweek
The Obama administration’s new consumer watchdog knew about Bank of America Corp. (BAC)’s plan to impose a $5 monthly debit-card fee at least two weeks before the firm’s announcement ignited a public firestorm, said people briefed on the discussions. ...Regulators “may have been out of touch, like Bank of America was, about how customers would react to this fee,” said Gerald Bell, a professor at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Kenan-Flagler Business School. The question is, “Did they somehow not execute the president’s strategy, or did they just agree with Bank of America that this wasn’t anything out of the ordinary?”

State and Local Coverage

UNC Commemorates Participants in Overthrowing the Speaker Ban
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
On Wednesday, UNC leaders honored the people who fought against the Speaker Ban of 1963 with a plaque on the very wall where illegal speakers once stood. “No single marker or monument can tell the whole story. Those who fervently believed that the university had to be an open forum for different views and opinions, that the quest for knowledge was diminished by this law and spoke out against it,” says Chancellor Holden Thorp. “The marker is a celebration of their courage and a celebration for anyone who has ever stood up for academic freedom.”

Woody Durham tribute to benefit N.C. Cancer Hospital
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
A tribute to Woody Durham will be held at the Carolina Inn at 6:30 Thursday, Oct. 13, to benefit the N.C. Cancer Hospital. “A Toast to Woody” will be emceed by former UNC basketball center Eric Montross and UNC Associate Athletic Director Rick Steinbacher. Durham, known as “the voice of the Tar Heels,” was North Carolina’s play-by-play radio announcer for 40 years before retiring in May. Montross worked as the color commentator with Durham on basketball games and Steinbacher provided the analysis for football games.

Getting Libya a government (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
The war to overthrow the Gadhafi regime in Libya is in its last stages, but now the revolution begins. The rebel National Transitional Council is facing a momentous struggle to build, not merely the revolution, but its own capacity to lead. The challenges are huge: Libya has no democratic memory to recall, armed militias hold power on the streets and the glue of Gadhafi hatred, which made allies of disparate political and tribal groups, weakens as the key players position themselves for a post-Gadhafi future. (Andrew Reynolds is associate professor of political science and chair of global studies UNC-Chapel Hill. He was recently in Libya advising on issues of constitutional design.)

What the new law is telling women (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
To the surprise of none, the ACLU, Planned Parenthood and an array of other plaintiffs have sued to invalidate North Carolina's fraudulently named Woman's Right to Know Act. What is more surprising, perhaps, is that any American legislature - especially one that deems itself conservative - could enact such a law in the first place. (Gene Nichol is a professor of law at UNC-Chapel Hill and director of the university's Center on Poverty, Work & Opportunity.)

Good lab experience (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Since the media were quick to focus on the atypical academic misconduct of certain varsity athletes, I felt compelled to provide insight into the rigor and value of independent research at UNC-Chapel Hill. As an undergraduate enrolled in an independent studies class with Chancellor's Eminent Professor of Chemistry Joseph DeSimone, I can attest to the demands and rewards of this education beyond the formal classroom. (Matthew Detter, Chapel Hill)

Heels debut new threads
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
North Carolina's basketball uniforms are getting an update. While the front of the new jerseys - which will be worn during this afternoon's media day - are pretty much the same, the back will feature an aerographic design incorporating the Old Well, the outline of the state of North Carolina and a basketball, according to the school's website, tarheelblue.com.
Related Link:
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2011/oct/12/tar-heels-wear-new-basketball-uniform-ar-1491657/