uncnews.unc.edu

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

National Coverage

Help For The Economy? Not From Debt-Bound Grads
"All Things Considered" National Public Radio
In a little more than 10 years, the total amount of student loan debt in this country has doubled to more than $1 trillion. In the not too-distant-future, student loan debt will eclipse the amount of money Americans owe on their cars and credit cards. On both television and at the University of North Carolina this week, President Obama made the case for keeping rates on student loans low. "The interest rates will double unless Congress acts by July 1," the president said.
Related Links:
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/04/weigh-in-how-are-student
-loans-affecting-your-life.html
http://articles.cnn.com/2012-04-27/politics/politics_house-student-loans_
1_student-loans-health-care-fund-house-speaker-john-boehner?_s=PM:POLITICS
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/2012/04/whens-a-campaign-not-a-
campaign-see-obama-gingrich.html
http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-3445_162-57423788/some-hard-lessons-
about-college-costs/?tag=contentBody;cbsCarousel

Making student loans 'cool' (Column)
The Chicago Tribune
President Barack Obama "slow-jams the news?" Is this a nakedly bold pitch for the youth vote or what? I'm talking about the president's appearance Tuesday night on "Late Night With Jimmy Fallon." In front of a live audience at the University of North Carolina, the nation's commander in chief took charge in "slow-jamming the news," an occasional feature on the late-night talk show.
Related Link:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/obama-slow-jamming-the-
presidency/2012/04/27/gIQAnMgImT_story.html

Soft drinks: Public enemy No.1 in obesity fight?
CNN.com
..."If you switch from Coke to water, that's easy," says Elizabeth Mayer-Davis, a professor at the University of North Carolina and a recent president of the American Diabetes Association. "You don't have to make big complicated changes in how you cook, and shop, and all that. And the number of calories you can save, can be substantial."

Liver transplants on nights and weekends as safe as any other time
The Los Angeles Times
...Dr. A. Sidney Barritt IV of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and his colleagues decided to check the safety records of liver transplants. ...The team suggested that the use of a full transplant team, even for off-hour procedures, was probably the reason the surgeries were so successful. "It is reassuring to patients and transplant specialists to see that patient outcomes are not affected by the timing of the transplant," Barritt said.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2012/april/patient-survival-not-impacted-
by-liver-transplants-performed-at-night-or-on-weekends

Pacifiers And Breastfeeding: New Study Challenges Conventional Wisdom
The Huffington Post
..."It's really hard, with newborns, to say that there's one rule that works for everybody," agreed Diane Asbill, a registered nurse and lactation consultant with the University of North Carolina's Women's and Children's Hospital, which recently earned the Baby-Friendly designation. She explained that when it comes to full-term, healthy babies, the belief is that pacifiers may cover up feeding cues in the first few crucial days of learning.

In Memoriam
The Chronicle of Higher Education
...Doris Betts, a creative-writing professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for more than three decades, died April 21 at age 79. She was the author of six novels and other works.

Regional Coverage

Are increases in autism rates in Utah, U.S. truly real?
The Salt Lake Tribune (Utah)
...Differing rates may be explained in part by what records were available. In the Alabama area found to have the lowest prevalence — 1 in 210 — researchers couldn’t access school records. And poverty can affect whether a family seeks advice from a doctor about a child’s behavior. "You might really rely on those educational evaluations and not have the resources to go to a medical clinic," said Laura Klinger, director of the TEACCH autism program at the University of North Carolina.

Total incentives for Baxter plant top $200 million
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Georgia)
...Brent Lane, director of the University of North Carolina's Center for Competitive Economies, said the strength of the Baxter plant will be that it is exporting pricey products that will draw new money into the Georgia economy. But it is difficult to know the final effect of $200-plus million in incentives, he said, because the state does not track them long-term.

Gingrich readies for next phase
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Georgia)
Newt Gingrich will end his presidential run Tuesday with millions in campaign debt, a crumbling business empire and a reputation bruised by a discordant campaign that continued long after his chances of victory evaporated. ...Speaking at the University of North Carolina this month, Fox News president Roger Ailes suggested Gingrich was “trying to get a job at CNN because he knows he isn’t going to get to come back to Fox News.”

State and Local Coverage

Affordable higher education is an investment in the future (Editorial)
The Chapel Hill News
We were proud and honored to host President Obama here last week. At Carmichael Arena, speaking without apparent use of the teleprompter, he gave a strong speech and endeared himself to the enthusiastic crowd by opening, of course, with a few casual references to Carolina basketball (“If Kendall hadn’t gotten hurt, who knows...”).

He helps make college more affordable (Tar Heel of the Week)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Shirley Ort, director of scholarships and student aid at UNC-Chapel Hill, says Brooks has expertise in the technical points of financial aid and the broader policy goals that drive the field. “He brings together a lot of skills,” she says. “Where many of us have a stronger suit in just one area, he’s the whole package.”

Nine Triangle residents named Morehead-Cain Scholars
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Nine Triangle residents who will be college freshmen next year have been named Morehead-Cain Scholars at UNC-Chapel Hill. They are among 51 recipients of the merit scholarships this year. Morehead-Cain scholarships cover all expenses for four years of undergraduate study at UNC, plus summer enrichment opportunities.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/18387518/article-Six-local-
students-earn-Morehead-Cain-scholarships
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5280/75/

UNC mascot's parents urge organ donation
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
The parents of a University of North Carolina student run over and killed five years ago want to keep their son's memory alive by supporting people who donate organs. Charlotte and Emmitt Ray were in Chapel Hill Sunday to raise money for the Jason Ray Foundation. It's named after their son who played the Tar Heel's mascot Ramses and was hit and killed by an SUV in March 2007 while in New Jersey for the NCAA tournament.
Related Link:
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/video?id=8641097

People flock to free dental clinic
The Star News (Wilmington)
...Friday, Michael Plage, now 23 and a University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill dental student, was assisting oral surgeon Dr. Doug DeGroote during the first day of the two-day clinic in Cape Fear Community College's Schwartz Center. The 70-chair clinic is capable of treating as many as 1,000 patients.

UNC researchers win $2.4M grant to study diabetes
The Triangle Business Journal
A team of researchers led by scientists from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have received a $2.4 million grant to study people with diabetes. The goal is to identify genetic variations that could lead to better treatments for type 2 diabetes and reduce cardiovascular disease. The 4-year grant was awarded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health.
UNC Release:
http://news.unchealthcare.org/news/2012/april/scientists-awarded-2.4-
million-to-study-genetic-variation-in-people-with-diabetes

Flu season ends as quietly as it began
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...It’s likely, though, that the extraordinarily mild weather this winter was a factor in the weak flu season, said Dr. Sam Weir, an associate professor at UNC’s School of Medicine and co-director of the UNC Family Medicine Center. “I don’t think there is any way to prove it, but it’s plausible, obviously, because the survivability of flu particles has been shown to be better in colder weather when the humidity is down,” Weir said.

A little insight into UNC Hospitals’ latest expansion (Blog)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
When UNC Hospitals expands its bone marrow transplant unit – a move that I wrote about in last week’s print edition – annual discharges will increase by more than 50 percent. The hospital system affiliated with the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill plans to increase its BMT unit from 16 beds to 24 beds by 2015 as part of a $16 million project.

Empathy and experience key to becoming good leader
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Recognizing the growing globalization of North Carolina, the Center for International Understanding was established through the leadership of Gov. Jim Hunt. Housed within the University of North Carolina, the Center focuses on expanding current and future leaders’ capacity to understand and work with the rest of the world.

Be cautious when talking politics in the workplace
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...UNC Health Care prevents its employees from using email, computers or other company property for political activity during work hours, said UNC Hospitals spokeswoman Stephanie Crayton. Additionally, employees cannot manage a political campaign or run for a political office while on the job. And though the policy does not specifically prohibit political discussion, employees are encouraged to leave such talks to their personal time, Crayton said.

Insurance the issue (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
...Hospitals in rural areas, which have a higher percentage of uninsured, also have lower operating margins. Thus, where the need for charity care is greater, the ability to provide such care is less. According to analysis by the UNC Sheps Center, rural hospitals in North Carolina operate at a loss of 6 percent, whereas urban hospitals have a 5 percent margin, on average. (Pam Silberman, Durham)
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/04/29/2029413/franklin-tew-
shafting-the-public.html#storylink=misearch

Week’s end (Editorial)
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
...How did this happen? How did the Durham-Chapel Hill-Hillsborough-Pittsboro axis become such a literary hotbed? Doris Betts is a primary answer to the question. ...She essentially invented the creative writing department at UNC Chapel Hill. For more than 30 years at the university, she helped beginning writers cultivate their style, develop their vision, refine their talent. Many of our area’s most prominent authors discovered their voices under the tutelage of Prof. Betts.
Related Link:
http://www.fayobserver.com/articles/2012/04/29/1173697

Issues and Trends

Colleges need to save money to help students (Editorial)
The Gazette (Gaston)
A short distance up I-85 from Gaston County, administrators at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro have been looking for ways to deal with cuts in taxpayer money doled out by the Legislature – and administrators have come up with a smart idea. Solving one problem is a good start at tackling another facing students in public and private colleges and universities across North Carolina.

Hagan bill would stop misuse of federal dollars by for-profit colleges (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Winston-Salem Journal
U.S. Sen. Kay Hagan is out front in fighting for our active-duty military personnel and veterans with a bill that targets for-profit educational institutions that spend large amounts of federal education dollars on marketing and recruiting efforts that are sometimes deceptive. A Senate investigation found that in 2009 15 large, publicly traded, for-profit colleges received 86 percent of all their revenues from federal student-aid programs and spent 23 percent of those revenues, or $3.7 billion, on advertising, marketing and recruiting efforts, according to Hagan's Washington office. In contrast, the University of North Carolina system spent 1.3 percent on marketing in the same period
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/18377278/article-Deceptive
-recruiting-tactics-by-for-profit-colleges-unacceptable--