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

International Coverage

Clinton's heart problem likely worn-out bypass
Reuters (Wire Service)

Former President Bill Clinton's chest pains are likely caused by failing grafts from the quadruple bypass heart surgery he had six years ago, a cardiologist said on Thursday. But a procedure to place two stents was likely straightforward, taking less than an hour, said Dr. Cam Patterson, a cardiologist at the University of North Carolina. "Bill Clinton had quadruple bypass surgery about six years ago. That surgery is intended to supply additional blood to the heart when the native heart arteries are blocked," Patterson said in a telephone interview.

National Coverage

No cure for heart disease, Clinton's case shows
The Associated Press

Bill Clinton has a new lease on life, but there's no cure for the heart disease that has twice forced the former president to get blocked arteries fixed. Treatments like the quadruple bypass surgery Clinton had in 2004 last about a decade on average. …It's something he's likely to need again, heart experts say. "We see people who come in like this every four to five years. Essentially, it's a tuneup," said Dr. Cam Patterson, cardiology chief at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Do E-Readers Cause Eye Strain? (Blog)
The New York Times

The admonition offered by legions of mothers — “Don’t sit so close to the TV” — isn’t really an option when it comes to e-reading devices. You have to get close to the screen to use it. …“Most of what our mothers told us about our eyes was wrong,” said Dr. Travis Meredith, chair of the ophthalmology department at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. “Sitting close to a television, or computer screen, isn’t bad for our eyes. It’s a variety of other factors that can cause physical fatigue.”

Georgia Schools Inquiry Finds Signs of Cheating
The New York Times

Georgia education officials ordered investigations on Thursday at 191 schools across the state where they had found evidence of tampering on answer sheets for the state’s standardized achievement test. …“This is the biggest erasure problem I’ve ever seen,” said Gregory J. Cizek, a testing expert at the University of North Carolina who has studied cheating. “This doesn’t suggest that it was just kids randomly changing their answers, it suggests a pattern of unethical behavior on the part of either kids or educators.”

Orthorexia: Can Healthy Eating Be a Disorder?
Time

…On Wednesday, the first draft of DSM-V (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders) was published online, kicking off a three-year process of public comment and further revisions that will culminate in a new and improved version come 2013. Orthorexia is not listed in this new draft and, despite the ongoing efforts of various eating-disorder groups, is unlikely to make its way into the final edition. …Most doctors think a separate diagnosis is unwarranted. Orthorexia might be connected to an anxiety disorder or it might be a precursor to a more commonly diagnosed condition, says Cynthia Bulik, director of the eating-disorders program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "We don't want people to be mislabeled and not get the care they need because they're actually on the slippery slope to anorexia," she says.

Today in History
The Associated Press

…In 1795, the University of North Carolina became the first U.S. state university to admit students with the arrival of Hinton James, who was the only student on campus for two weeks.

Regional Coverage

How do you explain 27 of 70 answers changed from wrong to right
per test when state average is 1.87? (Blog)
The Atlanta Journal Constitution (Georgia)

…The extent of the suspicious answer changes is stunning, said Gregory Cizek, a University of North Carolina testing expert. He has studied cheating for more than a decade, but said he doesn’t know of another state that has detected so many potential problems. “I’m sort of speechless,” he said. “You hear about it widespread within a school sometimes, but nothing like this.”

In wake of child deaths on the First Coast, parents are stressing safety
The Florida Times-Union (Jacksonville)

…But safety experts and advocates hope the high-profile crimes don’t spook parents too much. “Some of the skills that we need to give the students for walking or biking to or from school are really the skills they need to have everywhere these days,” said Lauren Marchetti, director of the National Center for Safe Routes to School at the University of North Carolina. Schools and parents should take the time to teach children proper pedestrian and personal safety, she said. Where safe routes aren’t available, Marchetti said, parents should fight to make the streets safer for kids. She pointed to efforts in other communities around the nation — such as cities in Utah and Arizona — where tragedies led parents to take action.

Dalai Lama: Blackballed from Thailand
MinnPost.com (Minneapolis, Minn.)

In the age of growing Chinese influence, there's a simple measure of a country's willingness to test China's wrath. Will they stamp the Dalai Lama's passport? …The region is now too beholden to Chinese trade and aid to risk a Dalai Lama invite, said Kevin Hewison, director of the Carolina Asia Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. "The U.S. being tied up in the Middle East left a void that China has intentionally filled," Hewison said. "China's trade, investment and aid in Southeast Asia has made it the most important player in the region now."

State and Local Coverage

Law-school applications jump at Duke, UNC
The Triangle Business Journal

Applications at most local law schools are surging this year as potential students see the graduate schools as a safe haven during troubled economic times. …The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s law school has gotten 2,012 applications so far in 2010, compared to 1,909 during the same period a year ago. …The numbers reflect a national trend, according to the Law School Admission Council, which says that the number of applicants around the U.S. is up by 3.7 percent this year. The number of actual applications filed has risen by 6.1 percent.

Etta Baker’s Banjo
"The State of Things" WUNC-FM

You may know Etta Baker as a guitar legend in the world of Piedmont Blues, but she was also a pretty fine banjo player. There aren’t many recordings of Etta Baker playing the banjo. But a new one out by the Music Maker’s Relief Foundation shows how her work inspired a banjo revival among African American musicians. On today’s program host Frank Stasio discusses the little-known banjo legacy of Etta Baker with: Tim Duffy, founder of the Music Maker Relief Foundation; Rhiannon Giddens of the African American string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops; and Glenn Hinson, chair of the Curriculum in Folklore in the College of Arts and Sciences at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Documentary featured tonight
The Daily News (Jacksonville)

Todd Miller, the executive director of the N.C. Coastal Federation, is one of three North Carolinians featured in the television documentary Environmental Heroes that will air tonight at 9:30 p.m. on UNC-TV. …The documentary was written and produced by students in the science documentary television course at the School of Journalism and Mass Communication at UNC-Chapel Hill.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/3325/74/

Care for poor is often free
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Triangle hospitals do a decent job of providing free care to poor people who have no insurance, a health advocacy group reported Thursday. They also readily publicize how people can qualify for so-called charity care – a courtesy that the Health Access Coalition said should be extended by all hospitals, especially those that benefit from tax breaks for nonprofit institutions. …UNC Health Care, which has a mandate to provide care to all North Carolinians despite their ability to pay, tabbed charity care at $266million last year, said Karen McCall, vice president of public affairs and marketing. By comparison, she said, the hospital system reported $151 million in charity care in 2005.
Related Link:
http://www.wral.com/news/local/story/7011160/

Mount Olive program earns ‘very serious' students a degree in three years
The Sun Journal (New Bern)

…And at UNC Chapel Hill, there is not a three-year degree program, said Ashley Memory, UNC’s senior assistant director of admissions. The university is planning dual bachelor’s and master’s programs that will allow students to complete both degrees in less time. “Although we don’t think many of these students want to graduate in three years, we believe that many would be interested in accelerating and leaving with an advanced degree in hand,” Memory wrote in an e-mail. “So these programs would certainly increase value for students, but we also believe that offering top admitted students these options would be a strong enrollment incentive.”

Issues and Trends

Erskine Bowles will retire as UNC president
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

After four high-intensity years guiding North Carolina's public universities Erskine Bowles announced today that he was stepping down as UNC system president. Bowles told the UNC Board of Governors today that he will remain at his post through the end of 2010 or as long as it takes to find a successor.
Related Links:
http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/02/12/article/bowles_resigns_as_unc_president
http://triangle.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2010/02/08/daily46.html
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/6121615/article-Bowles-to-
step-down-as-head-of-UNC-system?

http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/5489/26/
http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=7273400
http://www.wral.com/news/education/story/7014608/

State H1N1 immunization campaign targets college students
The Citizen-Times (Asheville)

The N.C. Division of Public Health is sponsoring a college immunization campaign during February in response to continued cases of H1N1 on college campuses statewide, according to a press release. …Colleges involved in the campaign include N.C. State University, Fayetteville State University, UNC-Chapel Hill, UNC-Charlotte, North Carolina A&T, UNC-Wilmington, East Carolina University and Winston-Salem State University.

New Health Insurance Option For UNC System Students
WNCN-TV (NBC/Raleigh)

Students in the UNC System can expect a new option for health and dental services starting with the new school year. System officials said Thursday they found a provider, Pearce and Pearce, that will offer affordable insurance to students throughout the 16 campuses. …"When you have one institution looking at one plan and another looking at a different plan, the pricing is volatile," said Bruce Mallette, Vice President and Student Affairs Senior Associate. "By bringing in a plan that all health centers have agreed to, the market can cost it better."

Updating the UNC system's 2009-10 action plan (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

This morning, UNC system officials are updating the university's 2009-10 action plan, which is essentially UNC President Erskine Bowles' current to-do list. The UNC system's Board of Governors is being briefed today on the status of this multi-pronged plan, which touches on a number of traditional public university goals like affordability, access and improving graduation and retention rates.

UNC system to examine pharmacist shortage (Blog)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

An upcoming report on the state's pharmacist shortage may play into the UNC system's decision on two proposals by public universities to expand pharmacy programs. UNC system officials said today they're still evaluating a request by UNC-Chapel Hill to create a distance education program to offer courses remotely to students in Asheville.

Roy Williams issues statement after Haiti comment
WTVD-TV (ABC/Raleigh)

University of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams issued a statement Thursday regarding comments he made about Haiti during a press conference Tuesday. "On February 1st at my weekly radio show I made a comment about a colleague telling me that Haiti was a catastrophe and we were just having a difficult season," Williams said. ….
Link to audio clip from a February 1 radio show:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/021110aad.html
Link to Coach Williams’ statement:
http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/021110aad.html
Related Links:
http://www.newsobserver.com/headtohead/unc/story/334313.html?storylink=misearch
http://www.news-record.com/content/2010/02/11/article/editorial_making_too_much_of_a_game

UNC system ponders smaller rise in tuition
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

UNC system leaders want to charge students less than the General Assembly has them scheduled to pay next year. …Now, university system leaders are readying an alternative that would bring in less money but let campuses keep it. Under that plan, half of all revenue raised through tuition increases would be used for need-based financial aid, and the rest of the money would be spent on critical campus needs such as programs to improve graduation and retention rates.
Related Links:
http://www.wchl1360.com/details3.html?id=13487
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/6099436/article-UNC-panel
-OKs-tuition-increases-sytemwide?

http://www.ncnn.com/content/view/5488/26/

The UNCG Guarantee expands opportunities (Editorial)
The News & Record (Greensboro)

There are few guarantees in higher education, but UNCG is trying to fix that. Its UNCG Guarantee, announced by Chancellor Linda Brady Tuesday, will help more students earn a degree without taking on a load of debt. …This is a great leap forward for UNCG, following strides taken at UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State with their Carolina Covenant and Pack Promise programs. Similar initiatives are needed at N.C. A&T and other UNC institutions, but securing the necessary resources isn’t easy. Many more generous millionaires are needed to step up.

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