Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Nuclear power evokes nightmares, but coal poses greater risks to your health: study
The Edmonton Journal (Canada)
At a recent briefing by Physicians for Social Responsibility, David Richardson, an epidemiologist from the University of North Carolina, said "the unsolved problems of long-term storage and its contribution to nuclear proliferation" are two reasons besides accidents that make nuclear power unacceptable. Future accidents at storage sites are considered by energy analysts. But because modelling suggests they're improbable, they don't affect the calculations much. Mental-health effects of nuclear accidents are part of the calculations, too, but the doomsday fear of them and threat from nuclear proliferation are not.
National Coverage
The Worldwide 'Thirst' For Clean Drinking Water
National Public Radio
…One of the great scientific students of water is Dr. Richard Wolfenden, alumni distinguished professor of biochemistry at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Wolfenden, seventy-five, is a researcher who has spent much of his career studying how water shapes our body chemistry, inside our cells.
Now, the Hard Part for Nervous Republicans (Blog)
The New York Times
…“They’re right to be nervous about it,” said James A. Stimson, a University of North Carolina political scientist and a co-author of the recent book “Mandate Politics.” By his measure, the resistance of Democrats who still control the White House and Senate means Republicans cannot claim a mandate any more than Mr. Obama could upon taking office in 2009.
Girls hit puberty earlier than ever, and doctors aren't sure why
USA Today
…Girls are being catapulted into adolescence long before their brains are ready for the change — a phenomenon that poses serious risks to their health, says Marcia Herman-Giddens, an adjunct professor at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. …Researchers don't completely understand why the age of puberty is falling, Herman-Giddens says. Most agree that several forces are at work, from obesity to hormone-like environmental chemicals. There's no evidence that boys are maturing any earlier, says Paul Kaplowitz, author of Early Puberty in Girls.
Scientists speak out to discredit 'gay caveman' media reports
CNN.com
…Kristina Killgrove, an adjunct assistant professor at the University of North Carolina, raised similar concerns, saying that using the term "gay" to describe the man is "the application of a modern word to an ancient population." More research could possibly determine the gender role of the man, but not his sexual orientation, said Killgrove, who specializes in bioarchaeology.
A teen's friends are a powerful influence
The Los Angeles Times
…"It's a tricky issue," says Mitch Prinstein, director of clinical psychology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and editor of the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology. "It's a fair and appropriate question for parents to be asking themselves." The influence that friends exert over one another as teenagers is clearly powerful and, far too often, undesirable. Unhealthy behaviors can be almost contagious among kids this age. Teens whose friends smoke, drink or use drugs, for example, are more likely to indulge in these behaviors themselves.
Regional Coverage
School testing: Florida hires eyes to stop FCAT cheaters
The Palm Beach Post (Florida)
…With the introduction of the federal No Child Left Behind law and other efforts to improve student performance, schools are under pressure to meet performance goals on exams or face sanctions. In addition, Gov. Rick Scott recently signed a bill into law that will tie teachers' performance evaluations to students' test scores. "In the past, people used to worry about kids cheating," said Gregory Cizek, a testing expert at the University of North Carolina. "Now the stakes are raised and more people are worried about what educators are doing."
State and Local Coverage
UNC alum gives $7.5M for Kenan center
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Alumnus R. Charles "Charlie" Loudermilk Sr. has made a $7.5 million commitment to fund facilities supporting University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill student-athletes as part of the Kenan Stadium renovation. The commitment will create The Loudermilk Center for Excellence, a 150,000-square-foot facility being built on the stadium's east side. The center will serve all of Carolina's nearly 800 student-athletes across 28 sports.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/4446/68/
UNC athletes get another boost
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
UNC-Chapel Hill has received its second big gift this week to support academic assistance for athletes and the expansion of Kenan Stadium. Alumnus R. Charles "Charlie" Loudermilk Sr. has made a $7.5 million commitment to fund facilities supporting athletes as part of the Kenan Stadium renovation. The gift will fund the Loudermilk Center for Excellence, a 150,000-square-foot facility being built on the stadium's east side. It will serve Carolina's nearly 800 student-athletes in 28 sports.
Related Links:
http://wchl1360.com/detailswide.html?id=18051
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/another-big-gift-for-unc-athletics
UNC series vast and varied
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Triangle audiences depend on UNC's Carolina Performing Arts series to supply a big portion of the area's cultural events. Its just-announced 2011-12 season, with 33 g
roups and artists in 49 presentations, offers another slate of wide-ranging performances. Despite higher touring fees and fewer artists touring, the upcoming season offers more performers and performances than the past three seasons. A third of the programs are returns of audience favorites; the rest bring an intriguing mix of established names and emerging talent.
Researchers work to treat autism
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
To parents, learning that a child has been diagnosed with autism can be overwhelming. Children with the disorder can seem trapped in a world of their own, without friends or even a conception of friendship. Many prefer to play alone. Some lose the ability to speak more than a few words. But researchers at UNC are making progress in developing new techniques to detect and treat the disorder, said Geraldine Dawson, a professor of psychiatry at UNC and chief science officer for Autism Speaks, a research and advocacy organization.
Med Air on schedule to move to RDU this summer
The Chapel Hill Herald
The UNC Medical Air Operation is on schedule to move from Horace Williams Airport to a new hangar at RDU International Airport sometime in July or August. The move won't impact general aviation operations at Horace Williams immediately. The airport will remain open until the Carolina North research campus project, stalled due to the current economic doldrums, gets under way.
Observer's Williams joins Halls of Fame inductees
The Charlotte Observer
Six North Carolinians – including former Observer editorial page editor Ed Williams and the first black columnist at the Philadelphia Daily News – were inducted into the N.C. Halls of Fame in journalism, advertising and public relations Sunday in Chapel Hill. The halls, based in the UNC Chapel Hill School of Journalism and Mass Communication, honor people who've made career-long contributions to their fields. Honorees must be native North Carolinians or must have made significant contributions to the state.
Faces of poverty: Bolstering the little children (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The Salisbury Post
Editor's note: Undergraduate journalism majors at UNC-Chapel Hill recently explored the human dimensions of poverty, unemployment and economic distress in North Carolina. This is part of a series of stories they wrote.
Related Link:
http://www.salisburypost.com/Opinion/041011-insight-economy-eden-qcd
http://www.salisburypost.com/Opinion/041011-insight-economy-snap-qcd
http://www.salisburypost.com/Opinion/041011-insight-economy-food-bank-qcd
Fellowship Supports UNC Gap Year Opportunities
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
Often our experiences outside of the classroom teach us the most about ourselves and the world we live in. Director of the UNC Campus Y Richard Harrill says Carolina’s Global Gap Year Fellowships is one of two programs nationwide to foster such unique opportunities. Thanks to an anonymous gift of 1.5 million dollars, the fellowship will support Carolina students who wish to defer coming to the university for a year in order to explore different worlds. The scholarship will fund travel, living and associated expenses while students try their hand at international service.
Schools' 'why' questions (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
According to one such study by Kathleen Brown (UNC-Chapel Hill) and her colleagues, poor and minority students in schools where principals and staff expected excellence for all students performed better than their counterparts. Together, we must cultivate such expectations in every school. (Yuri Yamamoto, Raleigh)
Cuts will cost (Letter to the Editor)
The Chapel Hill News
Your story "Bracing for budget cuts" (CHN April 3) should sound an alarm for everyone in the area, especially elected officials. Cutting funds for Community Health Centers, either directly or through Medicaid, as a path to cut public funding, is a snare and delusion. (Glenn Wilson, Professor Emeritus, Social Medicine Senior Research Fellow, Sheps Center, UNC)
Naive literalism (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Professor Bart Ehrman of UNC-Chapel Hill landed in agnosticism because of where he started – in literalism ("Evangelicals counter UNC-CH Bible scholar," March 28 news article). When his studies in historical criticism disabused him of notions of an inerrant, dropped-from-the-sky Bible, he lost his bearings (and his faith). (Elizabeth Barnes, Ph.D., Duke Divinity School, 1984, Cary)
Issues and Trends
N.C. GOP seeks UNC, public school balance
The Associated Press
As long as most people can remember, Democratic House and Senate budget-writers went to opposite corners over what they considered the suitable balance on expanding or cutting spending in the public schools and the University of North Carolina system. It appears Republicans are now doing the same thing. The tradition was Senate Democrats protected UNC's 17 campuses more in their budget proposals, while House counterparts were more apt to defend local school districts and classrooms. Whatever the reason for this dichotomy — personalities, education experience or occupations — the differences led to late-night negotiations, horse trading and political intrigue over the years.
Budget-cutters on the loose (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
…Now there's talk of putting the University of North Carolina system budget on the block for cuts that could range up to a devastating 30 percent, in a shift toward more of a user-pays model that has seen tuition nearly tripled in the last decade. The thinking in some parts seems to be that so long as North Carolina's public universities manage to underprice well-regarded peers in other states, they'll remain an attractive value. But no financial aid scheme has yet been devised that could maintain the UNC system's accessibility to the entire spectrum of state residents in the face of costs soaring by thousands of dollars per year.
UNC system chief eyes worst-case budget scenario
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
Since he was named president of the UNC System last August, Tom Ross has been on a mission to visit each of the 17 campuses that make up the state's university system. And on his travels across the state, Ross has made it his business to meet and talk with students and faculty. What he has learned these past months is that students and faculty are worried about the harm impending budget cuts could do to the academic progress of students attending UNC System schools.
The Ryan Journey (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The New York Times
For decades, academics and think tankers have been proposing plans to avert a fiscal catastrophe. The ensuing debates were always sedate, high-minded affairs. Now Republican political leaders have come up with a bold proposal of their own and the atmosphere is totally different. Liberals are on the warpath. Republicans are aroused. This is great. It’s democracy — how change begins.
Friday's 'People'
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Bill Friday arrives at the UNC-TV studio with a briefcase full of papers, a book and a notepad on which he has jotted questions. He takes a seat at the table on the set of his weekly interview show and reviews his notes one final time. The host of "North Carolina People with William Friday" is always prepared. In his 40 years on the air, he has been as scrupulous about the TV program as anything he's done, including his 30 years at the helm of the University of North Carolina system.
Related Link:
http://blogs.newsobserver.com/campusnotes/bill-friday-still-going-strong
Losing Ground on Salaries
Inside Higher Ed
For most faculty members, this academic year will be one of eroding purchasing power, according to the annual study of salaries being released today by the American Association of University Professors. The average salary for continuing faculty members increased by 1.4 percent in 2010-11, just under the rate of inflation, the study finds — making this year the second in a row in which faculty members will on average lose ground economically.
Related Link:
http://chronicle.com/article/2011-Salary-Explorer/126972