Here is a sampling of links and notes about Carolina people and programs cited recently in the media:
International Coverage
Radical U.S. muslims 'miniscule' threat
United Press International
None of the estimated 14,000 homicides committed in the United States last year was related to Islamic extremists, a university study determined. A study released Wednesday by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security in North Carolina found radicalized Muslims were a minor threat to the U.S. public. Charles Kurzman, a sociology professor at the University of North Carolina and author of the report, said Muslim-American terrorism was "a minuscule threat" in 2011.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5079/107/
Home-grown terror threat receding, but post-9/11 America remains on edge
The Christian Science Monitor
…“We're not seeing a high level of spycraft among these individuals,” says University of North Carolina professor Charles Kurzman, author of the Triangle Center study and author of “The Missing Martyrs.” “They're for the most part not professional killers, and their plots come to the attention of authorities fairly quickly.”
National Coverage
Islamic terrorism: It's not what many think, new report suggests (Blog)
The Los Angeles Times
…There were roughly 14,000 murders in the U.S. last year, according to the report, but the 20 American Muslims indicted in suspected terrorist plots — out of the 2 million Muslims in the United States — were not responsible for any of them. “The scale of home-grown Muslim American terrorism in 2011 does not appear to have corroborated the warnings issued by government officials early in the year,” noted the report’s author, Charles Kurzman, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5079/107/
Report calls Muslim terrorism a ‘minuscule threat’
The Washington Post
The threat of homegrown Islamic terrorism is “tiny” and often exaggerated by government officials, a leading anti-terrorism expert said in a report released Wednesday (Feb. 8). Charles Kurzman, a sociologist at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a researcher at the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security, said 20 Muslim Americans were indicted for violent terrorist plots last year, down from 26 in 2010.
Report: Data Show No 'Upsurge In Muslim-American Terrorism' (Blog)
National Public Radio
…According to University of North Carolina sociology professor Charles Kurzman, who has been studying and reporting about such statistics the past three years, "20 Muslim-Americans were indicted for violent terrorist plots in 2011, down from 26 the year before, bringing the total since 9/11 to 193, or just under 20 per year."
Homegrown Muslim Terrorism Plots Decreased Again In 2011
The Huffington Post
…"Muslim American terrorism continued to be a miniscule threat to public safety last year. None of America's 14,000 murders in 2011 were due to Islamic extremism," said Charles Kurzman, the University of North Carolina sociologist who wrote the study as well as the book "The Missing Martyrs: Why There Are So Few Muslim Terrorists." He said, "The challenge is for Americans to be vigilant about potential violence while keeping these threats in perspective."
State and Local Coverage
Study Shows Decline in "Homegrown" Terrorism
WUNC-FM (Chapel Hill)
…The study – “Muslim-American Terrorism in the Decade Since 9-11” actually shows a steady decline in the number of Muslim-Americans who committed or were arrested for violent terrorist crimes. For example – the report says in 2009, there were 49 Muslim-Americans arrested or convicted of terrorism. In 2010, there were 26. And in 2011 – that number dropped to 20. The report was produced by the Triangle Center on Terrorism and Homeland Security. The center is made up of experts from UNC, Duke University and RTI International.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5079/107/
Same sex marriage ruling unlikely to affect N.C.
The Charlotte Observer
…That ruling was so specific to California that it doesn't apply to other states, says Holning Lau, an associate professor of law at UNC Chapel Hill. "The appeals court said that Proposition 8 is problematic because it involves taking away marriage rights," says Lau, who specializes in constitutional law, as well as sexual orientation and the law. "That hasn't happened anywhere else in the country."
Boost productivity (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Regarding the plea for higher tuition by the chair of the Board of Trustees at UNC-Chapel Hill ("A vital increase in UNC's tuition," Feb. 5 Point of View), there seems to be an automatic assumption that increased revenues are the primary, and possibly only, means by which UNC-CH can maintain its quality. (Stephen S. Jenks, Ph.D., Carrboro)
UNC tuition: Resist funding cuts (Letter to the Editor)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
In his Feb. 5 Point of View article ("A vital increase in UNC's tuition"), UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees chair Wade H. Hargrove makes a compelling case as to the need for reinstating the funding cuts that have ravaged the UNC system, particularly the UNC-CH campus, in the past several years. (John Delafield, Apex)
Lexington council forging plan to improve residents' quality of life
The Dispatch (Lexington)
…The council heard a report on the growing population in the South, emerging demographics and challenges and opportunities that face these communities. Dr. Jim Johnson, a professor at the Kenan-Flagler School of Business at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, presented the information to the council.
Thorp Rejects Gender Neutral Housing Proposal, Campus LGBTQ Center Responds
WCHL 1360-AM (Chapel Hill)
For the time being, UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp is saying no to a proposal that would allow gender-neutral housing on campus—and representatives from the campus Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Center aren’t pleased.
UNC wrestler arrested after fight
The Herald-Sun (Durham)
University of North Carolina standout wrestler Corey Mock was arrested after a fight on Franklin Street early Wednesday morning.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/02/08/1839896/unc-ch-wrestler-charged-in-franklin.html
Issues and Trends
UNC board takes up tuition hikes today
The News & Observer (Raleigh)
Long a model of quality and affordability, the UNC system will grapple today with fears that both may be at risk. The UNC system's Board of Governors will take action today and Friday on tuition for the 2012-13 academic year. The deliberations take on heightened scrutiny this year as national debate surrounds the issue of the rising cost of higher education.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/17451173/article-Tuition-
protest-planned?instance=search_results
BOG to hammer out details of tuition hike for UNC System
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)
Despite protests by students and a warning from President Barack Obama that schools could lose funding if they don't find a way to keep costs down, the UNC Board of Governors will meet Thursday morning to hammer out the details of proposed tuition increases that UNC System leaders say they can't do without. The BOG will meet in committees Thursday to discuss the impact of budgets cuts on the UNC System before voting on recommended tuition increases for each of the system's 16 schools.
Related Links:
http://triangle.news14.com/content/653559/unc-leaders-meet-to-
discuss-tuition-hike–final-vote-expected-friday
http://www2.nbc17.com/news/2012/feb/09/unc-nears-vote-system
-wide-tuition-increases-ar-1910919/