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

International Coverage

High school football saving brains as game goes on
Reuters (Wire Service)

…Direct football deaths at all levels peaked at 36 in 1968 and have been reduced to single digits in all but one year since 1978, according to Frederick Mueller, the University of North Carolina expert who publishes an annual survey of catastrophic football injuries. Since 1984 there have been 164 football brain injuries with "incomplete recovery," which can mean the patients suffer disabilities the rest of their lives, Mueller said. In 2011, there were 13 such brain injuries at the high school level and one at the youth level.

NFL 'official' helmet policy questioned
United Press International

…The league allows players to wear any helmets approved by the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, but only Riddell helmets are allowed to have their logos visible on the field. Kevin Guskiewicz — chairman of the Department of Exercise and Sport Science at the University of North Carolina, and a member of the league's head, neck and spine committee — said the policy could mislead players into thinking they don't have a choice, and could prejudice parents seeking to purchase helmets for their children, The New York Times reported Friday.

Study challenges abdominal artery screenings
Reuters (Wire Service)

…Dr. Russell Harris, a co-author of one of the commentaries, was a member of the USPSTF when it gave the screening test the thumbs up in 2005. "I voted for the recommendation that you have there," said Harris, who oversees the prevention program at the University of North Carolina School of Public Health in Chapel Hill. "To be honest, if I were still on the Task Force, it would be a different kind of vote this time."

Something for the weekend
Financial Times

…The academics, Francesca Gino, an associate professor at Harvard Business School, Bradley Staats of Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Jooa Julia Lee of the Harvard Kennedy School examined pre-existing field data from a bank in Tokyo that had tracked employee productivity for 30 months following the launch of a mortgage processing system. They matched the data to meteorological data in the city during the same period and discovered that on rainy days workers completed their tasks more rapidly than on sunny days which tended to correlate with relatively low productivity.

National Coverage

Despite Risks, N.F.L. Leaves Helmet Choices in Players’ Hands
The New York Times

… Kevin Guskiewicz, a professor at the University of North Carolina and a member of the N.F.L.’s head, neck and spine committee, said that permitting Riddell to be the only brand identified on the field could also be misleading to fans or to parents considering buying helmets for their children. “I think we need to get away from ‘the’ helmet of the N.F.L.,” Guskiewicz said. “The fact that only one helmet can be advertised, the perception is there that they don’t have a choice. I think we need to educate them about that choice.”

Film focuses on concussions and consequences
ESPN.com

…While most casual sports fans are likely familiar with the issue of head trauma in football and hockey as those issues have received national attention through the NFL and NHL, "Head Games" sheds light on a narrative that doesn't get as much publicity — the alarming rate of concussions in women's soccer. This story is shared primarily through former soccer player Cindy Parlow-Cone. A four-time All-American and two-time NCAA champion at the University of North Carolina, Parlow (at age 17) became the youngest player ever to win an Olympic gold medal and a world championship as a member of the U.S. women's national soccer team.

Forget Fake IDs: Can Kids Buy Alcohol on eBay?
ABC News

… Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill have found that many Internet alcohol vendors fail to verify that customers are of legal drinking age. In a report on a study released in May, researchers said that underage study participants successfully ordered alcohol online 45 times from popular vendors, including eBay. "With just a few clicks on their computer or smartphone, kids can order alcohol delivered to their home," lead study author Rebecca Williams, a research associate at UNC, said after the study's release.
Related Link:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/shocking-ways-kids-drunk/story?id=17281602#.UFx9PFFdC7s

Parents (Mistakenly) Believe Letting Kids Drink Alcohol Early Discourages Later Use, Study Says
The Huffington Post

A surprising number of parents believe that early exposure to alcohol will discourage children from drinking in adolescence and help prevent alcohol abuse later on, according to a new study from the RTI International and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

A primer on gap years (Blog)
The Washington Post

…Almost all colleges will approve a gap year if presented with a reasonable plan — in other words, one that does not involve lounging on the beach for a year! In fact, Harvard University's acceptance letter actually encourages students to consider deferring admission to take a gap year. According to Harvard's website, each year 50-70 students take advantage of this option. Other schools have also formally encouraged gap years — for example, Princeton University's Bridge Year Program, and the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill's Global Gap Year Fellowship Program.

Quasi-For-Profit Humanities College
Inside Higher Ed

New College of the Humanities enrolls its first class of 60 students this fall, but it has already attained notoriety in seeming disproportion to its small size and tender age. …(Simon) Blackburn, a fellow of Trinity College at Cambridge University and half-time research professor in philosophy at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will be teaching an eight-session course at New College this year on "Truth, Beauty, and Goodness."

The JOBS Act: What Startups and Small Businesses Need to Know
Forbes

In April 2012, President Obama and Congress passed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act in support of entrepreneurship and small business growth. The JOBS Act is designed to encourage small business and startup funding by easing federal regulations and allowing individuals to become investors. This post was co-authored by my colleague, Harrison Kratz: Harrison is the Community Manager at MBA@UNC, the online MBA program at the University of North Carolina’s Kenan-Flagler Business School.

Regional Coverage

Serious injuries in football a growing concern (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News-Press (Fort Myers, Fla.)

…Today’s athletes are bigger, stronger, faster and harder hitting than ever before. A 2007 study conducted by the University of North Carolina’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes found that of the 595 retired NFL players who recalled sustaining three or more concussions on the football field, 20.2 percent said they had been found to have depression. That is three times the rate of players who have not sustained concussions.

State and Local Coverage

UNC students rally around Thorp
WTVD-TV (ABC/Raleigh)

UNC faculty, students, and employees gathered Friday in support of Chancellor Holden Thorp. Hundreds are asking that Thorp reconsider his decision to step down at the end of this academic school year. The group gathered Friday just before noon on Polk Place, in front of South building on campus.

UNC-CH students to rally for Holden Thorp today
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

UNC-Chapel Hill students will rally today in support of Chancellor Holden Thorp, who announced Monday he would resign at the end of the academic year. A Facebook page by student government leaders called students, staff and faculty to the center of campus at noon, outside South Building, where Thorp’s office is housed. Student Body President Will Leimenstoll sent a campuswide email, asking students to join in a demonstration of solidarity.

UNC-Chapel Hill students to rally behind Thorp
News 14 Carolina

UNC-Chapel Hill students will show their support in a rally Friday with hopes of getting Chancellor Holden Thorp to reconsider his decision to step down. This week, Thorp announced that he'll be resigning as the school's leader at the end of June.

Pro-Thorp Rally Set For Friday At South Building
WCHL-FM (Chapel Hill)

Since UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp announced his resignation on Monday, there’s been an outpouring of support for him from the campus community. About 200 UNC faculty members gave him a standing ovation at an impromptu meeting on Tuesday—then on Wednesday, the Board of Trustees unanimously passed a resolution urging him to reconsider his decision. The UNC Faculty Council did the same earlier in the week. And now UNC faculty, employees and students will gather on the steps of the South Building for another rally on Friday in support of the Chancellor.

UNC Chapel Hill still needs a leader like Holden Thorp (Letter to the Editor)
The Charlotte Observer

From five former chairs of the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees: Tim Burnett (2001-2003); Roger Perry (2007-2009); Nelson Schwab (2005-2007); Stick Williams (2003-2005); and Bob Winston (2009-2011): The undersigned represent 40 years of service on the UNC Chapel Hill Board of Trustees and 10 years of service as chairs of that Board. We have served under three chancellors and have seen countless jobs change hands over the past 15 years. In our collective opinion, Holden Thorp is a principled, caring and dedicated individual who has the potential to be a once-in-a-generation type leader.
Related Links:
http://www.heraldsun.com/view/full_story/20222053/article-Former-
chairs-praise-outgoing-UNC-chancellor%E2%80%99s-leadership

http://www.the-dispatch.com/article/20120921/OPINION02/309219991
/-1/sports?Title=Chancellor-gets-support

http://www.newsobserver.com/2012/09/21/2356445/peggy-payne-love-song.html

Let Thorp do what he does best (Editorial)
The Triangle Business Journal

We have known Holden Thorp for a while – long before he became chancellor of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. We have known him since the days he started a couple of companies from a small research lab at UNC. He came across as being sharp, intuitive and confident.
Related Link:
http://www.thetimesnews.com/articles/thorp-59194-chancellor-make.html

UNC president says Thorp doesn't plan to change mind
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)

University of North Carolina President Tom Ross said Thursday that Chancellor Holden Thorp hasn't indicated any change of heart regarding his resignation as the top official at UNC-Chapel Hill.

Interim Vice Chancellor For Advancement Pleased To Take The Role
WCHL-FM (Chapel Hill)

The UNC Board of Trustees have named an interim Vice Chancellor for Advancement, following the resignation of Matt Kupec earlier this month. UNC alumna Julia Grumbles, who has chaired the Carolina Women’s Leadership Council, will assume the position.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5580/68/

Kenan-Biddle Partnership offers funding
The Herald-Sun (Durham)

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University are proud to announce grant applications are now being accepted for the third year of the Kenan-Biddle Partnership, funded by the William R. Kenan, Jr. Charitable Trust and The Mary Duke Biddle Foundation. The initiative is designed to promote collaborative projects between students of these two great universities.
UNC Release:
http://uncnews.unc.edu/content/view/5571/75/

Study – Eating disorders prevalent among older adults
The Star News (Wilmington)

…A recent study conducted by the University of North Carolina suggests that 3.5 percent of women older than 50 are afflicted with binge eating disorder, or BED, while another 8 percent are bulimic, purging their food through vomiting, laxatives or excessive exercise. The study looked at 1,849 women across the country, through an Internet survey led by Cynthia M. Bulik, Ph.D., director of UNC’s Eating Disorders Program and a professor at the university’s medical school.

Millions being left on table by N.C. businesses
The Triangle Business Journal

So far, it’s the business tax break with few takers. …The 2011 General Assembly passed the exemption as a stimulus measure. UNC-Chapel Hill researcher Brent Lane, who studied the proposal in various drafts, predicted the legislation could create as many as 3,600 jobs, though finding credible verification of such an outcome would be difficult.

Robotic machinery powers book retrieval at Hunt library
The Triangle Business Journal

…Naming rights for three of the four bookBot robots have already been committed for $50,000 each, but only one has been formally announced: Robert the Robot, named after Dr. Robert Bashford, a professor of psychiatry, obstetrics and gynecology and the associate dean for admission at the UNC School of Medicine in Chapel Hill.

Medicare cuts would cost thousands of jobs
The Triangle Business Journal

…At UNC Health Care in Chapel Hill, the official word is that the health care system is “anticipating the cuts and planning accordingly by reducing expenditures and increasing efficiencies,” according to an official statement released by Jennifer James, a hospital spokeswoman. She could not offer specifics about how savings would be achieved.

Lawyer: Tutor called Davis for advice as NCAA focus shifted to academics
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

UNC-Chapel Hill football coach Butch Davis spoke by phone with a key person – the tutor who was under increasing scrutiny – as an NCAA investigation focused on possible academic fraud in the summer of 2010, new phone records show.

Freeing N.C. from a fossil fuel focus (Opinion-Editorial Column)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

Mitt Romney recently said that he wanted to make the U.S. independent of imported energy by developing domestic sources on lands belonging to the federal government. One of those sources would be oil and natural gas from fields off the North Carolina coast. (John J.W. Rogers is retired as the William R. Kenan Jr. professor of geology at UNC-Chapel Hill.)

UNC report finds troublesome behavior by former housekeeping director
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

An investigation did not find evidence of sexual harassment but did find inappropriate actions and comments directed at a UNC-Chapel Hill housekeeper, an investigator says.

Issues and Trends

UNC System hears siren call of China
The Triangle Business Journal

The University of North Carolina System wants to essentially do the reverse of what Horace Greeley recommended in 1870 and send its young men (and women) east instead. North Carolina exports more to China than any other country except Canada, but only 3.6 percent of UNC students who participated in a foreign exchange program chose that country. That compares with nearly 50 percent who chose a country in western Europe.

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