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

National Coverage

America's Top Colleges 2013
Forbes

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was recently ranked 38th overall on Forbes' Top College list for 2013. Also appearing in 7th place for universities in the South and 25th for Research Universities for this year.

Congress Weighs Whether Big Banks Can Own Commercial Assets
"Morning Edition" National Public Radio

…Saule Omarova, a law professor at the University of North Carolina, says so far, little is understood. She says for most of U.S. banking history, the Glass-Steagall Act barred banks from entering into commercial business. But most of that law has been repealed, and Omarova says it's not clear lawmakers intended for big banks to move into businesses that extend far beyond the traditional loan and deposits at the heart of traditional banking.

Elizabeth Warren wants to stop Goldman Sachs’ soda can scheme
Salon

Elizabeth Warren wants to stop Goldman Sachs’ soda can scheme …Saule T. Omarova, a law professor at the University of North Carolina who has studied the issue, told the subcommittee that there was one other company that was an early leader in combining the practice of moving physical commodities with the financing of market activity — Enron.

Why Republicans Are Disciplined and Democrats Aren't
The Huffington Post

…In “Authoritarianism and Polarization in American Politics” (Cambridge University Press, 2009), Jonathan Weiler, professor of international studies at UNC Chapel Hill and his co-author, Marc Hetherington, use statistical models to determine whether someone is a Republican or Democrat. It turns out that the best predictor of party affiliation is someone’s score on an authoritarian personality scale that measures many of the traits I mentioned above.

Paula Deen’s Cook Tells of Slights, Steeped in History
The New York Times

… Certainly, power imbalances based on race exist in other parts of the country, but without the same historical resonance or familial love as in the South, said Hodding Carter III, a public policy professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the spokesman for the State Department under President Jimmy Carter. “It’s very hard for either one to come out and say the truth about the racial implications because it doesn’t seem so bad to either party,” Mr. Carter said.

Science 'Classroom Without Walls' Replete with Snapping Turtles, Snakes
PBS Newshour

…The wetland flows into the Pasquotank River, the town's primary source of drinking water located just a mile or so from the schoolyard. Last year, a specialist with the University of North Carolina Coastal Studies Institute determined that runoff from the building, parking lots and athletic fields were draining into the existing wetlands, carrying oil and other hazardous material into the delicate ecosystem.

Regional Coverage

Historic lawsuit seeks billions in damages from oil, gas, pipeline industries for wetlands losses
The Times-Picayune (New Orleans, La.)

…Others on the authority include University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill professor Richard Luettich, the co-creator of the Adcirc storm surge computer model used in designing the New Orleans levee system by the corps, retired WWL-TV meteorologist Dave Barnes, and Ricardo Pineda, chief of the Floodplain Management Branch of the California Department of Water Resources.

Lost in the kudzu
The Oxford American (Little Rock, Ark.)

As a college student at the University of North Carolina, Reed Turchi was a folklore student and an occasional musician, but the driving, rhythmic propulsion of the Hill Country blues grabbed ahold of him like no other music had before. He got a guitar for Christmas his sophomore year and he began to imitate the Fred McDowell licks his professor, renowned blues scholar Bill Ferris, introduced him to.

Assessment measures economic impact of Hatteras Island
WTKR-TV (CBS/Norfolk, Va.)

A new study shows just how big of an impact Hatteras Island has on the economy of the Outer Banks and North Carolina. The assessment was performed between January and May of 2013. It was sponsored by the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau and prepared by Brent Lane, an economic researcher at the University of North Carolina.

State and Local Coverage

New UNC-Chapel Hill chancellor addresses trustees
The Associated Press

The new chancellor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill says her transition from Dartmouth has been a smooth one. Carol Folt spoke for about 25 minutes Thursday during her first board of trustees meeting at the school. …She also announced that UNC-Chapel Hill faculty secured $777.8 million in research funding during the 2013 fiscal year, an increase of nearly $11 million from last year.

UNC wants to award bonuses to future top fundraiser
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

As UNC-Chapel Hill prepares for its next multibillion-dollar fundraising campaign, leaders want to sweeten the compensation package for the next vice chancellor in charge of raising money. On Thursday, the university’s Board of Trustees is expected to approve a plan to award annual bonuses of up to nearly $99,000 to the next vice chancellor of development.
Related Link:
http://www.heraldsun.com/news/x533460081/UNC-board-weighs-incentive-pay-for-top-fundraiser

UNC withholding comment on state budget
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)

…UNC-Chapel Hill Chancellor Carol Folt said she and her Board of Trustees would have more information Thursday on how the cuts would affect their campus. In the past five years, UNC-Chapel Hill has seen its state funding cut by $146.8 million, or more than 25 percent, officials said. The budget calls for increasing tuition on out-of-state students by up to 12.3 percent to help recoup some of the lost state funding, but UNC-Chapel Hill student body president Christy Lambden said campuses won't get that money.

Forbes: Five N.C. universities among top 25 for best value
The Triangle Business Journal

Forbes released its annual list of top universities Wednesday, ranking Duke University 15th, UNC-Chapel Hill 38th and N.C. State 160th overall. …UNC-CH ranked highly in other categories as well. For example, it ranked as the No. 5 state university, behind the University of California at Berkeley, University of Virginia, University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA). It also ranked 14th in terms of value, thanks largely to its in-state tuition of less than $7,700.
Related Link:
http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2013/07/24/unc-charlotte-among-top-25-nationwide.html

Money will aid biothreat system (Under the Dome)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

U.S. Rep. David Price, a Democrat from Chapel Hill, announced Wednesday that North Carolina will receive an additional $3 million in federal funding for a state biothreat early warning system known as NCB-Prepared (or North Carolina Bio-Preparedness Collaborative). …Started in 2010 with $5 million from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the project is led by UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University.

NC budget aims $1.7M to sole vendor for cleanup
The Associated Press

…A consultant for the company is part-time University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty member H. Kenneth Hudnell, who said he met with Greensboro business boosters and staffers in Senate leader Phil Berger's office. Hudnell said his meetings involved scientific studies that he said showed the potential for cleaning up nutrients that have flowed into lakes, he said. "This is really a top-quality product. It's made to last for 25 years with almost no service," Hudnell said.

Task Force On UNC Sexual Assault Moving Forward
WCHL-FM (Chapel Hill)

UNC Student Body President, Christy Lambden, says a task force set out to define the University’s new sexual assault policy has decided the most efficient way to rewrite it is not line-by-line, but by looking at it with a broader lens. “We’ve broken it down so that, in one half of the day, we discuss definitions, and in the second half, we discuss process and how the process at UNC and the ways that we can streamline the process and make it easier,” Lambden says.

New SEC fundraising rules draw complaints from investor groups
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

…"Having said that, I think the rules needlessly create anxiety at a time when angel investors are just getting back into the startup market," said Patterson, who is associate dean of health care entrepreneurship at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine and chief of cardiology at the UNC Center for Heart and Vascular Care. "The timing of this is awful. My hope is that they simply did not think through the implications of what they are doing and that they are either going to patch this or provide us with more direction promptly."

Hanesbrands buying Maidenform for $575 million
The Winston-Salem Journal

Hanesbrands Inc. on Wednesday provided the biggest competitive payoff to the company — and potentially its local workforce — from the expense-reduction strategy that has driven it since its 2006 spinoff from Sara Lee Corp. …John Sweeney, an advertising professor at UNC Chapel Hill, said the deal “allows Hanesbrands to sell a powerful collection of products under a single identity at retail.”

Expert: Major life changes could trigger midlife eating disorders
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)

…“What we’re seeing a lot in midlife is we’re seeing major changes, like divorce in midlife or infidelity of a spouse. Or menopause is another major trigger for eating disorders in older women,” said Dr. Cynthia Bulik, founding director of the UNC Center of Excellence for Eating Disorders. When UNC’s eating disorder unit opened in 2003, Bulik says, she thought it would mostly help adolescents. Now, more than half the patients are over age 30.

NCAA compliance expert: Hairston’s rental cars ‘very likely’ extra benefit
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

An NCAA compliance expert said P.J. Hairston’s use of rental cars linked to Haydn “Fats” Thomas “is very likely an extra benefit” that could lead to a multi-game suspension. John Infante is a former compliance officer at Colorado State and Loyola-Marymount and author of the popular Bylaw Blog.

How much more at UNC-Chapel Hill (Editorial)
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

As chairwoman of the Faculty Council at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, one would think Jan Boxill’s first concern in view of the disgraceful scandals in athletics and parts of the academic side of the university would be academic integrity.
Related Link:
http://www.newsobserver.com/2013/07/24/3054500/decock-unc-faculty-silence-has.html

Issues and Trends

$20.6 billion state budget wins final legislative approval, goes to McCrory
The News & Observer (Raleigh)

The House and Senate gave their final approval to a $20.6 billion budget Wednesday, sealing changes to state education, health care and economic development. Democrats were united against the budget. Some House Republicans didn’t want some of the provisions on education – namely ending teacher tenure and phasing-out extra teacher pay for advanced degrees – but voted for it anyway.

North Carolina lawmakers pass bill allowing concealed handguns in bars, restaurants
NBC News

…That provision was opposed by police chiefs at all 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, who said they feared car break-ins and an increase in gun violence on campus. Student government associations, in a proclamation also opposed the bill.

Opponents plan legal challenge to voting changes
WRAL-TV (CBS/Raleigh)

…Anita Simha, a student at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said the proposed elections changes come on top of legislation affecting her as a woman and a student. "With all this going on, it is hard to even consider that my representatives are working for me," Simha said. "But what scares me most is they're trying to make sure I cannot change what I don't like."

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