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(03/23/10 3:43am)
A group of students in Connor Residence Hall on Monday night kept on their clothes but began stripping away some of the stigma surrounding pornography.The talk among 13 students — mostly women — was organized to discuss the influences of porn on society and culture that we might not notice because it’s so rarely talked about.It didn’t solve any of the moral or social dilemmas surrounding pornography, but it was a first step.“Porn is something that’s become extremely prolific, because its affecting everyone,” said Ginny Stone, who moderated the event for Carolina HOPE, a student group providing assistance to students facing unwanted pregnancy or other sexual problems.But despite porn’s presence on the Internet, cable television menus and newsstands, there isn’t much talk on the subject.“No one really talks about it a whole lot, especially in public,” Stone said. “Students should be talking about it.”Stone had a number of ways for students to break into the conversation, including a roundtable talk, lists of facts and statistics, scenario discussions for small groups and book recommendations.Junior Anna Gribble said her background as a women’s studies minor and previous exposure to similar events, such as “I Heart Female Orgasm,” convinced her to attend.“I think it deserves more discussion,” she said, adding that talking about porn can help people make better, more informed opinions.The subjects varied from how to talk to a boyfriend or girlfriend about porn to when and how parents should broach the subject with children.And while they did talk, the students didn’t come to many conclusions or agreements.But Stone said that was OK, reiterating often that the goal of the meeting was just to get the discussion started.One thing most students did agree on was why men like to look at porn: compared to a real relationship, it’s easier.“No one gets pregnant when you log off the computer,” one participant said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/22/10 2:57am)
When it comes to finding a job, everyone — from family and friends to acquaintances — is a potential contact.
Here are a few tips and programs from University Career Services that can help you count networking among your job search skills:
Tips
- Create a list of contacts who you think would want to help you with your job search if asked.
- Make an index card with information and notes for each contact.
- Record important points from each conversation.
- Set goals for contacting a certain number of people each day or week.
- Send a thank-you letter or call again to encourage a follow-up.
- When speaking to a contact:
1) Identify yourself.
2) Briefly describe your career goals and the job you are looking for.
3) Briefly describe your experience, qualifications and skills.
4) Ask whether the contact knows of any job openings or any other contacts.
5) Ask if the contact is okay with you using his or her name when calling other contacts.
6) Ask the contact if you may send him or her a resume.
Resources
- An online database called Carolina Collection makes thousands of UNC alumni available to students.
The directory has contact information for professionals across the globe who have volunteered to assist and advise students in their career search.
Access the database online at
careerweb.unc.edu.
- University Career Services hosts six to eight Networking Nights each year to give students a chance to meet, learn from and make contacts with real-world professionals.
Each night focuses on a specific profession that students might have a tough time finding a first job in, such as public relations, publishing or the arts.
The next Networking Night is for people who enjoy working with people.
It will be held Thursday at 5:30 p.m. on the fourth floor of Hanes Hall.
Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(03/05/10 5:10am)
Correction (March 14 11:23 p.m.): Due to a reporting error, an ealier version of this story incorrectly stated sophomore Laurel Ashton's class. The story has been updated to reflect the correction. The Daily Tar Heel apologizes for the error.
(02/18/10 5:18am)
Peace Corps Director Aaron S. Williams is obviously a fan of Spider-Man.
(02/08/10 5:47am)
UNC plans to respond soon to an ultimatum issued by the state, asking the University to explain why it waited two months to report a leak of treated wastewater.The N.C. Division of Water Quality’s notice of intent sent Thursday threatens potential “enforcement action” over the leak at UNC’s Research Resource Facility and asks for further explanation within 10 days.According to the notice, written by Environmental Regional Supervisor Jay Zimmerman, UNC first suspected a leak on Oct. 19. A dye test of the pond began 48 days later, and UNC reported the leak on Dec. 11.UNC is still preparing a response to the letter, said University spokeswoman Susan Houston on Sunday.The Research Resource Facility, also known as the Bingham Facility, houses animals that are transported to and from campus for research. Some area residents have called for more communication and transparency from the University regarding the facility.“We take this notice very seriously and intend to respond promptly,” said Dwayne Pinkney in an e-mail Friday to the facility’s neighbors.Pinkney — special assistant to the chancellor for state and local relations, who also serves as UNC’s liaison to the N.C. General Assembly — has been designated as the University’s contact with the community.Treated wastewater leaked from a punctured liner in a retaining pond and made it to Collins Creek, which eventually connects with Jordan Lake. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued a notice of violation Dec. 18. UNC requested until March 15 to drain the storage pond cited with the violation in order to identify the source of the most recent leak and repair it.The leak’s effects on the surrounding area and the water supply have yet to be determined.Neighbors of the research facility have raised concerns in the past over the treatment of the facility’s animals and its environmental impact.“I do not believe that we felt or understood how concerned the community would be and how interested it is in the issue,” Mary Beth Koza, director of Environment, Health and Safety at UNC, said in January.In a Jan. 29 e-mail to neighbors of the Bingham Facility, Pinkney wrote about plans to schedule meetings with residents every other month and phase out use of the facility’s incinerator in the future.Pinkney also acknowledged requests for a tour of the facility. “There are obviously security and safety issues to work around, but we would like to make this available to a small number of neighbors,” he wrote.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/27/10 6:00am)
In the 1960s and 1970s, NASA astronauts flew across the country to train at UNC’s Morehead Planetarium and Science Center.But Tuesday morning, it was a group of third graders that got a sneak peek of the planetarium’s $1.5 million upgrade.“From the giggles and smiles, I think they enjoyed it,” said Karen Kornegay, the planetarium’s marketing manager.The planetarium is closed this month for the installation of a fulldome digital video projection system. It will re-open Feb. 5 as the GlaxoSmithKline Fulldome Theater.The upgrade will make Fulldome Theater one of the largest fulldome theaters in the United States — “world-class planetarium status,” as Kornegay called it.Inviting elementary school students to preview the new GlaxoSmithKline-funded projection system highlights the pharmaceutical company’s history of supporting science education at Morehead Planetarium, Kornegay said. The company has previously supported a number of camps, shows and demonstrations at Morehead.The new system uses two projectors at opposite ends of the planetarium, which each cover half of the dome. Kornegay said the previous technology — a clunky and obtrusive Zeiss Model VI Star Projector that has been around for roughly 40 years — required 300 or 400 additional pieces of equipment working together for multimedia presentations. All of their functions are rolled into the single fulldome technology.That disjointed approach to planetarium presentations left Morehead unable to lease out its work. (The hundred-of-pieces-of-equipment style of presentation is not widely used by other planetariums.) But the fulldome system will allow Morehead to both screen shows from other planetariums and lease out its own productions for profit.“It’s the biggest technological advance we’ve had, possibly in the planetarium’s history,” Kornegay said.Originally, the conversion was to go hand-to-hand with a full building renovation to Morehead Planetarium and Science Center, but budget cuts have put those plans on hold.Morehead Planetarium was built in 1949 with a single gift from John Motley Morehead III that today would be equivalent to about $23 million.Kornegay said that now Morehead’s budget comes — roughly equally — from state appropriations, revenue from ticket sales and the gift shop, and grants and private gifts.“We couldn’t do this without private support,” she added.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/22/10 6:04am)
Treated animal wastewater leaked into a local creek from a UNC research facility, earning the University a notice of violation from the state in December.The violation is the latest in a rash of incidents that have the Research Resource Facility’s neighbors clamoring for more communication, transparency and action from the University.The facility houses animals that are transported to and from campus for research. Dogs, for example, are used for blood disease research, while pigs are part of looking into heart disease.Treated wastewater leaked from a punctured liner in a retaining pond and made it to Collins Creek, which eventually connects with Jordan Lake. The N.C. Department of Environment and Natural Resources issued the notice of violation Dec. 18.The leak’s effects on the surrounding area and the water supply have yet to be determined.Loose pipes have caused two other leaks, said Dwayne Pinkney, special assistant to the chancellor for state and local relations at UNC.The first leak, in mid-November, released an estimated 630 gallons of treated animal wastewater into nearby soils. Neither of those leaks led to notices from the state.Mary Beth Koza, director of Environment, Health and Safety at UNC, said the leaks resulted from a new piping system installed within the past year and each leak was self-reported to the University.But community members are upset they weren’t told of the leaks as well. The research facility has long been of interest to its neighbors, who have raised concerns in the past over the treatment of the facility’s animals and its environmental impact.“I do not believe that we felt or understood how concerned the community would be and how interested it is in the issue,” Koza said.A letter to UNC from the group Preserve Rural Orange proposed a number of steps for better communication and safety. They included establishing a point person at UNC for communications, allowing an open tour of the facility and testing facility waters for toxins and pathogens.The letter also calls for ending the use of an incinerator at the facility used to dispose of animal carcasses which has experienced malfunctions.Residents have also expressed frustration over the lack of information about a planned expansion to the facilities.For UNC, better communication has meant appointing Pinkney as the go-between for UNC and concerned residents.“There’s a certain amount of skepticism and cynicism at this point,” Pinkney said, adding “it’s a bit early to tell” if relationships with the community are improving.“I’m focused on moving forward making sure we’re communicating regularly and clearly,” Pinkney said.UNC has requested until March 15 to dewater the storage pond cited with the violation in order to identify the source of the most recent leak and repair it. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(01/11/10 3:11am)
Renovations to Carmichael Auditorium aren’t fully complete, but the women’s basketball team has already played and won four games in the updated venue.
(01/11/10 2:19am)
The campus temporary employment agency where thousands have sought employment is closing.
(01/11/10 2:02am)
UNC has once again been ranked the best value in U.S. public higher education.
(12/09/09 4:26am)
This article was published in the 2009 Year in Review issue of The Daily Tar Heel.
(12/07/09 5:35am)
The Archdale police officer who shot and killed junior Courtland Smith was justified in his action because he believed his and another officer’s life to be endangered, Randolph County District Attorney Garland Yates said Friday in a statement.The release says officer Jeremy Paul Flinchum shot Smith four times after repeatedly asking him to back away and show his hands from behind his back. When Smith repeatedly ignored those requests, approached the officers and quickly drew a black item from behind his back, Flinchum shot.Smith was not armed, despite his earlier comments to a 911 dispatcher that he had a gun. Authorities found a black BlackBerry phone next to the location where he was shot, the release states.Yates’ decision and the conclusion of the related state investigation brings an end to more than three months of questions about what prompted police to shoot Smith. Information has seeped out from Smith’s family and friends because of a moratorium on details from the State Bureau of Investigation.“Given the totality of circumstances, Officer Flinchum’s belief that he faced an imminent use of deadly force from Courtland Smith when he fired his service pistol was entirely reasonable,” Yates said in the release.The report also notes a half-empty bottle of Jack Daniel’s whiskey was in Smith’s gray Toyota 4Runner and that he had sent an e-mail to family earlier that night indicating suicidal intent.An autopsy report found Smith’s blood alcohol level was .22 percent.Just after 4:30 a.m. on Aug. 23, Flinchum and officer Chris Jones, in separate patrol cars, pulled over Smith’s vehicle on I-85 south near Greensboro. They were notified by Archdale Police Department Communications that Smith was possibly suicidal, intoxicated and armed with a 9 mm handgun.Smith exited his car about 15 seconds after stopping on the shoulder of the highway. Both officers drew their pistols and gave Smith repeated directions to get back in the car and show his hands as Smith walked toward the officers with one or both of his hands behind his back.“At one point the officers warned Mr. Smith that because of his actions he was about to get shot,” Yates said in the release.Both officers retreated behind Jones’ car while giving the commands, the release states. Smith walked backward to his car and leaned into the driver’s side.As Smith once again advanced on the officers with his hands concealed, Smith and Flinchum retreated further back to Flinchum’s car, attempting to tell Smith “to not do anything stupid, and that they just wanted to talk to him and help him,” the release states.When Smith quickly drew his right hand from behind his back, holding a black object and standing 10 feet away from the officers, Flinchum fired five shots.Two fatal gunshot wounds hit Smith’s abdomen. A third gunshot wound in Smith’s upper back appeared to be a ricochet or deflection, according to the N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office. Smith also had a gunshot wound to the left thigh.Smith was a biology major and president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity. He was last reported seen in Chapel Hill at about 12:30 a.m. at a Delta Kappa Epsilon house party. The party prompted UNC to re-examine its relationship with Greek life and led to several sanctions on the chapter.Officer Jones has returned to duty. A representative for Archdale police said Friday that Flinchum was still on leave.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(12/04/09 5:51pm)
The Archdale police officer who shot and killed junior Courtland Smith was justified in his action because he believed his and another officer's life to be endangered, Randolph County District Attorney Garland Yates said today in a statement.
(11/30/09 5:47am)
In a tersely worded letter Tuesday, the Fraternity and Sorority Standards Review Board placed almost 25 new directives on Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity intended to return them to the basic expectations of a Greek organization on campus.The outlined goals reach far beyond the normal expectations for fraternities and come on top of prior sanctions from the Greek Judicial Board and internal reforms by DKE. The standards board was reviewing the fraternity on a request from the judicial board.The standards board’s recommendations include forming a local alumni advisory board and having alumni or faculty advisers at recruitment events. Combined with judicial board sanctions, DKE must create and fill six new vice president positions in the fraternity.An internal review of the chapter by DKE International has also been recommended.“We have our work cut out for us,” said Patrick Fleming, president of DKE and an editorial board member of The Daily Tar Heel.The new directives and recommendations were spelled out in a six-page letter by the standards review board, made up of UNC administrators, faculty members and two Greek students. The letter cites “a multitude of incidents, reports, and violations over a two-year period,” as justification for the extensive reach of the guidelines.The letter says the board “discussed extensively” whether to remove DKE’s recognition, ultimately deciding not to despite the fraternity’s poor track record.“Efforts do not appear to have produced sustained, positive change in your chapter nor, minimally, consistent adherence to applicable University and (Interfraternity Council) policies,” the letter said.The student-run Greek Judicial Board reviewed DKE’s status in September, following alcohol and other violations during parties in August and September. Its decision placed DKE on a year of social probation, cut their pledge period for new members in half and recommended UNC’s standards board review the fraternity’s recognition with the University.DKE followed up the decision with their own sanctions, including donating their social budget toward building the Courtland Benjamin Smith memorial house through Habitat for Humanity.The house will be named for the former DKE president who was shot to death by Archdale police in August. An investigation into the DKE house party he was at earlier that evening was the inciting incident for the fraternity’s current scrutiny and sanctions.Since August, the fraternity has faced a series of mounting expectations it is still working to address.“A number of things in that document we’ve already started on,” Fleming said of the standards board’s letter.He named the fraternity’s re-structured leadership, substance abuse program and new Code of Conduct as examples.But that doesn’t make the more than 1,400 words of directives any less daunting. The board’s letter includes three dates from February to September set for the Board to review DKE’s progress.
(11/30/09 5:45am)
The Fraternity and Sorority Standards Review Board made about 25 recommendations and directives for Delta Kappa Epsilon, including:
(11/23/09 12:31am)
One of the best things you can do to protect your stuff is to keep it covered with a thin plastic sheath.
(11/13/09 1:47am)
I was willing to consider two trees falling on campus in the last few weeks bad luck.
(11/11/09 5:29am)
Even if the U.S. Congress passes a sweeping health insurance reform bill it is working on, that is only the first step in health care reform. The nation will still be plagued by a delivery system considered broken and ineffective.But doctors at UNC might have helped develop a cure — the medical home approach.The system is an approach to health care delivery that focuses on strong relationships and frequent interaction between patients and doctors.The UNC Internal Medicine Clinic and the Department of Family Medicine practice both employ the system for primary care patients. Primary care includes routine checkups and initial trips to the doctor when patients think they’re ill.Patients in the medical home system at UNC often have interaction with more doctors during visits, receive assessment calls between visits and are given medical literature to help prepare them for appointments.The delivery system was mentioned in President Barack Obama’s overall health care strategy. And during a press conference in September, Kathleen Sebelius, U.S. secretary of health and human services, called the medical home “a great experiment taking place in various parts of the country, lowering costs and delivering high-quality care.”The U.S. Senate is currently crafting their version of a health care reform bill that could be melded with the one passed Saturday by the U.S. House of Representatives. Both are designed to drastically expand the availability of health care insurance.Dr. Michael Pignone, an assistant professor of medicine, is one of the physicians who has led the implementation of the medical home system at UNC. He and his colleagues, Dr. Robb Malone and Dr. Carmen Lewis, arrived at UNC Hospitals in the late 1990s to find an uncoordinated system focused on individual decision making.“Everyone was trying to do the best they could, but they weren’t working together,” said Pignone, who compared it to 25 solo practitioners sharing the same work space.“It leads to a lot of error. We said, ‘There’s got to be a better way to do this.’”They learned that their patient-focused and collaborative ideas matched up with the medical home concept, which originated in 1967, and began implementing the system.UNC’s experiment has reached into many areas, all focused toward creating a more efficient, collaborative practice. For example, medical records have moved to an electronic format to better track progressions in chronic-care patients and find trends. And by delivering information to patients at home and in the waiting room, patients can be more involved in making decisions.The potential changes to national health care currently being discussed likely haven’t focused on medical homes. But further reform will likely focus on delivery.“Insurance has an indirect effect on how its delivered,” Pignone said of health care. “It probably won’t be fixed with just insurance.”But a lot of eyes are on the work taking place at UNC.“We’re trying to lay the framework for what the practice of the future should look like,” Pignone said.Many hope the trial runs of the medical home system will make transitions easier by the time attention has shifted from insurance to practice.As use of the medical home system grows, it won’t be without potential drawbacks.Some critics, for example, have said the focus on primary care takes too much attention away from other things like psychology and eye and vision care.So far, UNC patients have responded well to the medical home system. Pignone said their work has also helped with promotions and grants.And if it has thrived here, it might be able to do even more good in other nonteaching hospitals. Pignone said UNC isn’t his ideal grounds for experimenting with medical homes, citing the high yearly turnover in resident doctors.“That’s going to be the test,” Pignone said. “Can we take it outside the University and make it work on a broader scale?”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(11/10/09 5:37am)
A year or two ago, UNC professors and doctors had a tough time just getting their students to pay attention to them.Now, the president is calling.Campus experts on health care policy and reform have become a go-to source for lawmakers and media outlets looking to better understand what has become the most dominant issue in politics.And they’ve got their work cut out for them.“People don’t really understand health reform,” said Dr. Dean Harris, clinical associate professor of health policy and management. “Health reform is something that’s been going on for 50 years. It’s no news to us.“Faculty are actively involved in commissions, committees and regulatory agencies at the state and national levels, and faculty are often directly involved in decision-making.”Health care reform has been at the forefront of the national consciousness, with a major health insurance reform bill passing the U.S. House of Representatives on Saturday evening. The U.S. Senate is now discussing its own version under immense pressure from the White House.Both bills would dramatically increase the number of people with access to health insurance. The House’s version of the bill includes a government-supported health care program, which has been contentious for its cost and the competition it poses to private insurance companies.UNC’s involvement has been wide-reaching and predominantly pro-reform.“It’s pretty clear that doctors in general support health care reform,” said Dr. Stephen Gamboa, a clinical instructor in the Department of Family Medicine. He was invited to represent North Carolina during a health care discussion with President Barack Obama in October.Other UNC contributions to the debate have included the N.C. Rural Health Research & Policy Analysis Center’s development of background data for presidential speeches and opinion pieces by doctoral student Brad Wright on The Huffington Post, a news site. Many said they maintain the mindset of an educator when consulted.“I think of it as an extended classroom,” said Dr. Jonathan Oberlander, an associate professor of health policy and management. Oberlander has been delivering talks on health care policy across the nation, and his opinions are considered by top policy makers.“We’re fortunate to have very deep resources in health care policy here,” he added.Professors and doctors said UNC’s role as a leading public institution helped reinforce their obligation to keep the public informed.“It is my experience that professors at UNC-Chapel Hill in health policy tend to be more engaged and willing to participate in public affairs than those at many, but not all, other institutions,” said Dr. Tom Ricketts, associate director of the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research.Gamboa said he feels that responsibility to be involved.“Our institution has a special mandate to serve the people,” he said. “I think right now the system is not serving the people very well.”Oberlander said his talks spend a lot of time clarifying facts about plans and current practices. While he finds the current bills’ focus on insurance a good priority, he recognizes it won’t be the end of changes.“Whatever we do in 2009 is not going to be the end of reform,” Oberlander said. “We have problems in different parts of the health care system.”That leaves UNC experts with a job that will continue for at least another 50 years: educating people on the problems surrounding health care and help devise solutions.“People expect a painless solution,” Harris said. “In fact, we’re going to have to make some hard choices. A lot of times, politicians are reticent to talk about that.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/26/09 4:17am)
References to a history of suicidal thoughts and alcoholism have been removed from the autopsy report for junior Courtland Smith.The redaction of some details — which are crossed out in the new report but still readable — has appeased Smith’s family and friends, who voiced concerns about the accuracy of some medical information presented in the report. It is still unclear why the medical information was originally included.Mentions of Jeremy Paul Flinchum, the Archdale police officer who shot Smith, the probable causes of death and the type of police weapon used have also been crossed out on the report. No reason was given for these deletions.Many details of Smith’s death remain unknown, in part due to a continuing examination by the State Bureau of Investigation, which was present for the autopsy, according to the report.SBI investigations are routine when an officer fires a weapon.Smith’s parents, Pharr and Susan Smith, sought a better understanding of the autopsy report last week, prior to the new report’s release, in a meeting with John Butts, N.C. chief medical examiner.A portion of the narrative summary that said Smith had commented to friends on the day of his death and before about “possible suicidal ideas” has been crossed out, along with mentions of alcoholism and depression in the medical history section.“He had called 911 indicating that he had a 9mm gun and was considering suicide only while he was driving,” the amended report states. “There is no evidence that prior to this he had expressed suicidal thoughts or intent.”Smith, a biology major, was killed at about 5 a.m. on Aug. 23 roughly 15 minutes south of Greensboro. Smith had called 911 about 15 minutes earlier, telling dispatchers he was armed, suicidal and driving drunk at high speeds along the interstate.The narrative in the autopsy report states police shot Smith when he exited his vehicle and made a “suggestive move toward his pocket which the police interpreted as a move to get a gun.”The report also states Smith had a blood alcohol content of about .22 percent, almost three times the legal limit.Butts could not be reached for comment.Smith’s reason for driving about 40 minutes away from Chapel Hill and his whereabouts in the hours before being stopped by police are still unclear.Smith was last reported seen in Chapel Hill leaving a Delta Kappa Epsilon house party at about 12:30 a.m. the day of his death.Friends and family have remembered Smith as an engaging leader who worked as a counselor at western North Carolina’s Camp Mondamin and served as president of the Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity.A statement released by Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity expressed relief at the autopsy report changes.In a previous statement, members of Smith’s fraternity said they were surprised the report stated Smith had discussed suicide previously.“No one we have talked with has mentioned any such conversations,” the statement said. “We are also unaware of any history of depression; to the contrary, Courtland was cheerful and optimistic. We are not autopsy experts, but we are confused by these editorial comments made by the local Medical Examiner with no references to his sources.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
