13 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(04/27/06 4:00am)
Despite no assurance of federal funding, the Triangle Transit Authority signed two agreements with Norfolk Southern railroad on Monday, acquiring access to rail corridors necessary for a proposed 28-mile rail transit system.
The TTA, a regional public-transportation provider, has been working to implement the 12-station system but faced setbacks earlier this year when the Federal Transit Authority declined funding for the project.
Brad Schulz, spokesman for TTA, said the organization will meet with the FTA in the next few months to discuss the project.
Schulz said the authority is waiting for FTA approval before acquiring land, except for properties under negotiation before 2006.
Philip Isley, a Raleigh city council member, said he is surprised that the TTA is continuing to acquire land, despite the lack of federal funding for the estimated $689 million project.
""I think it's an abomination; I can't believe they're doing it," he said. "Given the way the federal government has spoken to them, they're continuing to put people out of business."
Isley said some people who own property designated for the railroad have been left in limbo because of the inefficiencies of the TTA.
Wib Gulley, general counsel for the TTA, said all actions have been settled fairly, outside of court. He said all of the property that's been acquired has been approved by the federal government.
"That's just factually wrong," Gulley said in response to Isley's claims. "And you have to wonder what the motives are . to spread things that are untrue about the project."
Gulley did say some actions have yet to be worked out.
"It takes time, there's a number that haven't been resolved," he said. "We're continuing to work with those property owners. We're not going to leave them hanging."
Still, Isley said the TTA should put the project on hold until it has more concrete information regarding funding and a timeline.
He added that he will not support the project unless changes are made that reroute the railroad to improve ridership numbers.
North Carolina's U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr, both Republican, pulled their support for the project in December 2005, citing similar reasons of inconsistent information regarding ridership numbers.
Schulz said the TTA continues to work toward gaining the senators' support.
"We feel confident that our continued work with our legislators . will help us resolve all outstanding issues by this fall."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/20/06 4:00am)
N.C. officials failed to report the scores of 53,074 students broken down by racial group to the federal government, according to an Associated Press review of the 2003-04 school year.
Under the No Child Left Behind Act, public schools are required to report student test scores by categories such as race, income and migrant status.
Each state determines how many students will be placed into a subgroup. For North Carolina, that number is set at 40. If there aren't enough students fill a subgroup, their scores are not reported at the federal level.
Belinda Black, the NCLB coordinator for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said every part of the state's reporting methods has been approved by the federal government.
"When the law was passed, every state would determine how its accountability system would work," she said. "North Carolina submitted its plan, and it was approved."
Students in subgroups who fail mandatory tests could result in failure for the entire school, based on NCLB guidelines.
But some suggest that the state board might have had other motives when creating the 40 student rule to make up subgroups.
"It would be interesting to know, when the state board was considering this policy, how many students would fail to meet the NCLB if there were 20 or 30 students in a subgroup," said David Holdzkom, assistant superintendent for evaluation and research for Wake County public schools.
"They were trying to set the bar at a place where it would be acceptable . and cause the least damage to the schools in North Carolina."
Holdzkom said the state has to be careful to not create subgroups that are too small.
"There may be a number below which you can't make a statistically valid inference," he said.
Lindalyn Kakadelis, director of the N.C. Education Alliance said the state was trying to find a legal way to not let one child pull down a school's scores and cause it to fail its yearly progress report.
"It obeys the letter of the law because the feds let the states determine what that magic number is," she said.
But because many states have varying subgroup numbers, Kakadelis said the federal government may pass legislation mandating a specific number.
But more laws and policies for K-12 education could be worrisome, Kakadelis said.
"Where it's going to end, as far as what's mandated and the flexibility of the states, that's going to be interesting where that falls," she said.
Holdzkom said he has bigger qualms with NCLB than subgrouping.
"I've been an advocate of reforming NCLB, and this isn't something I'd fix first," he said. "This is the least of the problems with NCLB."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/12/06 4:00am)
When UNC seniors graduate next month, they will face tougher job search competition, but their efforts will be rewarded with higher starting salaries, according to a report released Thursday.
Andrea Koncz, employment information manager with the National Association of Colleges and Employers, which conducted the survey, said she has noticed an upward trend for about three years.
"We're hearing that employers are really active on campus again," she said. "Students are starting to see more than one job offer. And it's not necessarily in one certain area . it's starting to be across the board."
The Salary Survey, released quarterly, reports average starting salaries for new college graduates in 70 disciplines at the bachelor's degree level.
"After (the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks) when the economy started to drop, salaries for majors like computer science really dropped for two years," Koncz said. "But in 2004 and 2005, we saw their salaries starting to increase."
The survey noted a more than 5 percent starting salary increase for accounting graduates since last spring. Economics, and business administration and management majors also saw large hikes.
Not all the news is rosy, however - offers for marketing graduates dipped 1 percent to $37,446.
"Sales traditionally has been more lucrative because you're not just getting a base salary," said Jay Eubank, director of career services for UNC's School of Journalism and Mass Communication. "You're getting that plus the ability to add on top of that."
Still, he said most advertising majors should not expect any sum even near $37,000 to start.
"For most jobs, there's a far greater supply of people able to fill those jobs than there are jobs," he said.
Eubank also said many companies that pay more than $30,000 to start either hire Master of Business Administration graduates or former interns.
Senior Adam Zelsdorf, an executive member of Alpha Kappa Psi, one of UNC's business fraternities, said internships can be a great entry mechanism.
"As long as you don't mess up or prove yourself to be too incompetent, you usually get a job afterwards," he said.
Marcia Harris, director of UNC Career Services, said internships give students a competitive edge.
"The companies are seeking students with top credentials, in terms of grades and experience," she said.
Harris said many seniors have had jobs lined up since December or January.
"That's definitely a reflection of the positive job market," she said.
Harris said she encourages students to look at more than just salaries when considering the future.
Lora Wical, associate director for student development in the Kenan-Flagler Bachelor of Science in business administration program, said almost all of the students she's encountered consider other factors.
"I don't know that necessarily they're saying to themselves, 'Wow, that's lower than I want to make,'" she said. "I think they're more concerned with trying to find the best fit for them."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/10/06 4:00am)
More than a week after the start of the N.C. lottery, many retailers say the much-disputed games have played out in their favor.
Though Kerr Drug, on Franklin Street, reported only minor problems on the first day of ticket sales, owner James Malone said the lottery headquarters has been very responsive to any problems.
"The questions I've asked . they've been more than willing to answer," he said.
Malone said that most customers who have come in with problems are confused about how to play the game and that he advised his employees to show the customers how to play instead of referring them to the help line listed on the back of the ticket, 87RETAIL30.
"It's just easier that way," he said.
The help line refers retailers with questions to the N.C. Department of Health and Human Services.
"The only phone number is our help line number so we've gotten a lot of player calls," said department program manager Smith Worth. "Over the course of this week, we've probably gotten over 500 calls."
Worth said that originally the player hotline number, (877) 962-7529, also was supposed to be listed on the ticket.
"We thought there was going to be two numbers," she said. "They're going to print that number for the next cards."
As a result, Worth said the help line has received numerous calls from customers asking how to play.
"For the player calls we've gotten, we give them the number for the player hotline," she said.
Also, Worth said many concerned family members of gambling addicts have called to try to get help.
"We've been able to provide them with some literature and information about the warning signs," she said.
Edward Heard, owner of the Heard Family Market, on Old Durham Road, said he is impressed with how informed and reactive N.C. lottery officials have been to any problems.
"The people that run the lottery right now really know what they're doing," he said. "If you have an issue, you call them and if they don't know the answer, they call someone else and call you right back."
On April 2, the Carrboro Kangaroo gas station at 500 Jones Ferry Road alerted the police of a man trying to cash in an illegitimate lottery ticket for $50. Kangaroo refused to pay the man, noting that the ticket was altered, according to the police report.
Still, Pamela Walker, spokeswoman for the N.C. Education Lottery, said most problems have been minor glitches such as ticket printers breaking down. She said 50 temporary workers are employed to respond to help line calls.
"We've been more than happy with the way things have gone," she said. "We expected some glitches but we were thrilled that they were minor glitches."
Malone said the lottery has brought more sales to the store.
"We've noticed a little bit of uptake in drinks and crackers and such," he said. "But when Powerball comes, that should increase the traffic a significant amount."
Malone said a lot of stores are anticipating Powerball, set to begin in May, though it might require more training for employees. He and Heard both say that so far, selling tickets has been a success.
"We have a tremendous number of people buying tickets," Heard said. "It's overwhelming."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/30/06 5:00am)
Many school districts across the nation have begun to offer low-performing students just two choices when scheduling their classes: reading and math.
According to a survey released Tuesday by the Center on Education Policy, a national nonpartisan think tank, 71 percent of surveyed school districts in the U.S. have reduced the instructional time spent on subjects such as history and music to improve tests scores.
This comes as no surprise to UNC psychology professor Lynne Vernon-Feagans, who said schools are only trying to keep up with the standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act.
"If I were the principal in a school that was failing, I would probably do the same thing," said Vernon-Feagans, who specializes in early childhood development, families and literacy. "You don't have that many options."
NCLB requires 100 percent of all students to be proficient in reading and math by 2014 or face funding reductions.
"The schools are trying to be responsive to No Child Left Behind; this is a natural way in which schools would respond," Vernon-Feagans said. "They have to get their students to pass."
The Center, which has followed NCLB's effects since its introduction in 2002, surveys schools in every state to gather information, and it conducts dozens of case studies to find more in-depth information.
"We interview and do case studies in 38 school districts, including Wake County, N.C.," said John Jennings, president and CEO of the Center. "They're roughly approximate to how school districts are constituted across the nation."
The Wake County school system, which comprises Raleigh and surrounding areas, is pushing to have 95 percent of all of its students proficient by 2008.
"If we don't have ambitious goals, we often settle for less than stellar outcomes," David Holdzkom said, who is Wake County's assistant superintendent for evaluation and research.
Holdzkom said the county communicates to every school each student's complete testing history so schools can tailor more focused help.
He said Wake County has not considered narrowing its curriculum, nor do they plan to.
"We believe in the value of a well -rounded education," he said. "The North Carolina standard course of study requires us to teach kids a whole range of things that we are glad to do."
But some school districts across the country have allocated extra time for math or reading to help low-achieving students catch up.
"It is true that when students have more math, they generally do better in math," said Susan Friel, UNC professor of mathematics education.
But she said districts should consider the procedures they're using to teach math before they cut curriculum.
"It's the kind of math kids are learning, and how they're learning it," she said. "Right now, kids are doing a lot of parrot math, where you parrot back the procedures, and it's disconnected from any real-life context."
Jennings said the center released a set of recommendations after reviewing school districts that have improved performance without reducing curriculum .
But Vernon-Feagans said low funding in many districts allows few options to keep up with NCLB standards.
The study found that 80 percent of school districts said they had costs for NCLB that were not covered by federal funds.
"A lot of those school systems that are struggling don't have the economic base like Chapel Hill-Carborro does," Vernon-Feagans said.
"And the teachers, especially in high poverty schools, need more professional development . to work with students that are that low-performing."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/24/06 5:00am)
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina and the growing income gap between the upper and lower classes, the UNC Center on Poverty, Work and Opportunity began a two-day conference Thursday to examine the state of America's poor.
The conference, titled "Challenging the Two Americas: New Policies to Fight Poverty," provided an opportunity for national business leaders, university professors and interested students to hear expert panelists speak on what they say is a major national problem.
Former U.S. Sen. John Edwards, director of the center, said that after visiting Hurricane Katrina victims, he believes that there is an enormous need for federal policies that will help those struggling financially.
"We needed to have a serious dialogue about what is going on in America," he said.
Another speaker, Harvard law professor Elizabeth Warren, addressed the lack of increase in the middle class's income.
"In the 1970s, a week's worth of work would've paid your mortgage, health insurance and college education for your child," she said. "Today it takes three weeks to accomplish that same thing."
Jacob Hacker, professor of political science at Yale University, said the cost of social insurance should not rest solely on the poor.
"Is this seen as a personal or communal problem?" he asked. "American political and business leaders should do something instead of calling it a personal responsibility."
Hacker also said the United States is failing to keep up with its international peers when it comes to helping lower-income families.
Hacker and Warren both suggested that universal health care, improved welfare and policies that ensure every student has a chance to go to college would improve the economic climate.
But questions to the panel suggested anxiety about the cost of these policies, prompting Warren to explain why she thinks such policies are necessary.
"If we send a generation of Americans to college, they will find answers," Warren said. "If you tell me that has a higher price, I'll say we're going to have to borrow for our future."
Some audience members also expressed displeasure with the first day of the conference, commenting that it focused on the middle class and not on the poor.
Multiple panelists countered, saying the middle class is where the real problem of poverty lies.
"A vibrant middle class creates the opportunity to move up," Warren said. "We're creating tomorrow's poor if the middle class is in serious trouble."
The conference will continue today at the George C. Watts Alumni Center.
The event, which required preregistration, cost $40 for general admission and is free to students.
"The way we create change is by talking about it now," Warren said. "This message is all about kicking doors open."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/22/06 5:00am)
RALEIGH - Amid growing concerns about the threat of a possible flu pandemic, North Carolina is preparing aggressively.
In a Pandemic Flu Summit held Tuesday, public health, law enforcement, business and community leaders discussed the state's plan for a potential outbreak.
Raleigh was one stop on a nationwide tour as part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' campaign to inform the country of the growing pandemic threat.
"It's all about early detection and rapid response," said state Health Director Leah Devlin. "We're not waiting on a disaster."
With the avian flu spreading rapidly in countries such as Germany and France, Devlin said the flu could mutate.
UNC alumnus Dr. Bruce Gellin, director of the National Vaccine Program Office, also addressed the summit.
"We cannot afford not to be prepared," he said.
"We all know the virus can adapt, but there's no reason to believe these birds aren't going to carry this virus to another part of the world," Gellin said.
He estimated that the United States has enough influenza antiviral treatment for 25 percent of the population but said Congress allocated $350 million for increased manufacturing of the treatment.
Dr. Jeff Runge, chief medical officer for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, praised North Carolina for its new program, the N.C. Hospital Emergency Surveillance System.
"We have an enemy that seeks to cause widespread fear," he said of the terrorists. "A pandemic might make us an easier target for this enemy."
North Carolina became the first state in the nation to employ a hospital monitoring system, implemented last November, that sends hospital admissions data to public health officials, so that they can monitor sickness trends.
N.C. Department of Health and Human Services officials said they have worked side by side with elected officials to improve the state plan. Gov. Mike Easley was praised for his work with a standing ovation at the summit.
"We can't fool ourselves; our national government will not come in and save us," he said. "Each state must do their part."
But states need more funding to plan effectively, he added.
"Our message to Washington has to be clear: You have to give us the dollars to fight."
After Easley spoke, the U.S. secretary of HHS, Mike Leavitt, announced that North Carolina will be appropriated $2.5 million from Congress for the state's plan.
Leavitt acknowledged that despite all of the planning, some still will not take the threat of a pandemic seriously until it actually happens.
"It's hard because anything you say before a pandemic seems alarmist. 'Is this Y2K?' 'Is this the boy that cried wolf?'" he said. "But this is not a Stephen King novel we're talking about . pandemics happen."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/27/06 5:00am)
As part of its mission to increase math and science technology education, the 16-school UNC system might add a 17th.
With this plan, the N.C. School of Science and Mathematics, an affiliate of the system, would become an actual constituent.
"We've been looking for some time to make that relationship more effective and more productive," said Leslie Winner, vice president and general counsel of the system.
The move, expected to be decided by April, would improve collaboration efforts between the system and NCSSM to improve science and math education in public high schools across the state, Winner said.
Brock Winslow, chairman of the Board of Trustees for NCSSM, said the high school will be able to accomplish more as a part of the system. But he noted that some employees are worried about how such a change will affect their job status.
"It might affect personnel systems - employees care about that," he said. "But it probably won't make a real difference, day to day, for employees or students."
If approved, NCSSM would become only the second high school in the system. Becoming a constituent would make the independent high school subject to the rules of the UNC-system Board of Governors.
The N.C. School of the Arts is a system constituent, though it consists of both a high school and a college.
Even if NCSSM joins the system, it does not plan to offer college classes, Winslow said.
Gretchen Bataille, interim chancellor of the School of the Arts, said being a part of the system comes with a few drawbacks.
"We're the smallest institution in the state, and sometimes that's hard because we have so little students to have enough money," she said.
Bataille said the school needs more funding per student than it can provide on its own, and to receive extra funds they must submit a request to the BOG.
"We've gotten additional allocations sometimes," she said.
If NCSSM joined the system, it would have to submit its budget to be scrutinized by the BOG.
But the benefits far outweigh the drawbacks, Bataille said, especially in improving the education programs at the school.
Joining the system would help expand how many students NCSSM could educate through its distance learning programs, Winslow said.
On top of the about 700 resident students at NCSSM, the school trains about 1,000 teachers and instructs some 2,000 students per year via distance learning, he said.
Winslow said that with increased technology and the help of the system, that number could skyrocket.
"Instead of there being 2,000 students better prepared, there may literally be tens of thousands," he said.
"This means more doctors, more nurses, more biotechnologists, more people to work in an economy that in North Carolina is more and more oriented around science and technology."
Final approval of the addition will have to go through the N.C. General Assembly, which will reconvene for a short session in May.
"This is where the future lies for North Carolina," Winslow said.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/22/06 5:00am)
For the third year in a row, the N.C. Republican Party asked its members to send in their church directories, inciting protest from religious and political leaders alike.
But Bill Peaslee, chief of staff for the N.C. GOP, said that it's not doing anything wrong, and that the move was made to extend the party base in North Carolina.
"Every political party appeals to its base constituencies, and one of the base constituencies are people of faith," he said. "Studies have shown that people that attend church one or more times a week tend to vote Republican."
Peaslee said the party uses the church directory to determine what members are not registered voters and then sends them mail about the Republican Party and literature encouraging them to vote.
"We're not asking church leaders to do anything," Peaslee said. "We're not asking any church to align itself with the Republican Party."
But Schorr Johnson, communications director for the N.C. Democratic Party, said the GOP's request violates the separation of church and state.
"We don't agree with it," Johnson said. "Democrats believe people go to church to worship, not to sign up for Republican propaganda."
Frank Morock, communications director for the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, explained that when members register with a parish, they are asked to provide contact information to the church. He said sending out directories to any organization would violate their trust.
"This is very problematic because when people give their name, there's a trust bond," he said. "They believe that information won't be misused, and this would be a misuse of that information."
Though Peaslee said the GOP understands the concerns of the church, he said the party never has been contacted about the action.
"For people to say there's been a backlash - we haven't heard anything," he said. "We've not gotten one call from any church leader."
Peaslee said media inquiries have been the only time there is a comment.
Federal tax laws prohibit churches from endorsing or opposing candidates for office, but the Republican National Committee said its tactic does not violate those laws because it is individual church members and not their leaders providing the information. Many still are not convinced.
"The Republican Party is putting pastors and churches in a position that could threaten their federal tax status," Johnson said.
Norman Jameson, executive leader for public relations for the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina, said that though the decision to submit directories is up to individuals, the convention urges churches to be very careful in divulging that information.
"Alignment with any organization, whether it's political or social, has an extreme danger of diluting the more important message," he said. "It could lead to enormous distraction."
Amy McClure, president of the UNC Baptist Student Union, said she does not see a problem with the party requesting such information, which she said will not be used for fundraising purposes.
"They check and see that everyone's registered to vote," she said. "When they mail out propaganda, they want people to make sure they know the issues of today."
Peaslee said the GOP simply is helping churches involve its members in the political process.
"We believe people of faith, as with every American, should lawfully register to vote," he said.
He added that because the GOP is not the state, its methods also do not constitute a violation of the separation of church and state.
He argued that although the Democratic Party condemns the GOP for using churches to further its party base, it does the same thing.
"It's well known that African-American churches invite Democratic politicians to come and speak, and we don't say that's wrong," he said.
Regardless, Jameson said church leaders will do their best to continue to foster an environment free from political influence.
"N.C. Baptists have been very strong in separating the ideology of a state or government with the much more important function of the church: the church's message."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/20/06 5:00am)
The benefits of public access stations might be too remote for some to notice, but the stations might soon be off the air permanently.
Most town cable service providers allocate space for public access channels, which broadcast municipal government meetings and serve educational purposes.
But pending federal legislation could allow telephone companies to avoid funding local public access stations, reducing the barriers companies face in entering the cable market.
"Their claim is that they're not a monopoly anymore, and they shouldn't have to provide these kinds of services," said Chapel Hill Town Council member Mark Kleinschmidt of cable providers.
"But there's a point at which private corporate interests should be obligated to return to the community for using our resources."
The Federal Communications Commission is investigating the matter and allowed people to submit concerns until Feb. 13.
The Chapel Hill Town Council sent a letter in support of local franchises, and 137 comments were filed in North Carolina, according to a press release from The People's Channel, a Chapel Hill public access station.
The national debate is taking place as individual states consider changing franchising rules.
Last year, Texas awarded new cable competitors video franchising rights at a statewide level. Phone company officials were pleased with the new model, saying it eliminates some of the difficulties of breaking into the cable industry.
"We've been able to expand our competition," said Brian Blevins, director of external communications for Verizon. "We have 29 franchises now in Texas because of this."
But Chad Johnston, executive director of the People's Channel, said the Texas model employs strict criteria for towns who want a public access channel.
"They would offer a public access option, but it has to deal with population density issues," he said. "You have to prove that you need it, but chances are places like unincorporated Orange County aren't populated enough."
The N.C. General Assembly will review the Texas model at a March 1 meeting of the revenue laws study committee to see if it would work in North Carolina.
Johnston said that if the state legislation passes, rural areas might lose public access channels.
"It could undermine the effectiveness of community television at Chapel Hill," Kleinschmidt said. "There is no other way to access it."
At the national level, several different bills are being reviewed in Congress - one with a provision that would make the FCC the arbiter of complaints.
Johnston said he is worried that a national system will be inefficient because of bureaucratic layers.
"Imagine you have a cable complaint with your service; now you can call the town, and they try to resolve the agreement," he said. "If it were a federal franchise, the consumer would have to call the FCC and that response could take years."
But Blevins maintains that a large network, such as Verizon's, doesn't necessarily mean poor customer service.
"We've been a telephone company for more than 100 years and all of our franchises have always been at a state level," Blevins said. "This would provide a national policy, but it wouldn't necessarily change the level of consumer satisfaction."
Denis Moynihan, outreach director for Democracy Now, said his group is working to encourage town councils and mayors to fight for public access station rights.
"It's ironic," he said. "The ability to deliver content is getting better, but the willingness for the companies to share is getting slimmer."
Blevins said Verizon plans to continue to provide franchising rights.
"In terms of providing channels for access, that is not an issue," Blevins said. "We have made the stipulations; we have fiber capacity; we will offer access."
But many still have doubts about the new proposed franchising.
"I think they should focus more on providing better service in the face of competition, as opposed to eliminating public access, one of the most important ways to access citizens," Kleinschmidt said.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/10/06 5:00am)
Chancellor James Moeser was among the 140 names of business, political and educational leaders listed on a high-profile advertisement advocating for greater federal spending on science and research.
The ad, published in The Washington Post and The Wall Street Journal Wednesday, emphasized the need for more money to help the country remain competitive in the national market.
The Council on Competitiveness, an organization that aims to increase national investments in research fields, sponsored the ad.
"It's just a very important statement," Moeser said. "Our country's future really hangs in the balance."
The initiative stemmed from the recognition of a steady decline in the scientific advancements of the United States.
"We're seeing a perfect storm taking place," said Richard Herman, chancellor of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and one of the ad's endorsers. "The number of people doing research is going down; it has been going down since the '90s."
Bill Booher, chief operating officer of the Council for Competitiveness, said the U.S. must communicate to its youth the importance of science and math.
"We are not conveying the importance, the 'why I want to learn this' message," he said. "We must give them the ability to have lifelong learning abilities."
The council said it is working to improve the infrastructure of education, the investment climate to encourage research and the talent that results from the two.
Mary Sue Coleman, president of the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor, is another academic who has lent her support to the cause. She has spoken to editorial boards, wrote opinion pieces of her own and has been actively involved in a number of reports.
Julie Peterson, spokeswoman for the University of Michigan, said Coleman has joined the debate to promote public involvement.
"It's part of their strategy to encourage the public to pay attention to these competitive challenges," she said.
Since the ad ran, the council has received a lot of feedback and support, Booher said.
"All of the critical players are calling and saying, 'If you're doing another ad, let me be on it,'" he said. "This shows the country's support, in terms of industry academia, all are on this ad and this message."
He said the ad itself does not advocate a piece of legislation, but it encourages political leaders to take action.
"The ad . is saying that there is a need in this country that needs to be addressed," Booher said. "The action that will come out of this is to have the policy leaders develop the appropriate policies to address these national issues."
The U.S. Senate has introduced two pieces of legislation that include recommendations from the council and the National Academies, another organization that promotes scientific research.
The National Innovation Act of 2005 and the PACE Act are gaining support in Congress, Booher said.
Herman compared the movement to the great space race of his childhood when, like today, countries were competing to be at the cutting edge of the latest technology.
Moeser noted the importance of UNC being associated with everyone from governors to Fortune 500 company CEOs. Among the signees are former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and CEO of Microsoft Steven Ballmer.
"It's very high stakes," he said. "I wanted Chapel Hill to be seen as part of this leadership."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(01/30/06 5:00am)
IPods are no longer just for entertainment; Apple has integrated education into the mix with a new program called iTunes U.
"We're excited, as iTunes U allows learning to happen truly anywhere, anytime," said Todd Wilder, a spokesman for Apple, in an e-mail. "And, it's in an environment that students are already comfortable with: iTunes and iPod."
The program allows professors to upload course content online, which are then stored on servers run by Apple. The program is password-protected, only allowing members with proper identification to access the system.
Apple Computer Inc. asked six universities, including Duke University, to participate in a trial run of iTunes U.
"Last fall we started with a very small pilot of the tool, only one class using it," said Samantha Earp, director of foreign language technology services for Duke and project leader for iTunes U.
"Based on the experience, it seemed like it would be something that would be very helpful, similar to Blackboard at UNC."
Earp said the university decided to expand the program to seven classrooms this semester because of the success of the trial and the increase in iPod use.
Richard Lucic, co-director of the Department of Computer Science at Duke, was the first to try the program.
"I recorded all my lectures and made a lectures tab on iTunes U," said Lucic in an e-mail about the trial. "The students would create their report or podcast, then upload them so that I and other students could listen to their efforts."
Lucic's trial incurred only minor technical problems, and the Apple programmers were quick to resolve any issues he had, he said.
"The students feel the iPods are a great tool for enhancing the learning environment," Lucic said.
"I was shocked and pleased to see that the audio reports submitted by the students were far superior to the previous written reports."
Though UNC does not use iTunes U, it has similar programs that students can access to listen to course materials.
Jocelyn Neal, professor of music at UNC, helped create a similar program seven years ago as part of a technology committee in the music department.
"I wanted students to have 24-hour access to the music," she said.
Before the database was created, students had to listen to CDs on reserve in the library for assignments.
The program is password-protected and is run by the department itself, and Neal said it makes teaching more efficient.
"I'd have to be shuffling CDs and records during the lecture."
Neal said she is wary of importing new technology because of possible prohibitive costs and the unreliability of an outside company.
Neal said the department would consider a different system of storing music only if "there was a product that has benefits that we don't currently offer to the students."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(01/25/06 5:00am)
Seven East Chapel Hill High School students won second place at the Mock Trial State Championship, but their next stop won't be the national tournament.
Because of a ruling that banned making scheduling accommodations for religious practices, they -- and students from first place winner Junius H. Rose High School in Greenville - will compete at an alternative Mock Trial Invitational.
The alternative event will be hosted by the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers at the UNC School of Law in May.
More than 40 teams will compete in the national competition, but the ECHHS winners aren't worried about not being among them.
"I don't think the students seem to mind," said Bob Brogden, a social studies teacher and adviser for the mock trial program at ECHHS. "They respect other people's beliefs and religious practices."
The students have practiced for the competition every Sunday for three hours since the beginning of the school year.
Marek Jucovic, a senior on the team, said he feels North Carolina made a good choice in withdrawing from the competition.
"It's unfortunate, but they had enough reasons to make this choice," Jucovic said. "If the people who are in charge say this was a mistake, I would support going back to the national competition."
Last year, the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers sponsored the national contest in Charlotte and altered the schedule so New Jersey's state champion, a Jewish Orthodox high school, were able to observe the Sabbath.
"We didn't think it was right," said Malina Brown, communications director for the academy. "That's not the kind of values we support. So, students competed on Thursday and Friday, and overall the impact was minimal."
After last year's competition, the Board of Directors for the National High School Mock Trial Championship received a request to make the accommodation permanent. The request was voted on and denied.
Soon after, North Carolina and New Jersey pulled their schools out of the competition.
John Wheeler, chairman of the board, said teams are matched at random to ensure absolute fairness. Rearranging that pattern hinders the competition.
"Last year did a grave injustice to the competitive aspect," Wheeler said.
U.S. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., also responded to the board's decision. He introduced legislation that, if passed, would call on the board to reverse its decision.
"It's a religious freedom issue," said Kimberly Allen, Rothman's communications director. "Every student should be able to participate, regardless of their faith."
The legislation is intended to put pressure on board members to reconsider the decision. But Wheeler criticized the logic of the bill and questioned why it is his organization that is being targeted.
"If you take his legislation to the logical conclusion, it would prohibit any high school activity from sundown on Friday through Sunday because it seeks to preserve the Sabbath," Wheeler said. "Pretty much any high school activity would be prohibited."
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.