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(04/28/10 3:44am)
Dr. Stephen Gamboa is a clinical instructor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC and was a key player in local lobbying efforts for the health care overhaul touted by President Barack Obama and signed into law in March. Gamboa explained the details of that plan and how it can have an impact on the class of 2010.Q: How is the health care overhaul going to help graduating seniors?A: Recent college graduates will be able to stay on their parents’ insurance plans until they’re 26. Also, insurance companies will no longer be able to deny coverage to people based on pre-existing conditions.
(04/16/10 4:37am)
If you’ve ever posted a public Tweet, prepare for it to become a part of history.Every public message since the birth of Twitter will be archived digitally at the Library of Congress, wrote Matt Raymond, director of communications for the Library of Congress, on the library’s official blog Wednesday.Archiving all public Tweets fits into the library’s charge to maintain the public record.“It tells you at any given time what people are interested in,” Raymond wrote. “It boggles my mind to think what we might be able to learn about ourselves and the world around us from this wealth of data.”It should take a few months for the transfer and storage logistics to be worked out, Raymond wrote. Many are worried about privacy issues associated with the archive, which will go back to March 2006. “A lot of people are slightly terrified because they thought their Tweets would be ephemeral,” said Paul Jones, a UNC professor in the School of Information and Library Science. Fred Stutzman, a graduate student in the School of Information and Library Science, said people might start sharing less.“Even though the Tweets are public, it is a fallacy to assume that digital content shared in public was created with an understanding that the content would end up in a third-party, government-managed archive,” Stutzman wrote in his blog.But some Twitter users argue that if people want their information to be private, they should set their privacy settings, which already exist. Brice Russ, a graduate student in linguistics at Ohio State University and a 2008 UNC graduate, said he liked the archival idea. He based his senior thesis on Facebook posts.“The Library of Congress has shown strong interest in the past in archiving ‘oral histories’ and other first-hand historical accounts, so given how relatively easy and inexpensive it is to store large amounts of data these days, I think this is a great and insightful way of continuing this process,” Russ wrote in an e-mail.Some of the Tweets could become irrelevant in the future — many Tweets link to other Web sites that might not be around a few years from now, Jones said.The content of the Tweet won’t make sense without the attached context, which will change or be deleted in time, he said.“I think that future researchers will find this an extremely valuable resource for understanding how our society functioned and how people reacted to the events that happened in the first decade of the millennium,” Russ wrote.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/15/10 3:56am)
A new iPad starts at $499, but at N.C. State University it’s available to students free of charge — at least for a few hours.NCSU Libraries are now lending iPads to students for four-hour increments to make sure students are familiar with the latest technology.Within the first 48 hours of becoming available, the libraries loaned out their 37 iPads 350 times, said David Hiscoe, director of communications for the NCSU Libraries.The iPads were purchased with a combination of student fees and money from the Digital Library Initiative Department, Hiscoe said. It would have cost the university at least $18,500.Hiscoe said that the library’s lending service also loans other digital technologies such as laptops, SLR cameras, GPS devices, eBook Readers and calculators.Last month, the library loaned out 8,526 laptops, 350 calculators, almost 1,500 headphones and over 100 SLR cameras, Hiscoe said.When the iPads first came in, five students were given the opportunity to take one around for a couple of days and blog about their experiences.Daniel Marcus, one of the bloggers and a junior engineering major at N.C. State, said that the iPad was not a good resource for academic purposes, but was useful for checking e-mail, writing quick messages and general entertainment.“I still can’t see the iPad as much of a business tool. … That said, right now, the iPad is serving as a welcome distraction and, for the first time, I’m actually rather enjoying the device,” Marcus wrote in his blog.Some bloggers also gave their views on the device’s physical appearance.“The aluminum backing, although sleek, is very slick to the touch. The screen — just like any other touch screen — is glossy,” wrote Amber Kenney, a sophomore communications major at N.C. State.Three years ago, UNC launched a similar trial program with Tablet PCs. A pilot program was introduced to allow students and faculty to use Tablet PCs to assess their usefulness in an academic setting, said Charles Green, assistant vice chancellor for ITS teaching and learning at UNC.The positive results of the study led to Carolina Computing Initiative adding the Tablet PC to the roster of available purchases, Green said.But UNC is not considering adding the iPad to its existing technology rental programs on campus, Green said.Loaning out iPads is not the only way N.C. State is using and encouraging Apple Inc. products. Earlier this year, they also started a program to develop and distribute applications through Apple’s App Store for people who use iPhones, iPod touches and iPads.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(04/05/10 3:42am)
The state and federal governments are making efforts to extend broadband Internet access to rural communities.The Federal Communications Commission released a plan last month that set goals for broadband extension nationwide.But while the FCC waits on approval from the U.S. Congress, North Carolina has already taken action.Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, a nonprofit organization that provides information technology services in the state, has plans to extend broadband access to 69 counties in the state through the Golden LEAF Rural Broadband Initiative, creating more than 1,000 temporary jobs.FCC’s plan modeled after existing university networkThe FCC’s plan aims to connect 100 million people to high-speed Internet access by 2020.It also hopes to extend broadband access to Community Anchor Institutions — sites that will serve as the Internet hubs for the community. Other public institutions can link to those sites to connect to the network.“We think it’s very exciting. It’s a great opportunity,” said Kristina Scott, public relations representative for National LambdaRail, a nonprofit that provides high-speed network access to research and education institutions across the nation.The model used to connect universities and other research and education networks nationally has been incredibly effective, and the FCC plans to use that as a model for further extension, Scott said.Existing fiber is going to be leveraged to expand coverage, but new fiber will have to be laid down as well, she said.John Leydon, vice president for information resources and chief information officer for the UNC system, said he sees the network used by the UNC system already fitting in nicely with the FCC’s new proposal. The state’s network currently extends to all UNC-system schools, many private universities that link to the network at their own cost and K-12 public schools. It is also in the process of being connected to all of the community colleges, Leydon said.North Carolina uses stimulus funds to extend broadbandMCNC is hoping to use two grants of federal stimulus money — one of $28.2 million and one of $111 million — to extend the state’s research and education network.The initial grant was awarded on January 20 and required a percentage of matching funds to be provided by MCNC, said John Killebrew, vice president of N.C. Research and Education Network community support.In addition, MCNC is required to spend the grant funds for network extension and complete the work outlined in both proposals within three years of being awarded, he said.“More than 1,500 anchor institutions, 180,000 businesses and more than 300,000 underserved families will benefit when completed,” he said in an e-mail.The priority of the stimulus funds is to get the access to public sites, said Nick Didow, associate professor at the Kenan-Flagler Business School, which helped create the second proposal for federal funds.Through the network extension, the cost of Internet access for households could be reduced by 40 to 60 percent, Didow said. It is estimated that 1,448 miles of new fiber will be laid down in the 69 included counties, serving 66 percent of North Carolina’s population and 68 percent of its businesses.“For North Carolina and for America, the National Broadband Plan is a good thing to go after,” Killebrew said.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/23/10 1:58am)
The gap in graduation rates between black and white NCAA men’s Division I basketball players is widening.
A recent study conducted by the Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at the University of Central Florida shows that while overall graduation rates for basketball teams increased, the disparity between the graduation rates among players of the two races also increased by 4 percentage points from last year’s report.
Eighty-four percent of white men’s Division I basketball players and 56 percent of black players graduated in the latest study numbers, according to Richard Lapchick, author of the study and director of the institute.
The numbers measure only those who are in poor academic standing when they leave the university.
In response to this disparity, the U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan, the NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Jealous and Lapchick held a joint press conference last week to address the problem and suggest ways to close the gap.
The main suggestion offered by the conference was that teams that are unable to graduate at least 40 percent of players should be barred from post-season play.
John Blanchard, senior associate athletic director at UNC, said that using the 40 percent rule is impractical because those rates are based on students who have already graduated or left, and therefore punish the wrong students.
Brad Berndt, associate athletic director at Duke University, said the graduation rates at Duke contradict the study. Black student athletes have higher graduation rates than whites.
Both athletic directors also said the drop-out rates could be attributed to traditional reasons such as students coming to college unprepared, low socioeconomic status and being first-generation college students.
“We’re not especially conscious of race when we provide academic support,” Blanchard said.
UNC treats students on a case-by-case basis and looks into individual situations, he said.
Much of the responsibility for the low graduation rates falls on the respective institutions, according to the conference.
Blanchard said that if graduation rates are consistently low, the institution is not doing its job properly.
“You have to have leadership that provides the time and the support for the student athletes to be successful academically,” he said.
Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(03/04/10 5:51am)
The extended winter season and high amounts of snow this year have affected the state in several ways, for better or for worse.
(03/01/10 3:39am)
Several states are opening up new options to high school students who want to graduate early.The National Center on Education and the Economy is starting a pilot program in eight states that will allow high school students to graduate after their sophomore year and enroll in community college. In order to graduate, students must enroll in ninth grade, then pass board examinations after their sophomore year to make sure they are ready for community college and will not need remedial courses, said Betsy Ruzzi, deputy director at the National Center on Education and the Economy.The program is aimed at reducing redundancy in college courses by better preparing high school students for the course work that will be required in college, she said.“Its not about how long you can sit in your seat in high school, its about showing you’re ready for college-level course work,” Ruzzi said.She said no individual school districts have been chosen yet, but that the pilot will start in the fall of 2011.The eight states that have volunteered to participate are Connecticut, Kentucky, Maine, New Hampshire, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The states chose to be included in the pilot after the center hosted a convention giving the details of the program and asking for participants.The pilot will last for three years and will expand to more schools each year. The cost is dependent on the number of students that participate in each district.North Carolina is not participating in the pilot program but does offer similar options. Fay Agar, director of the Early College High School Initiative for the N.C. Department of Public Instruction, said there are now 70 early college high schools in the state. The early colleges are directed more toward first-generation college students and lower-income families, and program acceptance is not merit based because it aims to build important college-level skills, instead of requiring them, Agar said. “This is about opening up the doors of college to a wide array of students who have not traditionally been afforded the opportunities of a college education,” Agar said. Students who enroll in the program take high school and college courses simultaneously, starting with mainly high school courses and college skill building courses their ninth grade year and then progressing, she said. Within four years, the students are able to graduate with both their high school diploma and an associates’ degree. In North Carolina, the program has a 90 percent graduation rate, and 46 of the schools had no drop outs.“We are changing lives and helping families,” Agar said. Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/18/10 5:01am)
After years of planning, UNC-Charlotte has finally secured most of the funding needed for a varsity football program.The student fee increase approved last week by the UNC-system Board of Governors will provide $40 million of the $45 million needed to construct a football stadium and accompanying facilities.UNC-C proposed adding a new fee of $120 specifically earmarked for funding the football program. Revenue generated from seat licenses covers the $5 million not provided by the fee increase. About $4 million has already been raised from selling the licenses, and the university expects to raise the last $1 million, said Darin Spease, the senior associate athletic director of business affairs.Seat licenses allow people to own a set of seats for games and the right to own or sell tickets for those seats.The economic downturn hurt the university’s fundraising efforts, but officials are hoping that the Board of Governors’ approval will boost donations.While construction is now almost entirely funded, the university still needs money for the actual football program — coaching and recruiting, among other things.Approval by the Board of Governors makes the football program more concrete and definite, said Ruth Shaw, chairwoman of the UNC-C Board of Trustees.“(It’s) a big next step in the maturation of UNC-Charlotte,” Shaw said.The last step in the construction approval process is final building approval from the N.C. General Assembly, which should be voted on sometime this summer. The university already has architects on board for the project, Shaw said.If approved, construction crews should break ground in spring 2011 for the facilities that will accompany the stadium, such as locker rooms. Construction on the stadium itself will follow soon after. The facilities are expected to be finished by fall 2012 and the stadium by summer 2013, Spease said.Joey Lemons, UNC-C student body president, said that reactions from both faculty and students have been positive and that the fee increase received widespread support in spite of economic difficulties.Lemons said that about 15 students accompanied him to the Board of Governors’ meeting last week to see the fee approval go through.But the Board of Governors’ fee approval isn’t the last step in the process, Spease said. The legislature needs to approve all fee increases approved by the Board of Governors.The real celebration will be after the final plans are set and football is brought to the Charlotte campus, Spease said.“It instills a certain amount of pride.” Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.
(02/16/10 3:48am)
The state is penalizing East Carolina University for enrolling too many out-of-state students by cutting their funds.Roughly $260,000 in state appropriations will be cut from the university’s budget for exceeding the 18 percent out-of-state enrollment cap.But university officials said the cuts will not impact overall operations.Rob Lange, senior associate director of admissions at ECU, said that this year the cap was exceeded by 27 students. This is the second consecutive year that ECU exceeded the cap.The reason the cap was exceeded can be explained by yield rates — the rate at which the admissions office thinks that students will accept admission.This year, as well as last year, the traditional yield rates for ECU didn’t hold true, Lange said. More out-of-state students enrolled than expected, and fewer in-state students enrolled.Lange also said that although more students are applying to ECU overall, the proportion of out-of-state applications remained the same as in previous years. It’s possible that a higher number of out-of-state students accepting admission because out-of-state undergraduate tuition at ECU — $15,161 a year — is comparable to in-state tuitions in many students’ home states, Lange said.The number of in-state students that enrolled could have been lower because of the economic situation, Lange said. Many of the students come from lower-income families who would be hit harder by the economy, he said.Kevin Seitz, vice chancellor for administration and finance, said that while the budget cuts are certainly not desirable, they only represent a small percentage of the overall budget for the year.The university was able to cover the budget cuts using general nonrecurring funds and were not expected to affect any of ECU’s programs or leave any jobs unfilled, Seitz said.To prevent further loss, the university has now put a system of checks and balances in place to monitor the yield rates of out-of-state students during the admissions process, he said.Kayla Flanders, an ECU sophomore psychology major from New York, said that she decided to apply to ECU for the better weather and because she has family in the area. She said that the out-of-state student presence isn’t very noticeable but that about 1 in 5 people she meets are from out-of-state.A few of these are from New York like her, and many are from Maryland. Those are two states that Lange said ECU gets many of its out-of-state students from, along with Virginia, New Jersey, and Eastern Pennsylvania.Contact the State & National Editor at stntdesk@unc.edu.