UNC to get phone alerts
UNC officials are implementing a phone system that alerts campus police when students are in danger.
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UNC officials are implementing a phone system that alerts campus police when students are in danger.
The answer is: "The UNC freshman who will appear on the Jeopardy! 2007 College Championship." Buzz. "Who is Will Shultz?" Shultz was set to fly to the University of Southern California today to compete with 14 other students in the semifinals for the Jeopardy! College Championship. "I'm both unbelievably excited and unbelievably nervous," he said. "It's my first chance to make a national embarrassment of myself." The competition will be held Saturday but will not be broadcast until April 30, with episodes continuing through May 11. To qualify, Shultz first had to complete a 50-question online quiz. Next he went on to another round in Nashville, Tenn., where he completed another quiz and took part in a mock round of Jeopardy! Based on his performance, Shultz moved on from the 252 semifinalists to be one of the 15 picked to compete in California. For making the finals, Shultz automatically will receive $5,000 and has the potential to win the grand prize of $100,000. "It looks like he really came to play," said Maggie Speak, contestant executive for Jeopardy! "He had great energy. It looks like he really came to win." Shultz said he has played quiz bowl since sixth grade and competed in a Jeopardy!-like program called Brain Games in high school. His high school, Raleigh Charter, won the competition. Shultz said he is working hard to prepare for this weekend's competition. "I'm making a metric ton of flash cards," he said. "I've always been unhealthily obsessed with the Academy Awards, and I've also gotten into college basketball lately, so any questions about Academy Award-winning college basketball movies would be excellent." Shultz is one of the youngest contestants in the championship. "I don't think it'll be a huge problem because a lot of stuff in Jeopardy! isn't stuff that you learn in college," he said. "You might take super-duper physics, but that won't help you with questions about the zodiac." Shultz will compete in one of five games with three contestants in each game. The winner of each game, along with the next four highest money-earners, will go on to the next round. In the second round, nine players will compete in three episodes for a place in the final match. The second-place winner is guaranteed $50,000, and the third-place winner receives $25,000. At the Nashville competition, Shultz was asked how he would spend the winnings, and he jokingly answered that he would buy Hot Pockets. But he said he really plans to save up for graduate school and a possible trip to England or California. Although Shultz said he is not nervous about meeting Jeopardy! host Alex Trebek on Saturday, he did add that he will have to be on his best behavior. "Well, having seen a couple episodes of Celebrity Jeopardy! on Saturday Night Live, I'm going to try to behave appropriately and as un-Sean Connery like as possible." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The University community continued to remember the life of Jason Ray, the UNC senior who died last month, at a campus memorial service Tuesday.
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Thirty-six hours of Duke-Carolina basketball, live music and a chance to set a Guinness World Record - and it's free. The second annual Duke- Carolina Student Basketball Marathon, which raises money for Hoop Dreams Basketball Academy, kicks off at 9 p.m. today in Carmichael Auditorium. Hoop Dreams is a program that serves children with life-threatening illnesses, helping them to develop life skills through basketball. The marathon is planned to last 36 hours, with five- to 10-person teams rotating in and out for the two universities. Play is continuous with one 20-minute halftime after 18 hours. Fouls reset every hour because teams rotate in and out at different times. In 2006, participants played for more than 57 hours to break the record for longest basketball game. This year marathon organizers said they hope to break the Guinness World Record for most people dribbling in the same gym, which now is set at 1,111. "If over 1,000 people show up, then we'll be able to break the record," said Greg Richmond, co-director for the marathon at UNC. "They just have to dribble for five minutes." Calling it a "BYOB" event - bring your own basketball - Richmond said that students should show up at 3 p.m. Saturday. Organizers plan to have students fill the court and stand on the concourse. The marathon winners will get a trophy dubbed "The Carlyle Cup," and the team's name will be inscribed on the cup and displayed at their school until the next marathon. "We keep the competition alive in the sense that Duke won last year, so this year Carolina needs to win," said Laura Malone, co-director of the marathon, and president of UNC's basketball marathon organization. Organizers said they hope to raise $100,000 this year. Last year they collected about $60,000, falling short of their $80,000 goal. Participants had to raise $100 in order to play but were encouraged to raise more, Malone said. The tournament's opening game will be played by marathon alumni from last year's marathon. "It was exciting to break the record," Richmond said. "But the most exciting part of the entire marathon was at the very end when the children came to present their basketball skills." At the end of the marathon, children take to the court to show off what they've learned through the Hoop Dreams program. "That's what really put smiles on everyone's faces," Richmond said. "That really brought it all home - to see that our efforts are all worthwhile." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu. Netting the records 2006
With chants of "Yes means yes. No means no. Whatever we wear, wherever we go" rising above the everyday bustle of Franklin Street, students marched in solidarity to support an end to sexual violence. About 100 of them gathered at the steps of Wilson Library to "Take Back the Night" Tuesday night with a rally and march around campus. At the rally, activist and alumna Ruth Campbell Smith, who is a victim of rape, spoke about her experiences at UNC and later in life. Smith was raped in Craige Residence Hall in 1991. She said she was the first student to go through the Honor Court system with a rape case. In her speech, Smith first addressed the victims in the audience. "The first thing I want to tell you is that anger is OK," Smith said. "Here you have this jerk take something from you, and you are expected to give something else too - forgiveness." She also stressed that students should not let a bad experience change their life plans or goals. "To the supporters and advocates, . we know it's not you. We love you, and we appreciate you for being here," Smith said. The program is part of Women's Week, which is sponsored by the Carolina Women's Center, the Connected Learning Program and Project Dinah. Melinda Manning, assistant dean of students and faculty adviser for Project Dinah, an organization devoted to sexual assault awareness, said Smith was selected to speak because of her ties to the University and her personal experiences. "We chose her because we liked the idea of an alum - someone who has directly done things on this campus, and someone who has been a survivor of sexual violence herself and turned that into activism," Manning said. Coordinators also said they aimed to raise awareness of how prevalent sexual violence is and the actions that can be taken to stop the cycle of violence. "Survivors of sexual assault aren't aware that they aren't in the small minority," said Allison Rose, chairwoman of Project Dinah. The march began at Wilson and looped to an end at Hanes Hall, covering Franklin Street and South Columbia Street. Supporters carried candles, held banners and chanted. "I'm a companion of the Rape Crisis Center, but I would be here anyway because I support ending violence against women," senior Shannon Fyfe said. Men accounted for about a fourth of the mostly student crowd. "Men are the ones that are doing this violence," junior Drew Herring said. "We need to stand up and say that it's not OK." The overall focus of Smith's speech was to have women stand up for themselves and speak out against violence. "Take back our right: to go on a blind date, to feel safe on and off this campus, to say no regardless of if we've had a beer, regardless of what our clothes look like or if we've ever had sex with anyone in our lives." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Almost 130 years after the first woman taught a class at the University, female faculty members say the school is doing a better job of helping professors raise children but needs to address disparity in pay. Recognizing the need to provide better support for female faculty and address concerns specific to them, the University has taken action, such as creating the Committee on the Status of Women, part of the Faculty Council. Four years ago, the committee performed a salary analysis and determined that there were discrepancies between male and female earnings. The committee then attempted to remedy these, asking for an annual report from each department with gender-related categories. These reports detail information that departments normally report, but now have a gender-specific component. The committee also asked all female faculty to return a survey of concerns and general rating of the atmosphere and programs at the University, said Susan Lord, chairwoman of the committee. Lord said that she thinks the environment at UNC is better than it used to be but that there always will be a need for committees such as hers. "I think once it's in place, it brings forward some concerns that are gender specific, and how important those are varies in time," she said. "But it's the kind of thing you can't ever let go of - it has to be there all the time." The University is a far cry from the school that Emily M. Coe witnessed in 1878 when she became the first woman to teach at UNC by leading a summer school course. Sallie B. Marks was the first woman to join the regular faculty 49 years later in 1927. But women faculty still were rare and discriminated against for years. The faculty club was formed with the original name "Men's Faculty Club" and was closed to women until the 1950s, despite its goal to represent the concerns of all faculty. The tide began to change in 1973 when an affirmative action program began on campus, which helped to increase the number of women on the faculty. But women still did not have many higher administrative positions. By the early '80s, there was only one female dean in the School of Nursing, and of the 138 department leaders, only 10 percent were women. Today there are five female deans, and UNC hired Bernadette Gray-Little, its first female provost, last year. "It may look like there are no glass ceilings, but other people may have pushed them up," said law professor Judith Wegner, chairwoman of the Faculty Council from 2003 to 2006. "There are still glass ceilings." English professor Connie Eble, who was hired in 1971, she said she has noticed change during her years at UNC. When she started teaching, she said she knew all of the other female faculty because there were only about five in all of the arts and humanities and none in the "hard sciences." By 2006 there were 149 female professors on the tenure track. "There's an enormous difference from when I started, only some of which is due to the change in the presence of females in the faculty," Eble said. "When I first came here, men and females weren't admitted on the same basis." Tenure is a goal for all faculty but the rules of tenure track can present obstacles for those who want to start families because they require a strict time schedule. The University now has taken steps to stop the tenure clock for those who wish to start families, a move female faculty members said is vital. "To have to make a choice between starting a family and having a career shouldn't really happen," said Victoria Bautch, professor of biology. "You can now take time off and during that time off, the clock isn't running - it used to be that the clock was always running." And raising a family is a challenge for more than just gaining tenure. "When I was in graduate school, it was really a formidable woman who was able to raise children and be a professor at the same time," said Lisa Lindsay, professor of history. Lindsay came to UNC in 1999 and had a 4-year-old at the time. Lindsay said she relied on day care and support from her husband because there was no support system at the University. "I was one of two women in my department with a young kid," she said. "I felt very far outside the mainstream." Wegner said she chose not to have children but stressed the need to understand personal strength and limits. "Be aware that there are trade-offs," she said. "You don't always get to do everything that you think would be fun to do or with the ease and time off to relax. You have to know yourself and be prepared to accept the reality that you don't always get to have it all." Lindsay also emphasized the trade-off involved in raising a family while working. "I feel like I'm always doing everything imperfectly, in every realm in which I'm trying to accomplish things - be it with my family or with my work," she said. "I feel like if I were doing any of it full time, I would be doing a better job of it." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The word "America" has different meanings for different people, but for a group of visiting Jordanian students, it means opportunity. Thirteen students from the Middle Eastern country of Jordan visited campus Tuesday as part of a three-week tour of the United States. "The purpose of their trip is to teach them more about democracy and civic engagement," said UNC senior Stephen Lassiter, who helped coordinate the event. The students' trip is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The group already has visited California, Washington, D.C., and Texas. The tour continues through North Carolina and ends March 3 in New York City. The students had been in the United States for 18 days before their visit to UNC. "It's a chance to know how the political man is thinking and how you can make diplomacy," said Samer Elmasry, a Jordanian fourth-year student. Elmasry said he hopes to someday be prime minister of Jordan and plans to use the skills he learned in America to help his country. "I will go to any country if there's a chance to improve my skills," he said. The group toured the Smith Center in the morning, had lunch with several members of the Campus Y, attended the class "Defining America" taught by Professor Larry Griffin, held a negotiation exercise about resolving conflict and had dinner with a group of Muslim and Jewish students. "Throughout this interaction, we hope to create the opportunity for dialogue and to form substantive relationships with people who it would be more unlikely for them to form relationships with," Lassiter said. In the negotiation exercise, Jordanian students were paired up with UNC students and asked to talk about their experience with past conflicts and how they resolved these. "It's always good to interact with other people from different countries and cultures," UNC junior Sam Dolbee said. "It gives different perspectives and helps you to think about different things." Some Jordanian students said they saw this trip not only as an opportunity to increase their skills, but also to explore a new land. "When I hear America, I hear my dream come true," said Eman Arabyat, a Jordanian college freshman. Arabyat said she knew America through television and movies that she had seen. "I always saw Oprah and always saw it through Oprah," she said, "I love Oprah." Arabyat said she was surprised at how nice and safe everything has been, especially after America's portrayal in many movies. "It's so secure here. I can leave my bag and come back, and it's still there," she said. "That's a very rare thing." Contact University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
One hundred and fourteen years ago, the seven founding editors of The Tar Heel, hardly could have imagined the growth and change that would come to their publication. On Feb. 23, 1893, a small tabloid-sized newspaper was published with the mission of providing a summary of all occurrences in the University and Chapel Hill, and "for the thorough discussion of all points pertaining to the advancement and growth of the University." This weekly publication, started by the Athletic Association, had only 250 subscribers, and the first Tar Heel was a far cry from the independent daily newspaper that has become The Daily Tar Heel, which has a circulation of more than 20,000. Throughout its years, the student newspaper has served as a teaching venue for future journalists and has provided a home to many UNC students. "The Tar Heel is kind of a lot of people's first community - UNC is a lot of people's first communities where people can build themselves," said Sharif Durhams, 1998-99 DTH editor. Many DTH alumni have gone on to futures in journalism, and some have received national acclaim. Novelist Thomas Wolfe served as editor of The Tar Heel from 1919 to 1920, and ESPN commentator Peter Gammons also wrote for the DTH in the late 1960s. "It's a great experience to kind of prepare you for real-world journalism," said Erica Beshears-Perel, 1997-98 DTH editor. "It's not really a classroom; it's an actual newsroom." Like commercial newspapers, The Tar Heel's appearance has changed throughout the years. The newspaper began publishing three days per week in 1925 and became a daily newspaper in 1929, running Tuesday through Sunday issues. During World War II, The Tar Heel returned to a weekly newspaper, but it resumed daily status in 1946 and eventually became a five-day publication, with Monday through Friday issues. The staff also increased in size, from its original seven-person editorial board to more than 150 students. The Tar Heel has seen changes in location almost as often as it changed size. Since moving out of a small storeroom on Rosemary Street, The Tar Heel headquarters moved to the Campus Y, New West, the Alumni building, Graham Memorial and finally the Student Union, where the newsroom sits today. Originally, subscriptions cost $1.50, or a single edition could be purchased for 5 cents. When The DTH left the control of the Athletic Association and fell under the charge of the Student Publications Union Board in 1923, it dropped subscriptions and began financing from student fees and advertising. In 1993 the newspaper became independent from the University and stopped accepting student fees. Until that year, the student body elected the DTH editor in a general election, along with the student body president. Some students thought the system was problematic, as all candidates would leave their work at the paper to spend most of their time in campaigning. Peter Wallsten, who served from 1992 to 1993, was the last editor to be elected. He now works for the Los Angeles Times. "It helped me learn why people read the paper and what they enjoy about it," Wallsten said. "I think it continues to shape how I approach stories as a reporter." Although the DTH still continues to follow its mission of informing the public about University events, Wallsten said the newspaper has a new goal of increasing readership. "One of the truly important missions of The Daily Tar Heel is to produce a product that is of interest to students who are just forming their habits," Wallsten said. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
On the day of the biggest rivalry game of the season last week, Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and Kappa Delta sorority were covered in Duke University signs - but for a good cause. Relay for Life is sponsoring a Duke Yard Invasion program to raise funds for the annual event, which raises money for the American Cancer Society. Relay for Life is scheduled to take place from March 23 at 6 p.m. to March 24 at 2 p.m. During the yard invasion, Relay committee members place Duke signs and banners in the front yard of a fraternity or sorority. In order to get the offending paraphernalia removed and transferred to a different house, fraternity and sorority members must make a donation to Relay for Life. "The idea behind it is that nobody wants this Duke stuff in their yard, so they want to get it out," said Megan Harless, event co-chairwoman for Relay for Life. The yard invasion began Feb. 4 and will continue as long as there is participation, Harless said. For a donation of $50, Relay for Life members will move the signs to another fraternity or sorority. "I think that it's a great idea," said Breck Fisher, president of Delta Delta Delta sorority. "It was a visible support of Relay for Life. Some people didn't love it, because we don't always care for Duke in Chapel Hill." Delta Delta Delta volunteered to be the first yard to be invaded. "We wanted to be involved in it anyway, and we actually didn't mind when we got invaded," Fisher said. Although a Relay for Life sign accompanies the Duke signs in the yard, Fisher said some students thought it was a prank. When signs were moved last Tuesday night to Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity, which is located on East Franklin Street, passing students vandalized the signs. "During the course of the night, they would knock them down," said Patrick Finegan, a member of Lamda Chi Alpha. "At one point, some random person grabbed the sign, ran into our house and threw it down and started screaming." Relay approached the Interfraternity Council and Panhellenic Council about the program before it began and asked presidents to tell members not to handle the signs, said Emily Stilwell, social co-chairwoman of the program. Stilwell said the signs were removed before the men's basketball game against Duke on Wednesday and the women's game on Thursday so that students would not set them ablaze. She said there is no plan to deal with vandalism. But some students said they do not appreciate having their lawns covered in Duke gear. "We support the cause, and we support Relay for Life, but I don't know if this is the best way to go about this," Finegan said. "And we also don't like Duke." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Students who are tired of getting a raw deal at restaurants now will have an ally. TarDeals.com, the brainchild of sophomore Matt Filer, will provide one source for coupons and special deals from area restaurants such as Quiznos, Cosmic Cantina and Buffalo Wild Wings Grill and Bar. "I woke up one night and had this idea about providing an online service to save students money on food and drinks," Filer said. "The idea was that students do everything online. It just made sense." Students can experience the new Web advertising service for the first time with a beverage of their choice at Tar Deals' pub crawl kick-off. The pub crawl starts at 9:30 p.m. at He's Not Here, and participants also can visit Goodfellows, Players and W.B. Yeats Irish Pub. Tar Deals offers a variety of prizes, including koozies with the Tar Deals logo and drink specials. The site offers advertisers feedback resources, including number of hits, number of coupons printed and confidential comments. Students have access to coupons and advertisements for specials at area restaurants and bars. "We're all savvy college students trying to save some money." Filer said. The pub crawl is an effort to gain name recognition for Tar Deals. "The idea is to associate Tar Deals with good values. We're in college, and night life is a very important part of what we do," Filer said. The site aims to provide easier access to coupons and deals than traditional paper advertising. "I don't think anyone likes to sit there and cut out coupons everyday," Filer said. "In 30 seconds, they can plan an entire night." The site opened Jan. 5, but Filer started working on it last summer. He hired a Web designer in July and started making sales calls in October. Filer gained initial support from a Facebook.com group, Facebook fliers and paper handouts in the Pit. "It's very campus-intensive," he said. "It is for students, by students. We're not trying to advertise to people in Chapel Hill." Filer said he used his own money to fund the project. "The risk's all on me," he said. Restaurants can buy a semester of advertisement for $79.75, which provides an account on the Web site and the option of adding coupons or changing menus. Filer said he plans to continue to expand the options for students, and eventually include all area restaurants. Filer said he had some initial harsh responses and tried to recruit enough restaurants to make the site valuable for students while also forming a student following to encourage restaurants to advertise. "Overall, I thought it was a good concept," said Jason Kerwin, Buffalo Wild Wings general manager. "It was something new and fresh for this area." Tar Deals and Buffalo Wild Wings plan to work together on a future wing-eating contest among campus fraternities, dubbed the Blazin' Man on Campus, Filer said. "Being a start-up thing, it was a good price," Kerwin said. "I definitely thought it was a good opportunity." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
When football season resumes in the fall, students won't be able to catch any more touchdowns on the plasma screens at the End Zone in Rams Head Center. Carolina Dining Services will close the sports cafe due to poor student response and loss of profit. The venue will close at the end of the spring semester and will not reopen in the fall. The upper level, however, still will be available for patrons to rent out in the summer. "As a retail unit, it's not very successful. The losses are in the thousands of dollars on an annual basis," said Mike Freeman, director of auxiliary services. When End Zone was proposed, officials thought it would succeed financially. "We thought it would be a gold mine," Freeman said. But the response was not as positive as officials hoped. End Zone's prices and location are possible reasons for its lack of success, Freeman said. A meal of a cheeseburger, fries and a drink at End Zone costs about $7, but students can walk into Rams Head Dining Hall and use a meal plan to get an unlimited supply of similar food. Various options are available for the space, but there are some limitations, officials said. "The kitchen is not very big. It is not big enough for a full retail-restaurant concept," Freeman said. Dining services is considering an Alpine Bagel, a Taco Bell or a Bojangles' for the space and will use student surveys to help make the decision. Dining services plans to sell or trade about half of the 35 games on the top level and might use the extra space for catered events or a lounge area. "We are taking a long, hard look at what we want to put there," Freeman said. "We don't want to make a hasty decision and make the wrong decision." End Zone faced problems from its inception. The Tar Heels captured the 2005 NCAA men's basketball championship during End Zone's first year of business. Students came to watch the game but attempted to bring in their own food, Freeman said. "We had pizza delivery people trying to walk in," he said "Students were bringing in two-liters and trying to buy a cup of ice." New administrative buildings are slated to open on Manning Drive, and officials said they hope this will increase business in the area. No plans have been finalized, and officials still are open to suggestions, Freeman said. "I'm trying to come up with a master plan by this summer about how we're going to lay out the retail portion for the next five years." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The University's medical area offered Chinese cuisine for the first time Wednesday, adding Hunam restaurant to its selection. The opening is part of an ongoing renovation project aimed at making the Beach Cafe, located in the Brinkhous Bullitt building, more frequented. Hunam opened at the cafe Wednesday with a turnout of more than 150 customers. Fresh
The never-ending search to discover what women want has entered the academic world. A new survey presented by the Committee on the Status of Women at a Faculty Council meeting Nov. 10 shows that women don't want candy and flowers as much as they want child care and tenure. The committee found that work environment, pay equity and job security are the highest-rated issues for female faculty members. "The charge of the committee is to foster success of women faculty and remove barriers if they exist," said Susan Lord, chairwoman of the Committee on the Status of Women. The survey asked female faculty members to rate what was most important to them. It included an open-ended item where participants could fill in any additional thoughts or concerns. Pamela Cooper, professor in the Department of English and Comparative Literature, said unbalanced workloads between men and women and equal pay are her main concerns. Although she used to be more concerned with child care when her child was young, her concerns have remained basically the same throughout her time at the University, Cooper said. The survey asked those on the tenured track to rank the importance of tenure-clock flexibility, work environment, family and mentoring. Participants rated the work environment and child care as the most important. "I think the child care issue was relatively universal among women of child-bearing age," Lord said. The most repeated request was for on-campus day-care facilities. Fixed-term faculty members - which include full, associate and assistant professors, as well as instructors and lecturers - ranked pay equity and job security as most important, above work environment, mentoring and child care. Assistant professors account for 45 percent of the faculty group. The survey showed that more of the tenured faculty members were concerned with child care than the fixed-term faculty. Across all levels a lack of appreciation was one of the main concerns. Several participants wrote in the comment box that they felt like "second-class citizens." The committee plans to discuss the results with Provost Bernadette Gray-Little in hopes of new initiatives, especially for the fixed-term female faculty members, Lord said. According to the committee's official summary report of findings, the committee recommended three plans of action. Members suggested that the full results of its study be released to all academic departments, the committee gather more data on pay inequity for fixed-term faculty and develop a task force to research the impact of child care on the working environment for female faculty. Committee members sent out the survey electronically and received a 43-percent response from the fixed-term faculty and a 69-percent response from the tenured faculty. "I thought we got a very good response, especially with the tenure track," Lord said. "It made them feel like their concerns mattered." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
As students scramble to clean their dorm rooms before parents arrive, UNC officials are prepping the campus for an invasion of Carolina families. This weekend thousands of parents will arrive in Chapel Hill for UNC's annual Family Weekend. "For parents, it's a time to come and explore student life," said Laurie Beck, coordinator of communications and programs for Carolina Parent Programs - the group in charge of planning the annual tradition. The weekend offers a wide range of events that vary in cost, from free seminars to the $26 Carolina Family Grand Lunch Buffet on Sunday at the Carolina Inn. The weekend costs about $100,000 to put on, said Sheila Hrdlicka, assistant director for parent programs. "This is a free-standing event. The funding comes strictly from the revenue of ticket sales and registration." Funding covers venue rentals and the free shuttles and events, she said. The Tar Heel Barbecue and the Carolina Family Grand Lunch Buffet usually draw the crowds, but many new, space-limited events are already booked, Beck said. This year Family Weekend falls later in the semester than previous years. The event is always scheduled for the weekend of a home football game, Beck said. Program officials said they do not expect the team's season record to affect participation. "We've generally had people excited about it," Beck said. "If there is any decrease in attendance, it's because Family Weekend is after Fall Break." Sophomores also register Saturday, which could interrupt festivities, Hrdlicka said. The weekend features a Tar Heel barbecue, a Southern dinner, seminars and a free concert in the Pit. In addition new events were added to the schedule this year. Information stations from the University's various schools and services will be set up throughout campus today for an open house. Parents can tour the Ackland Art Museum or A Southern Season in University Mall. They will receive discounts at area stores and restaurants if they present a Family Weekend ID, Beck said. "We are excited about developing a better partnership with the community," she said. "We wanted parents to feel welcomed by Carolina and the community." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Dana St. James, Diana Prince and Courtney Chambers crowded around three mirrors in a small room at the back of the Student Union Thursday, preparing for a drag show called "Transcendent." Arriving two hours before the show, they unpacked their makeup, brushes, clothes and jewelry. "You do drag the way you do drag - I'll do drag the way I do drag," Prince said, joking to her counterparts. She added that it was her eighth year performing at the event. "I've been here since its conception," she said. As they prepared for the show, the trio transformed from ordinary people to show-stopping performers. "We're entertainers. We just dance to whatever we feel. We want to look as real as possible," Prince said backstage. As the performances approached, the drag queens focused on the finishing touches of their two-hour preparation. The light chatter and gossip ceased, and they applied the last-minute hair spray, jewelry and lip gloss. Sporting a skin-tight cat suit, St. James joined an opening-act dance group onstage for an impromptu number to the Hall and Oates song, "Maneater." Next, wearing a beaded dress, Prince burst on stage to the song "Every Time We Touch" by Cascada. St. James later performed to the country tune "Redneck Woman," walking down into the audience and sinking a split onstage that incited an uproar from the audience. The show featured professional drag queens and kings, amateur acts and dance groups. The Gay Lesbian Bisexual Transgendered-Straight Alliance sponsored the annual event, which was part of Coming Out of Week. About 450 people attended. "It's an experience I've never had before," said sophomore audience member Lea Scott. "I've been really impressed with the quality of acts and the diversity of acts as well." The drag show is expected to raise $2,500 to $3,500, said Patrick Harrison, the drag show's director. "The money from the drag show is solely for GLBTSA funds," he said. GLBTSA uses the funds for events the group doesn't budget originally but needs during the school year, said Julian Wooten, GLBTSA co-chairman. "It fosters good feelings for the GLBTSA and larger community on campus," Harrison said. The event is a tribute to the drag queen and transsexual culture that has helped further gay rights in years past, Wooten said. "I have a couple of friends who are very active in GLBTSA, and they've been talking about it," said Hannah Gutterman, a senior in the audience. "I think it's amazing. I'm impressed," she said. "That last guy danced better than I ever could." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
With chili dinners and bar nights, funding for UNC's Dance Marathon is starting to pick up.
Lung transplant patients across the country can breathe easier. Thomas Egan, a professor of surgery at the UNC School of Medicine, helped create a new lung allocation system that aims to provide lungs to those who need them most. "The old allocation policy was based on time waiting," said Annie Moore, media relations specialist for the United Network for Organ Sharing. The new procedure follows the "net benefit" principle. This method attempts to balance how long patients will survive on the transplant list with their post-surgery benefit. "It allocates lungs on a combination of waitlist mortality and transplant benefits," Egan said. The system uses a "lung allocation score" to determine the priority of the patient. "The lung patients most in need and expected to receive the greatest survival benefit will receive priority," Moore said. Using the candidates' lung function, inflammation, oxygen consumption and how far a patient can walk in a given amount of time - among other factors - doctors calculate the predicted survival time on the waitlist and the predicted survival time after the transplant, Egan said. "It calculates an estimate of how many days the candidate will live in the next year if we transplant versus how many days they would live if we didn't," he said. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services required the organ sharing network to look at all organ allocation policies after a 1999 liver allocation reform, Egan said. "We decided that system probably was not the best way to allocate (lungs) because if people were sick and declined rapidly, they were likely to die on the waiting list," he said. Egan served as chairman of the committee that developed the new system based on the severity of the illness as a way of prioritizing candidates, as opposed to the traditional waitlist method. The committee analyzed people who died while still on the waitlist to determine the amount of time different patients could survive while on the list. Distance also plays a factor in who receives a transplant, Egan said. "It is then offered in a 500-mile radius, which is as far as a leer jet can fly in an hour," he said. Those within the immediate area of the donor have a first shot at the lung transplant. Child candidates were another concern. Because there are few hospitals that perform transplant procedures on these young people - and infant lung donors are rare - the committee continued the waitlist method for children younger than 12 years old, Egan said. The program's weakness is that it is based on older data collected by committee members three or four years ago, he said. "Part of the new system requires programs to update information on patients every six months," Egan said. At these intervals, the system is re-evaluated with the new numbers to ensure that all predictors are recognized. Any significant rate of change could signal an important factor the committee cannot determine. "So far, it's working as planned," Moore said. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Adjustments to the undergraduate curriculum are setting into motion some major changes in the classroom. The new curriculum, which was implemented this semester, requires assigned papers for all general education classes. Papers can range from reading responses, traditional essays or works in other media - but must be at least 10 pages. In-class exams do not count, but take-home exams do. "There are overriding requirements for everything and specific requirements for individual courses," said Bobbi Owen, senior associate dean for undergraduate education. There always was an expectation for writing across the curriculum, but this is another way to differentiate between general education courses and electives, Owen said. "It is helpful to establish a formal criteria," she said. Evelyne Huber, chairwoman of the political science department, said the change has led to some shifting in course requirements. "I have required three short papers - from three to four pages long - before, and now I require two papers that are six to eight pages long," Huber said. "For most of us, this was not very difficult. Most of us assign significant writing." For some classes, the requirement is a big change. Political science professor George Rabinowitz said he now assigns a series of short papers to meet this requirement. Instead of taking quizzes for assigned readings, his students complete short response papers to the material, he said. "It is a natural fit between the way I traditionally organized class and the new requirements," he said. For art classes students must complete a "significant body of work" if there is no written component, said Jeff Whetstone, professor of photography. "I took the new requirements into account and made my requirements more stringent," he said. "It's a new hybrid of what I was doing." Whetstone said he requires writing assignments as well as a cohesive body of photographs for his exams. Wesley Merville, a junior political science major, said the change wasn't necessary. "Now I feel that professors are just haphazardly assigning papers to meet the requirement," he said. "My assignments are all due at the same time now (whereas) they were more spread out before." Others said the new system is not an improvement. "I think some classes aren't structured so that you need writing," sophomore Christie Nunamaker said. Owen said the change is under review. All new requirements are subject to individual review, and UNC also is conducting a longitudinal study of 400 freshmen. She said the study will follow students during their time as undergraduates. "We will examine the new curriculum in an ongoing way." Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
The National Institute of Nursing Research awarded UNC's School of Nursing a $2.6 million grant to further the training of nursing researchers. "This grant is very important not just for Carolina, but for the state of North Carolina," said Amanda Meyers, associate director of public relations for the nursing school. The grant, called the Institutional National Research Service Award, will train students for predoctoral and postdoctoral programs. The grant was given by the umbrella group, National Institutes of Health, which awarded UNC almost $300 million in the 2005 fiscal year. The nursing school first received the grant in 1996 and applied to have it renewed in 2001 and 2006. In order to renew, the nursing school had to prove that it had completed the research work promised in its initial proposal. "Each time you apply, it gets harder and harder. There are more years behind you," Meyers said. Officials said the grant is a gain both for the University and for the nursing school. "The grant is extremely important because it allows us to fund tuition and stipends to the best applicants," said Merle Mishel, director of doctoral and postdoctoral programs and director of the T32 Institutional Nursing Research Service Award. "It helps attract the best and brightest," she said. Students in the doctoral nursing program go on to be successful as both instructors and researchers in the community and across the country, Mishel said. Students who received the grant are active in improving research and have gone on to take major academic positions, she added. Meyers said nurses are in short supply across the country, but teachers are in even shorter supply. The program also helps train the next generation of nursing teachers. "Having funding gives us a step up in recruiting the top doctoral students," Mishel said. UNC officials said few schools perform research at a high enough level to qualify for this grant. The grant requires a certain amount of pre-existing federal grant money within the department, Mishel said. According to a UNC press release, only 17 universities nationwide have similar awards. Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.