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(11/09/09 4:38am)
The homecoming football game against Duke wasn’t UNC’s only appearance on national television over the weekend.The Weather Channel sent a crew to UNC on Friday and Saturday to forecast the weather for the day of the football game against its rival.Meteorologist Adam Berg, who said he is the biggest college football fan at the Weather Channel, predicted good football weather for Chapel Hill, with clear skies and temperatures in the ‘60s.He was right on, as temperatures averaged 65 degrees and sunny skies ruled the day.Berg also interviewed Chancellor Holden Thorp, Student Body President Jasmin Jones and the UNC cheerleading squad during the parade as part of the broadcast.The piece was part of a new segment for the Weather Channel that forecasts the weather for college football games in an effort to attract sports fans.On Friday morning, Berg interviewed Jones outside Kenan Stadium where the two talked about the Homecoming parade on air.“It was invigorating,” Jones said of the experience.On Saturday, Berg joined Thorp and the cheerleaders at the Homecoming parade and the Old Well.Berg said he enjoyed being in Chapel Hill.“It’s got that college town atmosphere,” he said, adding that UNC had one of the prettier campuses he had visited.The Weather Channel arrived one day after the Food Network, which taped an episode of “Dinner: Impossible” in the Student and Academic Services Building plaza on Thursday.Karen Moon, special projects producer for UNC News Services, said she was happy to see the school on TV so much throughout the week. “That’s great exposure for the University — fabulous exposure,” Moon said.Duke fans made no appearances on any of the broadcasts.While representing the University on television and conducting interviews, Jones didn’t wear the traditional Carolina blue, instead choosing a yellow sweater. “I have to be bright and shiny for Carolina,” she said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(10/19/09 6:35am)
An 80-year-old man soundly defeated UNC students and alumni at a Ping-Pong tournament Saturday to raise money for a five-year-old Bangladeshi orphan.The event, co-hosted by UNC Aasha, an organization devoted to raising awareness of humanitarian causes in Bandgladesh, and Students for Students International, raised $230 for Mohammed Robin Rabbi, who lives in an SOS Children’s Village in Dhaka, Bangladesh.All proceeds from entry fees to the tournament will go toward the boy’s food, shelter, clothing, health care and education.Sumaiya Sarwar, president of UNC Aasha, discovered the charity on a family trip to Bangladesh. While looking for cause for the group, she individually interviewed various charities and said she found that SOS was the most reliable. She was assured all money donated would go straight to Mohammed.Afshin Humayun, UNC Aasha’s treasurer and the tournament’s organizer, said the tournament was a fun way to support a worthy cause.“This is a fun way that we can give back to the UNC community,” he said. “The key component is that we’re a humanitarian organization that is trying to make change in Bangladesh and the surrounding area.”The field of 27 contestants included current and former students and a group of recreational and former professional Ping-Pong players from Chapel Hill’s Seymour Senior Center.Of the 27 who entered, 80-year-old Walter Shur, who has been playing table tennis for 68 years, emerged the winner after defeating last year’s champion, senior Calvin Young, in the second round.Young was in good spirits after an intense match with Shur. “If I lost to anybody, I’d want it to be him,” he said. “I wish it had happened in the final.”Sherry Graham, 59, won the “upcoming talent” bracket of players defeated in the first round. She is a former Information and Technology Services employee who has lived in Chapel Hill since she came to UNC for her undergraduate degree.Local businesses, such as Ham’s Restaurant, 35 Chinese and R&R Grill, donated gift certificates as prizes to top performers. The doubles round of the tournament featured only five teams, two of which wore costumes.Returning winners Young and 2009 graduate Julie Gras-Najjar dressed up as southern Indian farmers named Satish and Santhosh. They wore white T-shirts, traditional Bangladeshi lungis, headbands and sunglasses. The costume was inspired by separate trips the two took to India.Between the Ping-Pong, costumes and support of a deserving charity, Maggie Fitch, a member of the UNC Aasha executive board, said the tournament was smart idea for a fundraiser. “Obviously, it’s a fun thing to do and people like to come out to it,” she said.
(09/28/09 3:37am)
The executive branch of student government held an open house Friday to discuss its new peer advising program, which is beginning this year.The open house was held in order to raise awareness of the program and answer some common questions.Q: How long has the program been in the works?A: The peer advising program is one that the executive branch of student government has been developing for two years. This will be the first year for the program.Q: What is the purpose of the program?A: Peer advising is intended to give students a comfortable environment in which to discuss academic concerns. Peer advisers are students who are trained to give advice regarding their majors. The purpose of the program is to make advising a more personal experience, said Holly Boardman, co-chairwoman of the academic affairs committee of student government. “Students sometimes feel like one face in a huge university,” she said. “We’re trying to change that.”Q: How many advisers are there?A: There are 12 peer advisers working across seven departments in the College of Arts and Sciences. The program’s organizers hope to expand the system in the future to bring advisers to more departments.Q: What topics can the advisers discuss?A: Although peer advisers can give advice on course sequences for a major or make recommendations based on personal experiences, they are not intended to take on the role of formal academic advisers. “I’m happy to have students getting information from as many sources as possible, as long as it’s accurate information,” said Elizabeth Shuster, assistant dean for natural sciences in the Academic Advising Program.Q: How can I contact a peer adviser?A: Students who want to make an appointment with a professional adviser can do so online, but there is no uniform way to make an appointment with a peer adviser.Some have office hours in their departments, while others have Facebook groups dedicated to promoting their services.Members of student government who developed the program are working to develop an instant messaging service for peer advisers.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
(09/22/09 2:53am)
In a few months, visitors to UNC’s Web site will be greeted with news stories and user-submitted pictures and videos instead of bland blue links to academic departments.The University unveiled the design for its new Web site Thursday, the result of more than a year’s worth of work.The Board of Trustees will look at the final proposal at its meeting this week, and the site will switch over to the new design in four to six months.The new Web site is more visually engaging than the old one, using a new content management system to better display news, photos and videos.It will also let students, faculty members and campus groups post their own content. In addition to multimedia elements, the new site will give more prominence to stories about UNC achievements for visitors unfamiliar with the school.News stories, even major accomplishments, used to be posted on a sidebar and a separate news site.The site will also display a more modern design, said Scott Jared, Web content director for the Office of University Relations.Some students who have seen the new design proposal said it’s an improvement.“It looks like it’ll be easier to get around on the site,” said junior Corynn Loebs.Numerous peer institutions, including Duke University, have redesigned their Web sites in recent years.The University spent about $350,000 to hire Capstrat, a Raleigh communications company, to handle the redesign, Jared said.Capstrat has worked with UNC in the past, designing a Web site for the School of Pharmacy and directing communication strategy for the UNC Health Care system.Web designers also created a blog in April to keep readers informed of the overhaul process and to solicit feedback about potential features and designs.It has had more than 10,000 page views since its launch.Earlier this semester, the blog showcased two finalist designs. Web designers stuck with one of the proposals and modified it based on feedback in order to create the final layout.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.