Cuba study abroad canceled
Havana nights will no longer be possible for UNC students.
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Havana nights will no longer be possible for UNC students.
At a Friday meeting of the Faculty Council, Chancellor Holden Thorp fielded the concerns of professors troubled by the recent NCAA investigation and interplay between academics and athletics.
David Godschalk has published 10 books, served on the Chapel Hill Town Council and is a retired commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve.Now he can add co-chairman of a national sustainability task force to his already lengthy resume.“It’s the intersection of everything that I’ve been working on over my whole career,” he said.Godschalk is a professor emeritus in UNC’s Department of City and Regional Planning, where he received both his master’s and Ph.D. degrees.
A hint of math, a dash of science and a sprinkle of experience — that’s the recipe for serving about 4,000 students a day in Top of Lenoir. “The first time around, whenever we create a menu, it’s really a guesstimation of how much we think we’re going to serve,” said executive chef Paul Basciano. Chefs and managers create these estimates based on how popular they think a meal will be that day. For example, if barbecue is on the menu, they might assume that 70 percent of customers will eat that entree, while another 30 percent will opt for something else. These formulations are also rooted in experience, Basciano said. “Some us have a lot of years of experience in the business,” he added. “We kind of know our customer base.” But these estimates aren’t always correct. “Sometimes we’re wrong,” Basciano said. “Sometimes we’re way wrong.” In an effort to make sure this doesn’t happen frequently, the managers and chefs maintain detailed breakdowns of the production and consumption of food. Records include dates, the menu items served those days and the number of students served. These production sheets also take into account the weather and special events that could cause the customer numbers to fluctuate. At the end of the day, these sheets are used to figure out what went wrong and to correct it for the future. “Hopefully, in a couple of months into the process, we have it down to such a science that we really are zeroing in,” Basciano said. Then if that particular menu item is served again, “we’re already ahead of the curve,” said Dontez Pherribo, location manager for Top of Lenoir. But most students aren’t aware of how much really goes on behind the scenes. “I didn’t know that so much work went into it,” said freshman Alex Payan. Having even the slightest advantage is important, especially when the dining hall is in charge of feeding so many people each day. But even with all of the mathematical calculations and careful records, there are still some leftovers. Leftovers When this happens, there are a couple of options that the kitchen has, including recycling some of the leftover food. “Depending on what it is we’ll use some items to rework, for soups, different types of stir-frys, things of that nature,” Basciano said. “But that’s all by judgment call. Things we can’t rework, some of our products made in a sauce that would be detectable the next time, you try to serve in a different way. We never re-serve it the same way we originally served it. We creatively rework it.” Junior Krista Douglas said she knew there a lot of food produced every day in Lenoir but didn’t know what happened to leftovers: “I wondered if they had extra leftover if they put it somewhere else the next day.” Lenoir uses an estimated 1,200 pounds of chicken within a single week. If there is leftover chicken that has not been cooked, it can be reworked and used in chicken noodle soup, Pherribo said. Basciano said leftover shrimp that has only been steamed can be used in shrimp chowder or shrimp bisque. The other option they have is to donate food on Fridays to the local food bank, the Inter-Faith Council for Social Service, said Bruce Eckmeder, senior foodservice director. The food bank does not take dry grocery items from UNC — such as seasoning and salad dressings — but will take items such as vegetables, proteins, food in the coolers and other leftover food. But Eckmeder said it’s very rare that there is excess waste. “That’s one of the beauties of having such a high volume, is food is constantly flowing through the process,” he said. Pleasing everyone Along with managing hundreds of pounds of food both before and after it’s cooked, managers and chefs must consider the diverse array of palates that comes with the large student body at UNC. “We try to get a feel of what the customers want through our customer comment cards,” Pherribo said. “And we like to just walk around and interact with our customers and just see what they want.” Pherribo said managers view the comment cards as an important way to make sure their customers are satisfied. Managers even make an extra effort to respond to the comments and incorporate some of the ideas into future meal planning. Pherribo said they are already planning meal cycles for the fall semester and are using these comment cards to help with the preparation. They also use their own tastes. The managers eat meals in the dining hall three times a day, Pherribo said. If they walk around the dining hall and nothing appeals to them during that meal period, they take note. But in the end, it’s about pleasing the customers. “We enjoy seeing the reaction from the kids and seeing that they like it,” he said. “We have fun with what we do upstairs.” Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Chris Sopher wasn’t expecting a phone call from Chancellor Holden Thorp on Monday.But it was through a congratulatory call from Thorp that Sopher discovered he was a recipient of the Truman Scholarship, a highly competitive award given to college juniors to fund a graduate school education in public service.Sopher, a Daily Tar Heel staff member, was one of 60 recipients of the 2010 federal scholarship, named for President Harry Truman.“I feel really humbled about it and excited about opportunities in the future,” said the public policy and political science double major.Sopher founded and currently runs the UNC chapter of “Strive for College,” an organization that helps low-income students apply for college and get scholarship money.Applicants must be nominated by their university, although not necessarily in the state they reside, said Trent Johnson, program assistant at the Office of Distinguished Scholarships.Each school can nominate up to four students, and the program selects about 60 scholars from a pool of about 600 applicants.Sopher, who is also a Morehead-Cain scholar, was one of four students who UNC nominated for the scholarship. He was one of the two Virginia recipients of the award. Sopher interviewed in Washington, D.C. in March with nine other finalists from his home state of Virginia.“It was surprising,” he said about receiving the scholarship. “When I was in D.C., I met lots of talented people from Virginia who were finalists. It was a little bit daunting to meet all of them.”Sopher entered with UNC’s class of 2010 but took a year off to campaign for President Barack Obama. He will graduate next year.Following graduation, he plans to apply to graduate school and pursue a master’s degree in public policy.The scholarship is awarded to students with a demonstrated interest in public service and leadership.Sopher said he hopes to attend graduate school at either the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University or the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University.Sopher said that he is thankful for the individuals at the University who have been so supportive of him.“It’s a great environment that we take for granted.”Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Amanda Holliday is a registered dietitian and a clinical professor in UNC’s Department of Nutrition in the Gillings School of Global Public Health. Below, she shares her knowledge about the importance of eating breakfast and suggestions for students who eat breakfast on-the-go.
More than 200 students received the first round of H1N1 vaccine offered to UNC students Monday, fewer than officials expected.“We are amazed we are not seeing the high level of folks saying ‘I want it,’” said Mary Beth Koza, director of the UNC Department of Environment, Health and Safety. The vaccine was given all day at the Michael Hooker Research Center. This is the first of eight vaccination clinics that will be available through next week. The turnout was lower than health officials expected, Koza said. The University expects to receive 28,000 doses of the vaccine in total through several batches, Koza said. The vaccine comes in both a nasal mist and injection form. Koza said she doesn’t know what form of vaccine UNC will receive from week to week. University administrators expected to receive 800 injections in the first batch, but received only nasal mists instead. Only 204 students showed up for vaccines Monday, some with appointments and some who just walked-in, though 234 students made appointments. The reason for the small turnout is unknown, but Sharon Morris, nurse and team leader for Monday’s clinic, said the location might have played a role. Koza said the department tried to place clinics across campus, but decided on having the first clinic at the research center because of its close proximity to the hospitals and medical students.“We still are trying to target health care students and employees,” she said.But undergraduate students still made appearances at Monday’s clinic.Andrea Ludtke, a junior journalism major, said she thought she was at risk for contracting the flu because of her age.“I really can’t afford to miss class,” she said. Koza said she wants students to consider the impact of sickness on their academic performance. “Right now is the perfect week to get vaccinated because you will have all of your immunity for exams,” she said.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Inflatables, free food and games will fill Hooker Fields on Thursday night. Starting at 6 p.m., the first “Fair Before the Fight” will take place as part of Homecoming.The fair is part of a plan by Student Body President Jasmin Jones to bring back the excitement that comes with Homecoming games, said senior Tyler Singleton, coordinator for the event.“One of Jasmin’s goals was to bring Homecoming back to the level of excitement that it once was,” he said.Jones was able to achieve this goal as Carolina Fever, the Residence Hall Association and student government worked together to sponsor the event.Singleton, game day affairs committee chairman for Carolina Fever, worked with sponsoring organizations for two months planning the fair. Organizers said they expect to draw a crowd of more than 800.Hooker Fields will be filled with six or seven inflatables, including a bungee run, a Velcro wall and a 90-foot obstacle course, which Singleton said is the longest the company has.There will also be a “cash cube” filled with money, gift certificates and prizes from local businesses. In order to get into the cube, students must stand in line and correctly answer a Carolina sports trivia question. If the student is correct, he or she will enter the cube. If not, he or she must go to the back of the line and answer another question later. But Singleton is confident that the questions will be extremely easy.A giant inflatable Twister game will also be available. How exactly the giant game will be played is still unclear to organizers.“I don’t have any idea,” Singleton said. “However people want to do it when they get there.”There will also be a joust, 150 free pizzas, several relays, popcorn, cotton candy, a frozen T-shirt contest and a jam band that bangs on trash cans and other items.As a sponsor of the event, Amp Energy will also be giving out free energy drinks.The entire event was budgeted at $4,000, which included inflatables, food and a stage. The budget was split between the organizing groups and was supplemented with some outside help.This year, Carolina Fever decided to put on this event instead of the carnival it tries to put together once a semester, Singleton said.“This is the best way to get the most participation — by teaming up with a bunch of organizations,” he said.All of the organizations involved expect the fair to be a success and become something associated with future Homecoming weekends.The event will run from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. All students wishing to use the inflatables must sign a waiver upon entrance into the field.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Dr. Lisa Carey has written or co-written more than 70 manuscripts or book chapters and been recognized as a rising star in the field of medical research.She’s working to eliminate cancer, one of the most deadly diseases in the world.But despite this list of accolades, she is still unsure of how to send graduating students out into the real world this winter.“I’m not quite sure what one says at a Commencement address,” she said. “It’s an incredible honor but also nerve-wracking.”Carey, associate professor of medicine and UNC Breast Center medical director, will deliver the December Commencement address after being asked by Chancellor Holden Thorp.The address is traditionally given by a UNC faculty member. Carey was chosen by a committee of five faculty members and five students.“I think that this year, with the North Carolina Cancer Hospital coming online, it’s the perfect opportunity for Lisa, who is a pioneer in the breast cancer field and a great model, to share her message with our students,” Thorp wrote in a press release.Carey’s focus is breast cancer, specifically the reasons why younger, premenopausal, black women are more likely to develop breast cancer in a more aggressive form. She was a fellow in oncology for seven years at Johns Hopkins before coming to UNC. She also serves as a mentor for the Carolina Covenant program, providing guidance for 10 students who are looking toward a future in the medical field. The Covenant helps low-income students graduate from UNC debt-free.Carey graduated from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in 1990 and followed this up with a master’s of science in clinical research at the Johns Hopkins’ School of Public Health in 1998. That same year, she joined UNC’s staff. She also earned the honorable Doris Duke Clinical Scientist Award in 1999, which recognizes young faculty members for promising research.Carey said she enjoys working at UNC and was originally drawn to the institution because of its strong reputation in the medical field. “It’s a very famous place for cancer and has been for a long time,” she said. Carey said her friends and colleagues have already began calling her with advice for giving a successful speech.One person told her Chancellor Thorp played the piano at his 2006 commencement speech, which she said set the bar fairly high. “It’s intimidating because I don’t play an instrument,” she said. The commencement ceremony will take place at 2 p.m. Dec. 20 at the Dean Smith Center.Contact the University Editor at udesk@unc.edu.
Joe Trippi, Howard Dean’s 2004 campaign manager and John Edwards’ chief strategist in 2008, spoke to students Monday night about the intersection of technology and political campaigns.