For the fourth consecutive year, UNC ranks No.
In an effort to attract educators to North Carolina -- one of many states experiencing a teacher shortage -- the N.C. Business Committee for Education has developed a Web site targeting people both in and out of the profession. People with varied educational and professional backgrounds can get information about becoming a teacher from the new Web site, http://www.teach4nc.org, which provides step-by-step information for interested individuals.
Responding to complaints from residents living near N.C. State University students, the Raleigh City Council is considering an ordinance to reduce the number of unrelated people allowed to live in one dwelling. The Chapel Hill Town Council also is looking at decreasing the number of unrelated people who can live together. It approved an ordinance Monday that temporarily bans construction of duplexes, allowing existing ones to remain.
Republican candidates for the N.C. General Assembly pledged Thursday to work toward reform in the state budget if the party gains a majority in the legislature after the Nov. 5 elections. Party leaders said they blame Democratic legislators for the state's financial crisis. The state was facing a $2 billion budget deficit for the 2002-03 fiscal year, and similar deficits are expected for the next few years.
The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism is funding a $3.2 million study to reduce binge drinking among college students. Robert DuRant, a pediatric researcher at the Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center and an organizer of the new program, said the study focuses on changing campus environments to discourage binge drinking among students. DuRant said he intends to create specific anti-drinking plans for different types of schools. He then will study the plans' effectiveness by examining paired institutions, grouped based on similar characteristics.
N.C. community colleges are a model for training students to enter the workforce, but many other states have systems that fail to adequately prepare students for future jobs, states a study released earlier this month. The study, conducted by the nonprofit Workforce Strategy Center, found that many community college systems fail to adequately meet the needs of their diverse student populations. Julian Alssid, co-director of WSC, said community colleges have to balance many different goals, making it difficult to fulfill all students' needs.
While campaigning with her father, 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Joe Lieberman, D-Conn., Rebecca Lieberman noticed that many Americans were apathetic. Fewer than 50 percent of eligible voters participated in that presidential election, one of the closest in history, which exemplifies the need to increase voter awareness, she said in a speech before 75 people Monday night in 100 Hamilton Hall. Lieberman stressed that one such way to up turnout is through involvement with Vote for America.
The UNC-system Association of Student Governments is developing a program that would enable general college course credits to transfer more easily between the 16 system campuses. ASG President Jonathan Ducote said the program aims to improve graduation rates within the system. He said students are often unable to graduate in four years when they transfer between two system schools because general requirements at one school transfer to another as elective credits.
Two candidates for North Carolina judicial offices spoke Monday evening about the importance of honor and integrity in the trial process, particularly for judges and defendants. Judges Anne Marie Calabria and Eric Levinson, both Republican candidates for the N.C. Court of Appeals, participated in the forum as part of Honor and Integrity Week, a five-day event sponsored by the judicial branch of student government. The forum, which took place in 111 Carroll Hall, was sponsored by UNC law fraternity Phi Alpha Delta and the UNC College Republicans as part of Honor and Integrity Week.
