Free
admission offered at 'Star of Bethlehem' premiere
"Star
of Bethlehem," the longest-running program in the history of planetariums
worldwide, has received an important gift just in time for the
holidays: a major upgrade featuring more dazzling special effects
and additional compelling research.
The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center hosts the show, and
the new version will premiere Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. Carolina faculty,
staff and students who present UNC One Cards will receive free
admission for that evening.
The new program also features the contributions of campus community
members -- including Chancellor James Moeser, a past president
of the American Guild of Organists, performing his rendition of
"Joy to the World" on organ.
"This
is such a special program for many reasons, including its important
role in the University's history and its popularity with citizens
across North Carolina," said Holden Thorp, director of the Morehead
Planetarium and Science Center. "We are pleased the new program
includes important contributions from faculty, students and Chancellor
Moeser."
In addition, former WRAL-TV anchorman Charlie Gaddy narrates the
new version.
"Star
of Bethlehem" looks at possible astronomical explanations of that
celestial event of long ago. Using planetarium wizardry, viewers
examine and decide for themselves whether a blazing comet, an
exploding star called a nova, a shooting star, a major eclipse
or a conjunction of planets might explain the reported celestial
event.
The new program incorporates new theories from experts in archeology
and history, including contributions from Peter Kaufman, professor
of religious studies; Jaroslav Folda, N. Ferebee Taylor professor
of the history of art; and Jonathan Keohane, instructor of physics
at the N.C. School of Science and Math and adjunct professor in
physics and astronomy at Carolina.
The Morehead Planetarium and Science Center Star Theater's recently
upgraded video system uses additional visual sequences to make
the special effects even more compelling. A new, original digitally
edited soundtrack enhances audio quality.
"Young
people today are experiencing incredible technology in computers,
movies and other media on a daily basis," said Bob Gotwals, associate
director of the planetarium. "To further their interest in the
sciences -- the key mission of the center -- we need to create
a high-tech environment that will encourage these young people
to examine the scientific phenomena surrounding the star.
"The
participation of several UNC students proved very helpful to us,
as we sought to design a new program that would produce a memorable
and entertaining learning opportunity."
Carolina students appearing in the production are: Melody Busse
of Concord; Patrick Donnelly of Jamestown; Ryan Fitzpatrick of
Lake Toxaway; Julius Leak of Lilesville; Meredith Leebrick of
Greenville; Susanna Lewis of Greenville; David Martiniuk of Lexington;
Princess Small of Nashville, Tenn.; and John Vorheis of Merritt.
The planetarium has presented "Star of Bethlehem" for more than
50 years, beginning when University benefactor John Motley Morehead
III saw Roy Marshall deliver his version of the program at Philadelphia's
Fels Planetarium. Morehead subsequently invited Marshall to serve
as founding director of the University planetarium, which was
being developed.
The planetarium became the first in the country to be located
on a university campus. With Marshall as director, Morehead said
he felt that "for the first time, I know that I've gotten my money's
worth with that planetarium in Chapel Hill. I could ask for nothing
better than that the people of North Carolina should see this
beautiful and inspiring production."
"Star
of Bethlehem" will run through Jan. 20. Show times from Nov. 21
through Dec. 20 are at 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays;
11:30 a.m., 1:30 p.m., 3:30 p.m., 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Saturdays
(and Nov. 29); and 1:30 p.m., 2:30 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. Sundays.
For more information or to purchase tickets, call 962-1236 or
see the Morehead Planetarium and Science Center's web site at
www.morehead.unc.edu.
Water
restrictions lifted
Carolina
is no longer under water restrictions, but that doesn't mean the
campus will go back to going with the flow.
Ample October and November rains had filled reservoirs that supply
Carolina to almost 89 percent of capacity as of Nov. 18. That
prompted the Orange Water and Sewer Authority (OWASA) -- which
oversees those reservoirs -- to lift all water restrictions earlier
this month.
"We
deeply appreciate the conservation and sacrifices by thousands
of customers, including the University, during the drought of
2002," said Ed Kerwin, OWASA's executive director.
Carolina cut water consumption by 21 percent in September -- the
most recent data available -- compared to the same time last year.
The reduction came mainly through a decline in irrigation. Other
water-saving measures included adjusting temperatures in campus
facilities when they're not in use. That lessens the need for
chilled water, which is used in buildings with central air-conditioning
systems.
But employees and students also pitched in and heeded the call
of "Every Drop Counts," the campaign launched in September with
the goal of cutting campus water use by 25 percent compared to
last year.
"We
received many calls regarding leaks and potential leaks, calls
regarding sprinklers running, fountains operating, using well
water and whether or not it affected aquifers or groundwater,
and so forth," said Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor
for Campus Services. "We even received calls criticizing us for
saying students could shower for four minutes -- people thought
it should be less.
"By-and-large,
the campus community displayed a heightened awareness to the use
of water and the need to conserve."
Elfland said the campus will continue to seek sustainable ways
to reduce water use. Efforts already implemented include installing
300 water-free urinals and converting distilled water systems
in five major research buildings from "one-pass" OWASA water to
a closed-loop system.
The watershed of OWASA's largest reservoir -- Cane Creek -- is
only 32 square miles, the same as for University Lake, another
OWASA reservoir. Although Cane Creek can hold three billion gallons
versus University Lake's 450 million gallons, Elfland said Cane
Creek's relatively small size still "makes us more vulnerable
to droughts than municipalities with more robust water supplies."
OWASA doesn't plan to add to its capacity for 25-30 years, Elfland
said, and until then "we will need to watch our water supply carefully."
"It
makes sense to continue to seek sustainable ways to reduce water
consumption," she said. "We are not going to continue emergency
measures such as using Styrofoam dishware in the dining halls
or asking people to cut back on flushing toilets."
But that doesn't mean people shouldn't continue to conserve.
"It
continues to be important for employees and students to adopt
sustainable water-saving practices, such as not letting the water
run while brushing teeth or shaving in residence halls or washing
laboratory glassware in research and teaching labs," Elfland said.
"Much of the potential for water conservation is dependent on
individuals in the University community. Everyone can and should
contribute in the effort to continue its success."
Task
force studies campus signage
The
Task Force on Campus Signage last spring began to assess the status
of campus signage and to recommend how it might be improved over
time.
Initially the group focused on signage as a way to locate and
identify historic buildings and sites and communicate about activities
inside major buildings, as well as a means of way finding -- that
is, informing people where they are, where particular destinations
are, how to get there and how to get around temporary obstacles.
But the task force soon began to view way finding as their guiding
principle.
"In
general we have shifted the perspective around and viewed signage
itself as a part of the larger task of way finding. For that reason,
we've asked questions like: How do people get to campus? Does
it matter which entrance they use? What kinds of maps are best?"
said Rut Tufts, director of auxiliary services and task force
chair.
By Christmas, the task force will submit its report to Nancy Suttenfield,
vice chancellor for finance and administration and task force
organizer. It will include a planning philosophy to guide the
development of signage that is functional, consistent and attractive
and that complements the character of the campus.
Tufts is asking for input from faculty, staff and visitors who
have recommendations for the task force to consider.
"While
appearance is important, we also want to know what potential readers
of various signs need to know," he said.
The task force's work to date, including examples of comprehensive
plans at other universities, is detailed on its web site at www.signs.unc.edu.
"I
hope members of the campus community will take a few minutes to
view the signs web site, and let me know if we are overlooking
something," Tufts said.
Carolina
ranks first in black
freshman enrollment
Carolina
placed first among top universities in a recent ranking of African-American
freshman enrollment.
According to "The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education," 12.5
percent of freshman to enroll at the University for 2002-03 were
black, up from 11.6 percent last year. The next three top schools
were Stanford University at 11.6 percent, Duke University at 10.4
percent and the University of Virginia at 9.8 percent.
"We
are very pleased that the University has received national recognition
for its leadership in the enrollment of African-American students
in the first-year class," said Archie Ervin, assistant to the
chancellor and director for minority affairs. "On another level,
there is a great deal of professional satisfaction derived when
you see that the work and effort that is expended by this office
and our many partners in this enterprise pay off with these results."
Ervin credited the high ranking to the way Carolina recruits black
students, with his office providing leadership and joining in
collaborative efforts that involve units across campus.
His office sponsors a number of on-campus recruitment and campus
visitation programs designed to cultivate relationships with prospective
African-American students as well as their parents.
"We
have an important message that we deliver to them -- which is
that Carolina is an opportunity of a lifetime and that we want
them to be a part of what we think is the best educational experience
available in the country," he said.
A key, Ervin said, is showing African-American parents that Carolina
will provide a safe and supportive environment for their students
and that their students can be successful here. "Many of these
parents attended historically black institutions and have some
concern about their children attending a historically and predominately
white institution," he said.
Office for Minority Affairs-sponsored recruitment programs are
designed to get past those concerns, Ervin said, by first demonstrating
to African-American parents that the University is committed to
racial diversity.
"All
of our campus recruitment programs are conducted in collaboration
with the Office for Undergraduate Admissions, the Office for Scholarships
and Student Aid, the College of Arts and Sciences, and the Minority
Student Recruitment Committee," he said. "The partnership between
these campus units reflects the University-wide commitment supporting
racial diversity on our campus.
"The
message we convey with this partnership for minority recruitment
is that the total University is behind this commitment and we
are determined to be successful."
Ervin said one of the main reasons for the success was the Minority
Student Recruitment Committee, a group of student volunteers whose
work includes coordinating the more than 200 student volunteers
who host parents and students and participate in workshops during
recruitment programs.
"When
parents of prospective African-American students interact with
our student volunteers, they see how successful and positive they
are about their own Carolina experiences, and they become convinced
that Carolina is a healthy supporting environment for their own
children," Ervin said. "In fact, our students often are our most
valuable asset in recruiting as they illustrate that they would
not trade their Carolina experience for anything."
Despite the strong numbers on black enrollment, Ervin said he's
not satisfied and feels Carolina's African-American enrollment
will continue to rise. The keys will be to continue efforts reaching
out to minority students, providing financial aid and equipping
the campus to deal with diversity so that "differences are understood
and respected and not feared."
Ervin also said it's important to recruit other minority students,
most notably Native American and Hispanic students, and his office
has developed programs and initiatives that encourage a greater
number of these populations to consider the University.
As for the overall importance of having a diverse student body,
Ervin said it's a critical piece of Carolina's quest to become
the nation's leading public university, a vision laid out by Chancellor
James Moeser.
"As
we prepare our students for the demands of the 21st century, we
must equip them to effectively communicate with people from all
walks of life," Ervin said.
Another ranking by "The Journal of Blacks in Higher Education"
put Carolina's School of Medicine in a first-place tie with Emory
University in African-American enrollment, with 12.9 percent.
Moeser
and Keohane speak about speaking out
Editor's
note: The following piece first appeared Nov. 6 in the online
issue of "Dialogue," Duke University's faculty/staff newspaper.
It was written by Susan Kauffman.
It's not always easy being viewed as the political "mouthpiece"
for a university, according to Duke President Nan Keohane and
James Moeser, chancellor of the University of North Carolina at
Chapel Hill. Yet university presidents are increasingly deluged
with requests to take public positions on everything from the
working conditions of factory workers to the occupation of Palestine.
The academic leaders discussed how they decide when to speak out
and when to keep quiet, at a Monday (Nov. 4) night gathering of
about 30 first-year Robertson Scholars who are in a joint, merit-based
scholarship program at Duke and UNC-Chapel Hill.
"Each
of us, especially in the context of recent world events, has been
increasingly challenged to take stands on critical issues," said
Moeser. In recent months, he has signed petitions against anti-Semitism,
defended the right of faculty and students to question U.S. military
assertiveness and championed the university's decision to require
first-year students to read a book about Islam, even in light
of the N.C. General Assembly's threat to pull funding from the
reading program.
Both Moeser and Keohane, who have attracted state, national and
even international attention for their leadership positions on
issues ranging from sweatshops and free speech to gun control
and stem cell research, agreed that they can not respond to every
issue.
"Whenever
anything awful happens on a campus, the aggrieved parties want
the president to speak out," Keohane said. "On one level, it seems
uncontroversial, but you just can't do it every time."
Still, they agreed, it is important to exercise the moral authority
that is accorded their positions.
"If
you don't use it, it will become moribund," Keohane said. "If
you use it too often, it's eroded and becomes a hollow arsenal
that people don't take seriously."
Defending free speech is one of the most natural causes for academics
to take on, both presidents said. Moeser said the furor over the
book about the Qu'ran provided a great opportunity to champion
the propriety of teaching about religion in a non-sectarian way,
as part of the canon of civilization, in a public university.
Still, he had not predicted that he would spend about two hours
a day, from May through August, dealing with the public response
to the book requirement. Comments included messages such as "Congratulations
on becoming the People's Republic of Chapel Hill," "May you find
a package of anthrax and a pipe bomb in your mailbox" and "Thank
you for identifying UNC as an Islamic University," he said.
Keohane agreed that some even dispute the defense of academic
freedom. "People on campus see it as the bedrock of what we do.
People off-campus don't tend to see it that way," she said. Duke
is about to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Bassett Affair,
she said, an incident that occurred when Professor John Spencer
Bassett asserted that Booker T. Washington was one of the greatest
Southerners born in the 19th century, second only to Robert E.
Lee.
"It
was a huge controversy," Keohane explained, noting that the school's
Board of Trustees declined to fire Bassett despite intense political
pressure. "Everyone was after his job, some were after his life."
In deciding which political issues to take on, Keohane said she
tends to evaluate their relevance to the university. She said
she is very cautious, for instance, about taking positions on
issues of personal interest to her, but which may not enjoy more
general support across the university.
"If
you speak as president, it may have a possible chilling effect
on the speech of people on campus with opposite views," Keohane
said. "It is very hard to separate the person from the job."
Health care delivery and costs are very relevant to a university
such as Duke, which has a major hospital and health care system,
she said, and there's a university connection to gun control legislation,
as well.
"What
some people don't know is that several months ago I happened to
have a gunman who came in and held up the secretaries in my office,"
she said. "If people were allowed to pack heat in our buildings,
it would be a very different institution."
Both leaders said they have been persuaded to adopt public stances
on issues by students with well-researched, thoughtful arguments
who can explain why their issue means so much to them and the
institution.
Moeser said when he first arrived at UNC-Chapel Hill, he appreciated
the visit from a group that called itself "Students for Truth
in History," whose members took him on a tour of campus and showed
him various campus monuments and buildings that commemorated Confederate
soldiers, and honored one of the founders of the Klu Klux Klan.
They didn't ask him to sandblast or change the names of buildings.
"They said, `We just want you to tell the truth,'" Moeser said,
explaining that, as a result, materials for self-guided tours
of campus now include more explicit information.
In deciding which battles to fight, Moeser said he would never
make a public pronouncement on abortion, for example, because
of the complexity of the issues, but he has spoken out strongly
in defense of the related issue of stem cell research at universities.
"It is such a critical issue to the future of mankind," he said.
Andrew Chao, a first-year Duke student from Florida, said he appreciated
the "behind-the-scenes" look at the decision-making process of
the two university presidents he much admires. "Both emphasized
the importance of using the moral authority of the university,
when appropriate. I garnered the fact that there are lots of judgment
calls made."
Mark Laabs, a first-year UNC Robertson Scholar from Tennessee,
said he was impressed by how careful the presidents must be about
what they say and to whom because of the power their words carry.
"I was struck by the sacrifice they make in that they have to
weigh their words, not just in the context of conversation but
for when they are read somewhere out of context," Laabs said.
The two university chief executive officers do not always agree
on political stands. Both were recently invited to sign a petition
sponsored by the American Jewish Federation, calling for campuses
to be intimidation-free for Jewish students and Zionists. Moeser
signed, adding a postscript that UNC-Chapel Hill would be intimidation-free
for all students.
"Part
of my decision was, in essence, to balance the view that we'd
been fighting for months that somehow Chapel Hill had tilted to
a pro-Islamic stance," Moeser said.
Keohane declined to sign, arguing that it took a narrow approach
of singling out only Jewish students for protection. She also
said the petition's statement that classroom discussions must
be based on "sound ideas" sent up a red-flag regarding academic
freedom.
"I
don't tend to sign many petititons," she said. "I seldom find
myself agreeing so fully that I want to sign."
She often prefers writing opinion editorial pieces, speeches,
or letters to the editor. In recent months, for example, she has
weighed in on the value of public service and the importance of
Triangle universities working together.
"I'm
tired of hearing that today's university presidents are wimps
who only raise money and keep the peace," she said.
Field trip gives a chance to see the real thing
By
Brian MacPherson, "Gazette"
student assistant
The
week-long trip to California included hikes in Yosemite and Death
Valley and other days developing a tan under the warm sun.
Sounds like a good itinerary for fall break, but it turned out
to be an even better chance for a group of first-year students
to study the geological quirks of the Sierra Nevada mountains.
"That
one week out in the field was better than 15 weeks of me lecturing
to them," said Allen Glazner, professor of geological sciences,
who organized the trip.
Students in the class, a first-year seminar entitled "Field Geology
in Eastern California," prepared for the trip early in the semester
through their study of earthquakes, volcanoes and other geological
formations in the area. Textbook readings, however, could not
quite measure up to the real thing.
"You
can look at pictures and diagrams, but you don't really see it,"
said Stan Yau, a freshman from Greensboro who's in the class.
"Going out there and actually seeing it, you learn how things
operate out there."
Students spent eight hours each day in the field, studying and
sketching rock formations such as the Devil's Postpile and Obsidian
Dome. The group traveled to Death Valley one day to explore sand
dunes and observe the walls of Mosaic Canyon.
"Everything
at Death Valley was so obviously different from everything around
here with the canyons, the sand dunes and the lowest point in
the Western Hemisphere," Yau said.
Glazner took his students to the town of Mammoth Lakes another
day to view evidence of seismic activity along an active fault
line. A massive earthquake struck the town in 1980, causing a
panic as citizens expected an imminent volcanic eruption.
"There
was no eruption, but someday there will be," Glazner said. "We
saw evidence of this, and we looked at how the town is dealing
with it."
The group visited Owen's Lake, an area that dried up after water
was diverted from it in 1915. Nearby Mono Lake, which recently
had its water diverted, faces the same problem, and Glazner's
students examined the environmental impact on ecosystems in the
area.
Seven students climbed Mount Hoffmann, a 10,850-foot peak in Yosemite
National Park, searching for evidence of the effects of glaciers
on the area.
"None
of them had ever been on a peak like that," Glazner said.
For the rest of the semester, members of the class will work on
research papers based on the concepts learned during the trip.
They also kept field notebooks while exploring, and those were
part of the grading process.
Glazner, who had taken graduate students on similar study trips
in the past but never first-year students, said the trip was a
success.
"It
was a lot of work," he said, "but certainly the students enjoyed
it."
Funding for the trip included a grant from the Office of Distinguished
Scholars and Intellectual Life as well as private support.
State bus tour provides fodder for documentaries
Nineteen
Carolina freshmen will produce multimedia documentaries about
important issues facing North Carolinians after they hit the road
Nov. 15 to learn first hand during a bus tour across the state.
The documentaries also will be based on a semester of learning
both in the classroom and through internships at community service
agencies by the freshmen, all students in a first-year seminar
taught by Todd Taylor, associate professor of English.
The students' documentaries will integrate text, sound and visuals
as the capstone project for their course, "Multimedia North Carolina,"
part of a first-year seminar program matching top faculty with
students new to Carolina.
The project grew in part out of Taylor's participation in the
Tar Heel Bus Tour, which began in 1997 with a goal of taking faculty
and administrators new to North Carolina to learn about the state's
people, economy, culture, heritage and needs. Taking that trip
in May 1998 gave Taylor the idea for a similar bus tour for new
students to help them see North Carolina for themselves.
"The
goals of the course are for North Carolina natives and newcomers
alike to deepen their understanding and appreciation for the state,
to improve their writing skills and to conduct research with immediate,
real-world connections," Taylor said before leaving on the tour.
"This experience will expand the boundaries of the undergraduate
classroom to the entire state of North Carolina."
Drawing from his experiences with the privately funded Tar Heel
Bus Tour, Taylor designed the course. The students' trip was supported
through private and non-state sources including Taylor's Chapman
Family Fellowship, awarded by the Institute for the Arts and Humanities,
his Ueltschi Service-Learning Grant, given by the APPLES Service-Learning
Program, the James M. Johnston Center for Undergraduate Excellence
and the English department.
Students were excited about the opportunity to explore the state.
"I'm
really excited about this class, because I'm from out of state,
and I want to learn more about North Carolina," said Laura Morton,
a freshman in the course from North Potomac, Md., before the trip.
The course ties together two recent initiatives at Carolina and
APPLES, a longtime student-run service program. First-year seminars
aim to start new students' Carolina careers with in-depth intellectual
experiences. Senior faculty teach the seminars of no more than
20 students each, designed to develop critical thinking, writing
and oral communication skills.
Another program, the Carolina Computing Initiative, requires all
entering freshmen to have laptop computers and helps faculty integrate
information technology into their teaching. Taylor has been among
the Carolina faculty helping pioneer bringing technology to undergraduate
courses, including the writing courses freshmen take in the English
department.
Also integral to the course and the trip is APPLES, which stands
for Assisting People in Planning Learning Experiences in Service.
APPLES was founded at Carolina in 1990 as the nation's first such
program run by students. It helps students combine classroom learning
with real-world service activities.
The mission of APPLES helped prompt Taylor to develop the course
focusing on North Carolina.
"Bill
Bamberger's work inspired me to assign documentaries," he said.
"That genre offered a way to combine academic research, field
work and media composition, while also facilitating social awareness
and social justice. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students
to learn important information about North Carolina and its citizens
and apply it."
For more information on the course, see www.unc.edu/~twtaylor/teaching/06/.
Where'd they go?
Stops
on the Tar Heel Undergraduate Bus Tour included:
* "The News & Observer" in Raleigh, to meet with reporters
and editors who cover state issues;
* A tobacco farm in Franklin County;
* Fort Bragg;
* Lowe's Motor Speedway in Charlotte;
* A career development program for Hispanics at a western N.C.
site;
* Mount Mitchell;
* The Blue Ridge Parkway's Folk Art Center and the nearby Grove
Park Inn in Asheville for a tour;
* Down-home restaurants, with Lexington Barbecue at the top of
the list; and
* The Mebane studio of photographer Bill Bamberger, who documented
the closing of
a N.C. furniture factory in the book, "Closing: The Life and Death
of an American Factory," and who is now a fellow at the Center
for the Study of the American South.
Fund
will enable students
to attend cultural events
A
gift to honor the memory of alumnus Christopher Quackenbush has
been given to the University by James J. Dunne III, senior managing
principal of Sandler, O'Neill & Partners, a New York City
investment banking firm.
The gift establishes the Christopher Quackenbush Fund under the
auspices of the Robertson Scholars program. Established by N.Y.
investment manager Julian Robertson and his wife, Josie, in 2000,
the Robertson Scholars program is a collaborative scholarship
of Carolina and Duke University. Half the students matriculate
here and half at Duke, but all take courses at both universities,
as well as live for one semester on the other campus.
Income from the Quackenbush fund will be used to permit any undergraduate
student to apply for funds to pay for tickets to cultural events,
including plays, lectures and concerts. Carolina students will
be able to purchase tickets to events at Duke, while Duke students
will be able to come to the Carolina campus to attend events and
programs. The program will expand on the linkages between the
campuses established by the Robertson Scholars program. Robertson
Scholars already receive tickets and passes to some events on
both campuses, and the Quackenbush Fund will make those opportunities
available to a larger number of students.
"Chris
loved UNC," said Dunne. "It would make him happy to know he was
enhancing the college experience for young people."
Dunne and Quackenbush were best friends for 31 years, as well
as business partners. Quackenbush, a 1979 graduate, died in the
terrorist attack on the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
He and the five other Carolina alumni who died in the terrorist
attacks were remembered in a Carolina ceremony on Sept. 11, 2002,
the first anniversary of their deaths.
Quackenbush served on the University Board of Visitors and was
a major donor to the university. He endowed the Albert Ray Newsome
Distinguished Professorship for the Study of the South in honor
of his grandfather, who was a professor of history at the University.
He also endowed a scholarship for women's lacrosse and made gifts
to the renovations of Memorial Hall, Kenan Stadium, Finley Golf
Course, Navy field and the softball field.
Dunne wanted to honor his friend in a way that he thought was
appropriate to his memory. "Chris loved going to events," Dunne
said. "He had tickets for everything. We even called him the `Ticket
Man.'"
The program will be administered by Eric Mlyn, director of the
Robertson Scholars.
Study
shows link in diet, grocery store proximity
Stopping
by the grocery store on the way home tonight? A new study finds
that Americans who live near supermarkets tend to eat more fruits
and vegetables than those who don't have a supermarket close by.
The study, from Carolina's School of Public Health, found that
black Americans ate 32 percent more fruits and vegetables for
each additional supermarket in their neighborhoods. White Americans
ate about 11 percent more fruits and vegetables when they lived
near one or more supermarkets.
Kimberly Morland, now of the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine, led
the study as part of her doctoral dissertation research at Carolina.
Morland and her co-authors examined data gathered by another study
based at Carolina: the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC)
investigation, which is a large, long-term study of arterial hardening.
ARIC has detailed information on the dietary habits of thousands
of study participants, who live in 208 different U.S. neighborhoods
ranging from Maryland and Minnesota to Mississippi and Forsyth
County.
The researchers looked at the types and amounts of food eaten
by study subjects, as well as the availability of supermarkets,
grocery stores and restaurants in the subjects' neighborhoods.
They found that around 31 percent of white study participants
lived in a neighborhood with at least one supermarket, while only
eight percent of black participants had a grocery store near by.
"On
average, the more supermarkets there were in a given area, the
more likely residents were to meet dietary recommendations for
fruits and vegetables," Morland says. "We don't know why we saw
a larger influence of supermarkets on the diets of black Americans
compared to white Americans," she says. "Based on our previous
research showing a lack of private transportation in predominantly
black neighborhoods, we suspect that white Americans may have
a larger geographic area in which to select places to patronize."
Steven Wing says the study might promote an environmental understanding
of nutrition. "In some ways, we in public health have tended to
blame the victim," says Wing, associate professor of epidemiology.
Wing was Morland's adviser during her studies at Carolina. "This
work shows that if you don't live in an area where it's possible
to have easy access to reasonably priced, nutritious foods, then
it's not your fault that you're not eating as healthfully as people
in other areas," Wing says.
The study's co-authors include Wing and Ana Diez Roux of Columbia
University.
Provided
by Research and Graduate Studies
Editor:
Neil Caudle
Writer:
Jason Smith
Other
projects from the School of Public Health
* Soy protein enriched with isoflavones appears to have no effect
on bone mineral content and bone mineral density in young women,
according to a study lead by John J.B. Anderson, professor of
nutrition. Isoflavones are chemicals made by plants. Previous
studies have suggested that they might be good substitutes for
the hormone estrogen because they seemed to produce positive effects
in bone without the negative impacts that estrogens are believed
to have on reproductive organs in some women undergoing menopause.
* Another School of Public Health study suggests that women who
take multivitamins during pregnancy can cut their children's risk
of the childhood nervous system cancer neuroblastoma by 30 percent
to 40 percent. It is not yet clear which vitamin or vitamins are
most responsible for the reduced risk.
Work-family
manager offers advice on securing and paying for child care
Finding
quality, affordable child care can be one of the greatest challenges
confronting working parents. According to data from Child Care
Services Association, child-care costs have increased an average
of six percent per year over the last six years. The average cost
for child care in Chapel Hill and Orange County is $700 per month
or $8,400 a year. These figures can overwhelm any parent needing
child care. There are, however, resources available to assist
University employees and students with accessing affordable, high-quality
child care.
To recognize the importance of providing services to make child
care more accessible and affordable for both employees and students,
the University provides several programs to assist its affiliates.
In addition to the University Child Care Center and Carolina Kids
Camp, the University offers two other family programs: the Child
Care Resource and Referral Program and the Child Care Financial
Assistance Program.
The Child Care Resource and Referral Program is offered through
the work-family manager's office in Employee Services and is coordinated
through collaboration between the staff of the Orange County Child
Care Services Association and the work-family manager. Child Care
Services Association (CCSA) provides the office with information
on child-care quality and cost for child care centers in Orange
County. Students and employees can request child-care center directories,
information on child-care financial assistance and tools that
educate parents about the characteristics of high quality child-care
providers.
The chancellor's Child Care Advisory Committee (CCAC), comprising
of employee, student and faculty representatives from various
parts of campus, studies and evaluates programs for improving
and strengthening child and family services on campus. One program
administered by the CCAC is the Child Care Financial Assistance
Program, which allocates a limited amount of funds for assisting
low-income Carolina employees and enrolled students with child-care
costs in state registered, licensed or regulated programs. The
staff of the CCSA reviews applications for eligibility, processes
subsidy awards and maintains waiting lists. The main sources of
funding for child-care subsidy are provided through county, state
or private sources and through the University. All applications
for financial assistance, whether for funds offered through CCSA
or for University funds, are handled by CCSA.
During the spring of this year, two significant financial assistance
initiatives substantially increased the amount of child-care subsidy
funds available to University students and employees. In the Feb.
12 elections, Carolina students overwhelmingly passed a referendum
to establish a $0.75 student activity fee, the proceeds of which
will go directly into a fund for student subsidies for child care.
Additionally, proponents of the student activity fee requested
that the University administration match any funds raised by the
student activity fee. The CCAC lobbied the administration on behalf
of the students and was able to obtain $36,000 in matching subsidy
funds.
The CCAC also lobbied the administration to increase the existing
subsidy for faculty and staff. Beginning in the fall of 2003,
$15,000 in additional subsidy dollars will be available for University
employees, bringing the total subsidy dollars available to $60,000
per year.
Because the University strives to provide services that target
the need for affordable and accessible child care, the CCAC will
conduct a campuswide survey to assess the current needs for child
care on campus. Students and employees will receive an e-mail
with a web link to the survey. Whether or not you are a parent
needing child care, please take a few minutes to respond to the
survey. Survey results will assist the CCAC in determining future
initiatives for child care and will ensure that the needs of the
campus community are met.
Writer:
Leslie Bacqué, Work-Family Manager
Employee
Services, Office of Human Resources
bacque@email.unc.edu
More information online
For more information about Carolina childcare resources, visit
the online student handbook, "The Source," located at www.unc.edu/student/source/services/childcare/index.html
or the Human Resources home page, www.ais.unc.edu/hr/.
Friday
Center park-and-ride lot honored with award
The new park-and-ride lot that opened in October next to the Friday
Center is no ordinary parking lot. Engineers at the Raleigh-based
Rose Group, who assisted with the design of the project, will
be presented the Grand Conceptor Award, the highest level of recognition
granted by the American Council of Engineering Companies of North
Carolina.
What makes the lot special is its ability to retain stormwater.
The top layer of asphalt is porous and covers a deep stone bed
that stores and subsequently infiltrates rainwater. Permeable
asphalt prevents any surface run-off that would normally convey
pollutants in the flush of stormwater. The gravel bed provides
storage and assists infiltration into the Piedmont's clay soils.
Until now, all pavements have been totally impervious. This presents
a major source of both runoff volume and so-called "non-point
source" pollution, the major source of water quality degradation
across the United States. The sudden runoff scours the surface
and washes everything that we drip, drop, spray or spill on the
land, including automobile waste.
The increase in runoff volume amounts to more than 36 inches of
rainfall every year from any impervious surface. This causes downstream
flooding and bank erosion, as well as pollution. The new lots
will eliminate all direct runoff and recharge the groundwater,
a critical resource during the recent drought.
"This
award is a credit to Carolina and its leadership position in the
North Carolina system," writes Rose Group Engineer Judy Weseman.
Although the technique has been employed for more than 20 years
in the Middle Atlantic States, and lead designer Cahill Associates
has designed 100 such parking lot systems around the country,
Carolina is pioneering the approach in the Southeast. Both the
800-car park-and-ride lot at the Friday Center and the 600-car
expansion of the remote student lot on Estes Extension are surfaced
in porous pavement.
At the PR lot on Estes Extension, both porous asphalt and porous
concrete were tested. "The most impressive demonstration of the
technology is to observe the Estes Lot during a rainstorm, when
the original impervious pavement produces a sheet of runoff, and
the adjacent porous pavements infiltrate the total rainfall",
says John Masson, project manager in Carolina's Facilities Planning
Department.
"We
were able to build these new lots at a cost of about $2,500 per
space, less than our previous cost of $3,000 per space, and they
do not require any detention basins or similar structure," says
Carolyn Elfland, associate vice chancellor for Campus Services.
At the Friday Center and PR lots, the Rose Group was part of the
design team led by Cahill Associates of West Chester, Pa. Barnhill
Contracting and Magnum Construction, both out of Raleigh, constructed
the PR lot expansion and new Friday Center lot, respectively.
The porous concrete and asphalt were supplied by Unicon, leaving
out the fine particles usually added to the recipe.
As the University plans to build 5.9 million square feet of new
buildings over the next 10 years, it has made an agreement with
the Town of Chapel Hill not to increase the volume, rate or pollutant
load of stormwater leaving campus. Consultants hired to develop
a Stormwater Master Plan have been directed to manage stormwater
as an opportunity rather than a problem.
In the future, rainwater will be used to irrigate green space,
flush toilets and recharge groundwater. The importance of holding
water on site was reinforced during this year's drought. As water
becomes a more scarce and precious resource in the years ahead,
Carolina is leading the way in demonstrating innovative management
practices.
Sponsored
by Facilities Services
Writer:
Cindy Pollock Shea,
sustainability
coordinator
Student volunteers help expand the recycling
net
Special
to the "Gazette"
By
Matt Todd, recycling coordinator
Special
events at Carolina can number in the hundreds during any given
year. From sporting events to festivals and conferences, they
all create some measure of waste.
While recycling at Carolina continues to operate routinely --
collecting basic materials (bottles and cans, newspaper and magazines,
office paper and cardboard) and other waste (animal bedding, food
waste and construction debris) from all over campus -- special
events sometimes go unnoticed.
This year the Office of Waste Reduction & Recycling (OWRR)
organized "event recycling" for Fall Fest, the annual return-to-campus
celebration for students hosted by the Carolina Union. The event
is held on South Road and generally draws 10,000 to 12,000 people
the Sunday before classes start in August.
OWRR set up event recycling stations throughout the festival area
in hopes of minimizing the amount of trash produced.
At each station, bottles and cans, compostables (including food
waste and paper products) and trash were collected. In addition
to collecting material at the recycling stations, OWRR also collected
material from the various participating vendors. Pizza boxes were
collected for composting from the two pizza vendors. Doughnut
boxes were composted as well (they did not have the plastic window
-- just a paper box). Coke served drinks in compostable waxed
paper cups and handed out bottled water (2,500 bottles were on
hand to be given away for free). In addition Katie's Pretzels,
Panera and Carolina Dining Services were serving food.
Almost half the waste produced at Fall Fest was diverted from
the landfill. A few vendors used Styrofoam plates and plastic
cups that could not be recycled or composted. Changes will be
made for Fall Fest 2003 to improve on the 2002 results. Some of
these changes include limiting the number of trashcans without
accompanying recycling stations, and confirming with vendors what
types of products they will use to serve food and drink.
The biggest key to success at Fall Fest was staffing each recycling
station in order to provide proper instructions on disposal. Although
OWRR organized the recycling for Fall Fest, the majority of the
help required to staff recycling stations during the festival
came from student volunteers.
The success of this recycling effort and the energy discovered
through working with student volunteers may help create a new
component to campus recycling. OWRR has been slowly organizing
what it hopes to be a student-run special events recycling task
group.
Over the past few months, momentum has been building to create
such a group. During the month of November, student volunteers
came together to collect recyclables after two Carolina football
games.
The first event occurred after the Carolina vs. Maryland football
game on Nov. 2. With support from OWRR, which provided rubber
gloves and plastic bags and collected the material on Monday morning,
students swept through the 60,000-seat Kenan Stadium on Saturday
afternoon following the game and collected bottles, cans and plastic
stadium cups. Twenty 50-gallon bags of material came from sweeping
about a fourth of the stadium after a less-than-capacity crowd
attended the game.
This event was followed closely by Carolina's final home football
game against Clemson on Nov. 9. The number of student volunteers
almost doubled from the week before. Students were able to recover
about 30 bags of
bottles, cans and stadium cups, sweeping more than a third of
the stadium. Time, the number of volunteers and daylight are limiting
factors in sweeping the entire stadium on Saturday afternoons.
Stadium cleanup is normally done on Sunday following Saturday
games. OWRR hopes the example the students are setting with their
recycling efforts can become part of the standard operating procedure
for stadium cleanup.
Interest has grown during the fall semester to include students
from all across campus, connected to many different organizations
ranging from environmental student groups to service fraternities
and student government. In some cases it's just been hall mates
that were interested in helping out. Many students have pitched
in, or requested to be a part of the group e-mail list.
A growing list of e-mail addresses is used to keep students informed
of upcoming events and to distribute pictures from past events.
Large events will continue throughout the year. Basketball season
is already underway, and recycling at the Smith Center will most
certainly be a focus of this group over the next few months. OWRR
will continue to provide resources as student interest builds
and the group becomes more organized.
The recycling net at Carolina is expanding. As OWRR develops new
programs it continues to look for a way to involve students in
campus recycling. Special events are the perfect opportunity to
create a recycling program where students can take ownership.
