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Records tell us that in 1903 locals described the site that would become an arboretum as a "marshy quagmire and crawfish bog." The story goes that newly appointed University President Francis P. Venable suggested to Coker, the University's first professor of botany, that he might consider beautifying the wet pasture. Thus began Coker's work of transforming five boggy acres into a beautiful, natural, serene garden. His vision and his plantings, including American hollies, fringe trees, box elders, oaks, magnolias, a Walter's pine and many other trees and shrubs, had staying power. The Walter's pine, planted in 1920, now stands as the tallest tree in the arboretum and the best specimen of its kind anywhere. The native wisteria arbor, renovated most recently through a gift of the Class of 1997, still ushers visitors along the south side of the arboretum. And the venerable Marshall's Hawthorn, considered by Coker to be the arboretum's "prettiest plant," lives on in its unique, weathered form. The care and intention that Coker brought to his creation were carried on by his successor, Henry Roland Totten, who had been Coker's student. Totten helped develop the "drug garden," used for teaching University students and acknowledged in 1928 by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as one of the country's best medicinal plant collections. Following Totten's tenure (1947-56), others have maintained and developed the original vision. Arboretum directors C. Ritchie Bell (1956-73 and 1982-86), Lindsay S. Olive (1973-78), Clifford Parks (1978-82) and Peter S. White (1986-present) and curators Paul Jones (1982-84), Curtis Brooks (1984-86), Diane Geitgy Birkemo (1986-95), Andrea Presler (1996-2002) and Daniel Stern (2002-present) have nurtured and loved the arboretum into its present peak of beauty. Under Peter S. White's direction, recent dramatic improvements, such as the arbor renovation and creation of a hand-crafted stone gathering circle centered by a large tulip poplar leaf mosaic, have served to heighten the splendor. Surrounded by this beauty, guests will gather with William Chambers Coker's relatives, University alumni, faculty and staff, and other friends of Coker Arboretum to mark the centennial. The celebration, already under way with two exhibits in Wilson Library and one each in Davis Library and Coker Hall (the Chapel Hill Museum will open another exhibit on April 3), will include a number of events over the two days. The centerpiece event, A Centennial Birthday Party, will take place April 11. (See box on page 2 for details.) Other events will offer celebrants opportunities to deepen their understanding, appreciation and support of Coker Arboretum and to learn about the UNC Herbarium and the North Carolina Botanical Garden, which has managed the arboretum since 1982. They include a coffee with the herbarium curator, two book signings, a reception at The Rocks (a quiet garden on the grounds of the residence built by Coker in 1908), a fundraising dinner at the DuBose House, the Evelyn McNeill Sims Native Plant Lecture (by garden designer Chip Callaway) and an open house and picnic at the North Carolina Botanical Garden's main visitor site on Fordham Boulevard and Old Mason Farm Road. The book signings will offer opportunities to obtain autographed copies of Mary Coker Joslin's book, "Essays on William Chambers Coker, Passionate Botanist," co-published by the University Library and the Botanical Garden Foundation Inc. Joslin, a niece of Coker, has written a book that features not only her own vivid memories of her "Uncle Will" and others' personal recollections of him, but also a scholarly accounting of the professional life of the man who became a world-renowned expert on fungi, a skilled horticulturist who founded an arboretum and a dedicated teacher who nurtured his students with the same care he brought to the trees and shrubs of the arboretum.
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compatible with the assistive technologies that disabled learners use to interact directly with the computer. Other online materials are simply not designed with disabled learners in mind.
Making online course content accessible can be very labor-intensive. Even in the best situations, converting course materials is not an instantaneous process.
"I'm always about five steps behind sighted students," says Barbara Riverdahl, a graduate student in the Allied Health Sciences Department at the School of Medicine.
Riverdahl is legally blind and uses a voice-synthesized text reader to "hear" web-based course materials.
She says that the time it takes to get traditional course materials into a format she can use is usually unavoidable, but still frustrating. "I always find myself playing catch up," she says.
Students enrolled in distance education programs face additional obstacles because they usually are not in close proximity to campus disability services.
As with residential students, the University has a legal obligation to provide reasonable accommodations for distance education students with disabilities.
"In a residential learning situation, we can serve as an effective intermediary between students and their course materials," says Jim Kessler, director of the Department of Disability Services. "It's harder for us to provide our services for students in remote locations, so there is added incentive to make the online materials accessible from the outset."
With enrollments in distance education courses at the University expected to increase, a new policy announced by the Office of the Provost last fall seeks to strengthen accessibility support.
Under the new policy, distance education programs must ensure that all online course materials that can easily be made accessible are compliant with campus guidelines. Course materials that are more difficult will be made accessible when a student with a disability requests reasonable accommodation.
Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Robert Shelton says the University must be more proactive in anticipating the needs of learners with disabilities.
"By front-loading as much of the accessibility work as possible, we will be in a much better position to assist these students and the instructors teaching the courses," says Shelton.
Until recently, accessibility efforts were hampered by a lack of standards. Most instructors simply did not know how to go about designing online course materials for students with disabilities.
That changed with Section 508 of the 1998 Workforce Investment Act, which provided guidelines for making electronic content accessible. The World Wide Web Consortium published similar guidelines in 1999.
On campus, the Center for Instructional Technology has taken those two standards and crafted a set of guidelines that is easy to understand and presented in the context of accessibility support at the University.
The Office of the President convened a steering committee last year to consider web accessibility issues for the UNC system. The report that the committee issued last July recommends that each institution develop a policy on accessibility.
The University's current policy includes mandates for distance education programs only, but it does urge all instructors, administrative staff and other content developers to begin adhering to accessibility guidelines for as much of their electronic content as possible.
Laura Christopherson is the webmaster for the Division of Student Affairs and is responsible for keeping more than 25 different web sites updated and accessible.
Her advice for other web content developers is to think about accessibility issues before they begin building pages. "If most of the HTML elements you use in your design are easy to make accessible, your learning curve will be a lot less," she says.
She is also quick to dismiss concerns about the impact of accessibility compliance on web site aesthetics. "You can have a really awesome looking website and still make it accessible."
Several other accessibility initiatives are under way at the University this spring. One is a formal accessibility evaluation of key academic support systems like Student Central. Another project aims to develop accessibility compliance cost estimates for a variety of online course materials.
A workshop titled "Accessible Electronic Content: Designing with a Learner's Perspective" is being offered on campus May 2.
N.C. Gov. Mike Easley's budget proposal for next year increases some UNC system spending but makes cuts as well and recommends a pay increase for state employees.
Unveiled by Easley earlier this month, the budget proposal calls for $1.8 billion in UNC system funding.
But the system would receive almost $100 million less than it did this year in continuation dollars -- allocations meant to keep current programs going. That's because Easley trimmed state agencies' funding requests, which exceeded projected revenue by $1.7 billion mainly because of requests to cover Medicaid, debt service, public education and prisons.
Some $72.1 million of the $100 million cut would be a permanent reduction in funding for the system's 16 regular campuses and the Office of the President. The plan adds $13.5 million in receipt funding, leaving $13.9 million in cuts to come from one-time dollars.
As with past budget cuts, administrators here hope to have the authority to decide where to make reductions. Easley's proposal accommodates that desire for all but a $20.6 million cut in permanent funding. The plan calls for that reduction to come from areas such as funds to cover inflation in utilities costs and dollars to support operating expenses for new buildings, as well as 247 personnel positions.
On the positive side, Easley recommends $46.6 million in funding to cover regular term enrollment growth. That would meet the request of the UNC Board of Governors, which predicts the system will add the equivalent of 6,123 full-time students, a 4.5 percent rise over this year. Easley also proposes increasing funding for need-based financial aid by $10.25 million.
The recommendation also includes a 1.6 percent salary increase for University employees.
Easley's plan now goes to the state General Assembly for its consideration.
Editor's note: The following is the text of an e-mail message sent campuswide March 6 from Pete Reinhardt, director, Department of Environment, Health and Safety, and Derek Poarch, director, Department of Public Safety.
Ongoing attention to national security issues leaves many of us wondering about the potential for a terrorism-related emergency to touch our lives in Chapel Hill. It is important for Carolina's students, faculty and staff to know that our campus is well prepared to respond to emergency situations.
The University has received no direct terrorist threats. Emergency and communication plans developed, updated and refined over several years will be activated when and if our campus ever receives such a threat. These plans are coordinated with other Orange County emergency response agencies and were recently tested in a joint training drill that included UNC Hospitals, which is one of the state's six regional sites designated to respond to any terrorist incident. The University also constantly receives the most up-to-date information available on risks as well as threats, and prepares accordingly.
The University community already benefits from several recent improvements to campus safety. For example, designated University staff are trained and equipped to respond first to hazardous materials emergencies on campus. In any emergency, campus Housing and Residential Education staff and other University professionals also are prepared to provide support to students, faculty and staff. In addition, the University has established an Emergency Operations Center to ensure centralized and coordinated management of an emergency. The center will be immediately activated if any threat occurs on or near campus, if the United States is at war or experiences a terrorist attack, or if the government ever elevates the Homeland Security Advisory System to its highest risk level of red, meaning "severe." (Currently, the system is coded orange meaning "high risk.)
The University will provide instructions about a specific situation and issues such as taking shelter inside campus buildings or evacuating. Students, faculty and staff can prepare for emergencies by following these guidelines:
Prepare
to `shelter in place'
If
a campus emergency ever involves the release of hazardous materials,
the University community should expect to be directed to remain
inside or to take shelter indoors on campus in the closest
residence halls, campus apartments or other buildings where
toxic vapors are reduced or eliminated. Doing so will help
eliminate any uncertainty outside.
To "shelter in place" -- or stay in a safe place protected from the hazard -- close doors and windows. Move to an interior room away from as many windows as possible. It may take time for local authorities or University officials to advise about what is happening. Remain in the shelter until University officials notify you that it is safe to leave. Until then, do not try to contact parents or friends to come to campus to pick you up. Tell your family now that you expect to seek shelter on campus during a hazardous materials emergency. Make plans now for your own emergency communications. Discuss those plans with co-workers, classmates, roommates, parents and friends. If necessary, arrange for back up care of family members who would need special assistance. If such an emergency occurs when you are home, do not come to campus until officials announce that it is safe to do so.
Students should follow these same procedures while in residence halls, campus apartments or off-campus accommodations when an emergency happens. Housing and Residential Education staff, on call 24 hours daily, seven days a week, will implement "shelter in place," provide directions and share information updates as they are available from University officials.
Stay
informed
To
stay informed about threats and emergencies, consider monitoring
news media reports and subscribing to news web sites offering
free e-mail news subscriptions. You can check for any important
changes to campus conditions on the main web site, www.unc.
edu, or by calling the Adverse Weather and Emergency Hotline
at 843-1234. Battery-powered radios are another information
source, particularly if there is a power outage. The University
broadcasts on 1610 AM, the campus low-frequency travel advisory
radio station. Orange County also can disseminate non-weather
emergency information via the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration's weather radio system.
Stay
alert
Watch
for strangers or anyone who seems to be acting suspiciously.
If you see anything raising your concern --including unattended bags, backpacks, cars or vehicles -- call the Department of Public Safety at 911.
Keep building doors and windows locked when the building is closed and not open for business. If you see an unsecured building, report it to public safety by calling 962-8100.
For
more information
See
a special poster outlining emergency preparedness measures
and safety tips at the University. The poster is posted at
www.ehs.unc.edu/pdf/emergency_poster.pdf or is available from
the Department of Environment, Health and Safety by calling
962-5507.
View a special domestic preparedness section of the Department of Environment, Health and Safety's web site at www.ehs.unc.edu/Domestic_Preparedness.htm. This site features information about security issues involving the mail and laboratories and offers a variety of health and safety tips.
View the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's web site supporting a new "Be Ready" information campaign at www.ready.gov. The department also has established a toll-free telephone number, (800) BE READY.
View "Are You Ready? A Guide to Citizen Preparedness" developed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency at www.fema.gov/areyouready/.
Call the Department of Public Safety, 962-8100, or the Department of Environment, Health and Safety, 962-5507, for more information.
Carolina Chancellor James Moeser is urging the campus to take a civil tone in any debate about America's decision to go to war with Iraq.
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In an e-mail message sent campuswide March 18, Moeser noted that an American-led invasion of Iraq appeared imminent. "If and when it occurs, it will affect all of us in the Carolina community," he said. The war has since begun.
"Carolina has a proud tradition of rigorous inquiry, free expression and respect for others. In keeping with these values, we now should challenge ourselves to try to understand the implications of a war with Iraq, whatever they may be," Moeser said. "Our responsibility as citizens requires us to inform ourselves well and explore the issue carefully -- beyond our first visceral reactions and beyond slogans, posters and bumper stickers."
The chancellor said the campus will have "many opportunities to hear speakers of various viewpoints and to participate in dialogues about the war." One of the first will be an April 2 debate organized by students with the Campus Y and moderated by members of the Dialectic and Philanthropic Societies.
"Starting now, I encourage each of you to do the following: Educate yourself. Participate in discussions and debates," Moeser said. "Treat all with respect when they speak. And remember the members of the Carolina community who have been called away to military service.
"The strength of Carolina's academic community will be measured in the weeks and months ahead by our ability to debate vigorously in an environment that respects all views. We will be tested. Let us be strong."
Eight members of the House of Commons Trade and Industry Select Committee in the British Parliament visited campus Jan. 16 to learn how the Triangle's three research universities have helped to boost the "New Economy."
Professor of religion at Princeton University, Cornel West was the eatured speaker at the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr. on Jan. 21.
Peter Galison, professor of the history of science and of physics at Harvard, spoke about "Einstein's Clocks" on Jan. 21.
Ross Gelbspan, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning journalist, former editor at the "Boston Globe" and author of the critically acclaimed book on global warming, "The Heat is On," gave a lecture on Feb. 5.
Admiral Dennis Blair, former commander-in-chief of the Pacific Command, addressed the question of "China -- Ally or Adversary?" on Feb. 7.
Thomas Friedman, a columnist with "The New York Times," addressed the situation in Iraq in a Feb. 25 appearance.
Sima Samar, chair of the Independent Afghanistan Human Rights Commission, delivered the Feb. 27 lecture, "We Had to Make Space for Ourselves: The Women of Afghanistan."
Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the U.S. government's top military adviser, on Feb. 28 met with Carolina students in the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC).
Trombonist Slide Hampton, trumpeter Scott Wendholt and bassist Charlie Haden were the maestros for this year's Carolina Jazz Festival, which ended March 1.
Pearl Cleage, an Atlanta-based writer, delivered the Sonja Haynes Stone Memorial Lecture on March 4.
Carl Kasell, a Carolina alumnus and popular broadcast personality from National Public Radio, spoke March 4.
Tim Hunt, a 2001 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, delivered the keynote lecture for the seventh Chancellor's Science Seminar Series on March 17.
Calvin Trillin, the acclaimed writer, humorist and commentator on American culture and cuisine, discussed his work in a public reading March 19.
Authors Randall Kenan, Lee Smith and Hal Crowther talked in recent weeks about their work as part of the Writing the South Speaker Series. Remaining speakers are Alan Gurganus, March 27, and Elizabeth Spencer, April 22. The free talks will be held at 7:30 p.m. in 08 Gardner Hall.
The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), which regulates the exchange of health information that is often critical to research, became law in 1996. But according to Associate University Counsel David Parker, on April 14 HIPAA's privacy rule finally will affect us "here in the trenches" on the Carolina campus. This leaves researchers a scant few weeks to familiarize themselves with HIPAA's requirements.
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HIPAA privacy regulations do not replace existing human research participant protections. Rather, according to Parker, "HIPAA presents additional requirements." The new regulations apply to personal, health and demographic information in the records of health care providers, health plans and health care clearinghouses -- so-called "covered entities," which include the UNC Health Care System, the School of Medicine and other health care providers such as private clinics and hospitals. These entities will refuse to share health records without demonstrated HIPAA conformity, such as a patient's signed authorization or a waiver of authorization from the researcher's Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Researchers whose work involves clinical trials, patient surveys, retrospective chart reviews, patient database mergers or other information from medical records should therefore know the HIPAA regulations or face an unwelcome surprise when requests for data go unheeded.
Penalties for improper disclosures by covered entities can be severe, with fines per violation of up to $250,000 and imprisonment of up to 10 years.
Understandably, in the future covered entities will be guarding "protected health information" (PHI) more closely than ever. (PHI might be the patient's name, date of birth, date of admission or treatment or discharge -- even a rare diagnosis -- or other individually identifiable data.) In addition, when research involves PHI, IRBs will require more information, and informed-consent documentation will be more complex.
Even so, HIPAA needn't give rise to panic. The law permits a covered entity to share PHI for use in research in several ways. (See box at right.) All that is required is the proper paperwork, and standard forms are available online.
As with all things new, HIPAA inspires many questions. At a HIPAA training forum on March 14, one faculty member said hospitals have begun refusing data intended for use, not in research, but in research-training programs. Mary Lynn, an associate professor of nursing who helped lead the training session, said, "It's going to take several weeks or months for institutions not at the forefront of understanding HIPAA to get it all figured out." Both she and Parker counsel patience as new procedures come to be implemented throughout the health care system.
Adrian Shelton, research compliance coordinator with the Office of University Counsel, concurred. "We know there will be an adjustment period, and people have a lot of concerns," Shelton said. "They don't always know whether what they've heard is accurate or rumor."
Shelton said that University planners have prepared a web site detailing HIPAA regulations and avenues for compliance: www.unc.edu/ hipaa/. The site includes required forms, a FAQ and a campus contacts list. Also posted on the site is a memo from the campus privacy officer, Glenn George, to other covered entities providing reassurance about HIPAA-compliant release of PHI to University researchers. Campus researchers may want to print this memo to share with non-University sources of PHI data. Shelton advises anyone seeking answers to questions not covered by materials posted on the website to e-mail hipaainfo@unc.edu. "We will triage inquiries to the appropriate people," she said, adding, "This is going to be manageable."
Provided
by Graduate Studies and Research
Writer:
Cliff Nelson
Editor:
Neil Caudle
Through its interdisciplinary Carolina Environmental Program (CEP), the University brings undergraduate environmental education, research, outreach and public service to citizens of western and eastern North Carolina, as well as to those living in and around Chapel Hill.
The CEP does this through activities based at the North Carolina locations of its Environmental Field Site Network. The domestic network has sites in Highlands, Chapel Hill and Manteo. A site in Morehead City will open in August. The international field site network extends to Austria and Thailand.
Intended to give college students field and work experience, the sites train future environmental leaders with a real-world -- rather than a purely academic -- view of environmental issues, challenges and solutions.
Each site is a base for environmental research. Two of the sites are, or will be, located at environmental field stations. At the Highlands Field Site, hosted by the UNC system's Highlands Biological Station, students work with leaders in the study of Southern Appalachian biodiversity. At the Morehead City Field Site, hosted by Carolina's own Institute of Marine Sciences, students will work on near-coastal, coastal and marine issues. The Manteo-based Albemarle Ecological Field Site is developing as a center for the study of coastal folklore and folklife, and for nature writing.
At each site, students intern with a local environmental entity -- usually in the government or non-profit sectors. Internship projects have ranged from woolly adelgid research for the U.S.D.A. Forest Service at the Highlands site to oyster restoration research for The Nature Conservancy at the Manteo site.
Outreach and public service efforts extend beyond internships. A local Community Advisory Board provides advice and support regarding internships, outreach and funding. Each site sponsors a free and open-to-the-public "Speakers Series" that, during the 2002 session, brought notables like land conservation expert Mike Leonard to Highlands and internationally known sustainability scholar and Carolina Professor Stu Hart to Manteo.
In Chapel Hill, the CEP's Environmental Design Lab, located on Franklin Street, oversees undergraduate internships and research projects throughout the Research Triangle area. Many of these projects seek to understand and improve the region's environment. Students work on issues such as air quality, land conservation, stormwater management and public health.
Through the CEP, the Institute of Marine Sciences and other activities, Carolina is training the next generation of environmental leaders and reaching out to communities across the state. Working with public and private partners, the CEP is helping to identify sustainable development strategies as North Carolina seeks to find its footing in a changing global economy. The goal is solutions that combine ecological integrity, economic vitality and social equity.
Sponsored
by Facilities Services
Writer:
Cindy Pollock Shea,
sustainability
coordinator
