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From Global Warming to Animal Waste, Our Annual List of N.C.'s Top 10 Challenges
Arthur Cooper, forestry, animal waste
Exam
week juggling act for athletes
Herb Sendek, athletics, academics
Transitory
effects
William E. Donaldson, Tom Regan, pharmaceuticals
People
Thomas M. Conte
Police
seek suspect in robbery, assault
Campus Police, crime
Program
worries faculty
N.C. State Faculty Senate, Academic Bill
of Rights
Community
Milestones
NC State alumuni
Gauging
race's role in college admissions an inexact science
Thomas Griffin, undergraduate admissions
WRAL-TV
Employee Dies In Car Accident
student death
McKenzie
Accepts Society Bid
student
North
Moore Announces AP Scholars
AP Scholar, first-year collge, students
Wartime
holidays hard for Fayetteville families
student affairs, military
Student
donates hair to nonprofit
student
She
makes it her mission to help others
retired employee
CAMPUS
NOTES: Elmore invited to join honor society
Gamma Sigma Delta, College of Life Agriculture and Life Science, students
4 local
university students receive Mensa scholarships
Mensa scholarships
Four
students jockey for Park scholarships
Park Scholarships
Tobacco's
changes crop up
Blake Brown,
tobacco
From Global Warming to Animal Waste, Our Annual List of N.C.'s Toip 10 Challenges
Dec. 12, 2004
Charlotte Observer
By JACK BETTS
© Copyright 2004
For as long as most North Carolinians can remember, the ubiquitous pine cone has symbolized the region's identity. Naval stores -- the pitch and turpentine and other byproducts of our pine forests -- were among the first industries in our region. And while pine plantations enjoy a healthy present, there may come a time when the acorn will become a more familiar symbol of many North Carolina landscapes.
How so? Climate change, brought about by global warming. In the state's mountain counties, "the high-elevation pine forests are doomed," says a new report from the N.C. Coastal Federation. Loblolly pine plantations will survive in the coastal plain of Carolina, but the focus of the paper and pulp industry "will shift northward hundreds of miles as the climate warms. The industry could follow the trees, making it less reliant on N.C. plantations."
This kind of change -- more hardwoods at the expense of conifers -- is likely, says Dr. William Schlesinger, dean of the Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences at Duke University. Climate change is on its way, with dramatic consequences.
"We can expect large changes in what grows in North Carolina -- the crops that feed us and the forests that form such an important part of our economy," he told the legislature last month.
Scientists, government officials and environmental advocates spoke out regularly this year about the distinct changes that global warming could bring to North Carolina's climate within a quarter of a century -- and the harbingers of change that already have arrived.
The Observer's editorial board takes note of those changes today in its ninth annual assessment of N.C.'s environment. Observer Associate Editor Jack Betts has traveled the state -- from the Swannanoa Valley in the west to Swansboro in the east -- talking to environmentalists, academicians, farmers, fishermen, scientists, landowners, beachgoers and ordinary folks about our environment.
This assessment is subjective, not scientific. Any resident might come up with a different list of concerns and conclusions. And that's just what we intend -- to foster debate and focus attention on North Carolina's 10 most critical environmental challenges.
1. Climate change
For more than three decades, East Carolina University coastal geologist Stan Riggs has documented how storms and rising sea level are changing the state's shape. North Carolina is disappearing at a rate of 629 acres per year -- drowning, Riggs calls it -- as glaciers melt and water levels rise and consume the shoreline at an average rate of 2.7 feet per year.Michael Shore, southeast air quality manager for Environmental Defense, says climate change means "sea level is predicted to rise by about 12 inches by 2030, inundating and drastically changing much of our treasured coastline and barrier islands. Coastal wetlands and low-lying lands could be flooded and the Albemarle and Pamlico Sounds merged with open ocean waters."
Schlesinger told the N.C. Environmental Review Commission three weeks ago that annual temperatures in North Carolina may rise between 4 and 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the end of this century. "The actual rise in temperature is not as alarming as its speed," he said, suggesting there is little precedent for such rapid change in any geologic period of the Earth's past. The most important cause, he believes, is "emission of carbon dioxide during the burning of fossil fuels."
Warmer temperatures means hardwood forests will grow faster than conifers such as pines, which bears implications for the forestry industry. Crops likely will grow faster and farms may become more productive -- though warmer temperatures also mean this state may harbor more diseases as well. Bugs and pests would proliferate. Even backyard tomatoes will be harder to grow.
2. Growth and sprawl
Last year, Environmental Defense commissioned a group of North Carolina's leading policymakers, academicians and scientists to assess the likely impact of environmental trends. Among the most compelling of its findings is how rapid growth will change the state by the end of the century. "In less than a single generation, a sprawling population is likely to deprive North Carolina of many of today's conservation opportunities," the group said in its Horizon 2100 report.
At current growth rates, "The Charlotte-Triad-Triangle region will have coalesced into one large, largely unbroken megalopolis, and the North Carolina coastal regional will host a population density similar to the New Jersey shore of 2003."
Statistics released in March show the state's forest cover had shrunk to its lowest level since the 1930s -- with little opportunity to recover because so much of it went under development in urban counties. "The land can recover from the worst forestry," said Arthur Cooper, a forestry professor emeritus at N.C. State University, "but it can never recover from concrete."
Land in the 15-county region around Charlotte is being developed almost four times faster than the population is growing, said the now-dormant Voices & Choices of the Central Carolinas. Last month, the Seattle-based Northwest Environmental Watch concluded that Charlotte has the worst sprawl of 15 cities it compared, based on growth rates, density and other factors. Las Vegas had the highest density; Salt Lake City converted the least amount of rural land to urban or suburban uses.
3. Regulatory impotence
North Carolina has a history of adopting sound environmental laws and progressive programs such at the Coastal Area Management Act and the new Ecosystem Enhancement Program -- but a sad history of bowing to economic factors.For example, the N.C. Environmental Management Commission spent years developing new stormwater management rules that would have required certain counties and municipalities to control stormwater pollution that washes into streams and rivers. But the N.C. Rules Review Commission -- empowered by the legislature in 1995 to review all new rules -- responded to homebuilders and developers who argued the state didn't need the rules, and killed the rules. The legislature then enacted a weaker stormwater management bill. The state is challenging the commission's action in rejecting those rules, but a court decision is months away.
In another case where economic concerns appeared to trump environmental ones, the state issued a permit for a large egg farm in coastal Hyde County -- without requiring the company to get an air quality permit prior to construction. Rose Acre Farm's proposed 14 high-rise egg-laying houses and three pullet houses concern environmentalists who warn of water and air pollution from chicken wastes so close to the sensitive waters of Pamlico Sound.
Equally troubling to many North Carolinians is the Bush administration's indifference to the environment nationally and in this state, including its resistance to forcing polluting power plants to clean up emissions affecting Tar Heel residents. N.C. Attorney General Roy Cooper has put the Tennessee Valley Authority and the Environmental Protection Agency on notice that he intends to go to court to force reductions in air pollution that blows into North Carolina from other states.
4. Coastal overdevelopment
Todd Miller guides his 22-foot center console skiff across Bogue Sound and out through the swift currents of Bogue Inlet. As he nears the mouth of the inlet, the channel takes him just a few feet away from massive sandbags piled up at the foundation of beach cottages on the western end of Emerald Isle called The Point. It's a favorite fishing spot where Miller, executive director of the N.C. Coastal Federation, often hooks speckled trout or bluefish.
The spot also exemplifies some long-term trends in coastal development -- too much construction in harm's way. Nature has opened, closed -- and moved -- inlets up and down the barrier islands of our coast. It has eroded beaches at a time when builders have thrown up more houses, prompting local officials to pursue costly beach renourishment plans by pumping sand from dredging operations.
Several years ago, engineers in New Hanover County moved an entire inlet hundreds of yards to the north to protect parts of Wrightsville Beach. Engineers plan to move Bogue Inlet back to the west in hopes of restoring stability to that end of Emerald Isle. It's a $10 million undertaking with some $3.8 in state funds, and engineers hope to start work with dredges and pipes by the first week in January.
These plans come as other dredging operations on Bogue Banks were disrupted a week ago. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers is pumping sand onto the beach at Fort Macon and Atlantic Beach, using sand dredged from the Morehead City Harbor, but decided not to pump sand at Pine Knoll Shores, further west on Bogue Banks, because the sand is so fine it rolls right back into the sea.
The difficulties at Bogue Banks are just two of the concerns about rapid coastal growth. As sea levels rise and the estuarine shoreline recedes, property owners face the loss of houses and other structures, and state and local officials grapple with ways to provide needed services -- including bridges and ferries -- to serve a fast-growing coastal population.
5. Loss of scenic landscape
The prosperity that came to North Carolina in the late 20th century carried a toll -- particularly the loss of the spectacular scenery and the marring of our skyline. Crystal-clear mountain vistas were once more the rule than the exception. In today's smog-and-haze-marred mountain landscape, even on fairly clear days, the landscape is littered with the winking lights and needle-like spires of communication towers. Legislators in 2004 contributed to the problem by making it harder for local governments to require billboard owners to remove their property without compensation. Larger cities such as Charlotte and Raleigh have long had such laws; the legislature's action means that smaller, growing cities won't have the same opportunity to protect local neighborhoods.Some communities in North Carolina are taking advantage of the opportunity to require that more utility lines be buried when approving new development plans. R. E. Vollinger, a Hickory resident, has long prodded state and local officials to follow the lead of states, such as Florida and Virginia, that require increased use of underground wires and unobtrusive structures such as mast arms for traffic signals and other devises at intersections. The N.C. Department of Transportation has paid for a number of utility burial projects across the state. Progress has been steady, but there is so much to do and relatively sparse resources available to do it.
6. Water quality
For years, sedimentation that flows off the landscape after every storm has been N.C.'s single biggest pollutant, but in recent years stormwater has been acknowledged as the largest threat to water quality because it contaminates surface waters, poisons aquatic life and forces closure of shellfish beds. So it was particularly galling when the N.C. Rules Review Commission rejected new stormwater runoff controls a year ago and refused to reconsider in early 2004. "Carolina's lakes and rivers are choked with sediment, and once-healthy estuaries are overloaded with nutrients," a team of scientists and policymakers concluded in its Horizon 2100 report. Nutrients boost algae growth, foul the water and prompt fish kills. "Hundreds of miles of North Carolina's rivers and streams and sounds are so polluted that they do not meet minimum water quality standards," the report added.
Particularly alarming is a muddleheaded proposal that would allow the town of Butner -- at the far upper reaches of the Neuse River -- to increase its discharges of nitrogen into the waterway, using pollution credits purchased from a reduction in nitrogen discharges far downriver in Pamlico County. N.C. taxpayers have contributed $1.6 million for the nitrogen reduction project in Pamlico county. Using the lower Neuse River credit to allow Butner to discharge more nitrogen into the upper Neuse is a scheme so flawed that it is sure to wind up in court if regulators approve it.
7. Fisheries depletion and ocean degradation
"I think most folks don't realize how important the Albemarle-Pamlico fishery is to the North Atlantic," muses Bill Holman, head of the N.C. Clean Water Management Trust Fund and former head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "It is not just a state or a national resource, but an international resource." The state's fisheries are stressed by a number of conditions, including overfishing, water pollution and rising water temperatures. These stresses mirror a Bush administration report on the state of the oceans, which showed that a number of fish stocks are badly depleted. Storm runoff pollutes waterways as well as ocean waters and limits where fish can thrive. Predator fish such as tuna, marlin, sharks and halibut have declined by an estimated 90 percent in just half a century.A new initiative called the Coastal Habitat Protection Plan -- approved in early December by the N.C. Marine Fisheries Commission, the Coastal Resources Commission and the Environmental Management Commission -- offers a way to attack the sources of pollution that have damaged fish habitat and reduced a variety of fish stocks on our coast. Another promising development: The legislature adopted the state's first saltwater fishing license, which will help improve habitat and boost fish stocks.
8. Air quality
Poor air quality dominated the environmental agenda for much of the 1990s, but there is some good news to report this year. Air pollution was less a problem in the summer of 2004, partly due to the weather. And the EPA adopted strong standards for new diesel engines, though it will be 2030 before those standards fully take effect. Dave Moreau, chairman of the N.C. Environmental Management Commission takes note: "I think you'll find that the air is probably getting cleaner, though we don't have a good unambiguous measure of that."
Air pollution has a dramatic effect on the health of children and those who have existing respiratory problems. "Every year, polluted air triggers hundreds of thousands of asthma attacks in North Carolina and causes more than 1,800 premature deaths," notes the Horizon 2100 report. And Environmental Defense reported in September that Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro/High Point are among the top 50 cities nationally where dirty air affects the greatest number of children.
9. Forest depletion and loss of habitat
Despite the economic problems of recent years, North Carolina remains a magnet for new residents -- and for continued growth. The state's forest acreage is lower than it has been at any time since the Depression, though some 17 million acres of forest remain. The U.S. Forest Service says that not only did North Carolina lose more than 1 million acres of land -- an area larger than Wake, Durham and Orange counties combined -- but for the first time harvest of softwoods exceeded their growth rate in the 1990s. On the other hand, hardwood growth showed a strong increase over harvests -- 21 percent higher.As urban areas grow, forested areas contract, reducing habitat for wildlife. "Animals... have lost refuge in this increasingly human-dominated landscape," notes the Horizon 2100 report. "Virtually every grouping of species, from mammals to birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, and invertebrates, has been reduced in diversity and sheer numbers by human exploitation, habitat fragmentation and degradation, pollution.... Today more than one-fifth of North Carolina's native mammal species are designated as rare and in need of special protection. The same applies to more than one-quarter of the bird species, more than one-fifth of the butterfly species, more than one third of all reptiles...." -- the list goes on.
10. Animal wastes
In the 1990s, North Carolina's huge factory hog farms made headlines over the odors that foul the air and the feces and urine that occasionally escaped into Eastern N.C. waterways. In 2004, the debate no longer was whether open-air hog waste lagoons should be replaced, but instead focused on promising new technologies to handle hog wastes and perhaps produce a sustainable hog industry. Researchers at N.C. State University identified procedures that should eliminate surface and groundwater pollution reduce odor and ammonia-caused air pollution and diminish the opportunity for airborne diseases.
That's important. The legislature has adopted a moratorium on hog farms, but the state desperately needs effective waste disposal methods so Eastern N.C. farmers can practice sustainable hog farming and become a model for other states that face the same problems with animal wastes. Jack Betts Jack Betts.
Dec. 11, 2004
Greensboro News & Record
By Rob Daniels
© Copyright 2004
The N.C. A&T Aggies practiced at 6 instead of 5. That's 6 p.m. rather than 5 a.m., but coach Jerry Eaves isn't going soft. Academia is just getting its licks in.
"It made it a long week to study all day, go to practice and then go right back to studying, pretty much a full schedule," said Walter Booth, a sophomore guard whose Aggies face Campbell at 4 p.m. today at the Corbett Center. "It feels good to get it over with and out of the way."
Depending on the school, this week or next represents one of the great student-athlete challenges: the intermingling of finals and free throws. The convergence of exam schedules and impending games turns basketball players and coaches into gymnasts.
"They have to balance (work) with who they're playing the next day and with working out and staying in shape," said Jane Caldwell, director of academic counseling services for Wake Forest athletics. "The coaches do a good job helping me out by giving them a break from practice. On those days, I concentrate lots of study-hall hours for them."
The schedules vary from school to school. At the toughest end of the spectrum in the ACC -- at least this year -- sits Miami, which is in exams this week but played a game at Florida International on Tuesday.
"When I took over the job," said Frank Haith, hired as the Hurricanes' coach in April, "I didn't have a lot of options. We didn't have a lot of games on the schedule, and we had to do what we could to get it done. I'd love to do nothing during this week."
The consolation was that this week's game was just across town.
Two years ago, UNCG's Fran McCaffery admitted he overscheduled his team, which resulted in an exam-week game with Elon. This year, the Spartans get 12 days off for finals.
"Now, it makes more sense," McCaffery said. "And so far, it is being reflected in the academic performance of our players."
At Wake and several other schools, there's a policy forbidding the scheduling of games while exams are in session.
Practice -- both quality and quantity -- is left to the coaches.
Attendance at UNCG's practices is optional this week.
At N.C. State, coach Herb Sendek wants everybody there, but he'll tweak the start and finish times to accommodate study halls and tests.
Wake had two entirely free days and just resumed work in earnest in advance of Monday's game at Temple (ESPN2).
"When in doubt, back off," coach Skip Prosser said.
Players can mitigate the stress of this week through planning. This is where the laptop computer comes in handy.
All Wake Forest students receive laptops as part of their tuition-and-fees package upon enrollment, and the machines are equipped with wireless-Internet accessibility. So when the Demon Deacons were in Champaign, Ill., last week, three of them spent down time researching a 16-page paper that serves as their final exam in a communications class. Caldwell and Tim Fuller, Wake's director of basketball operations, ensure the team only stays in hotels with wireless access.
"When you get older, the exam schedule gets easier," junior center Chris Ellis said. "I know (freshman) Cameron Stanley is in a bind now with a paper and three or four exams, sometimes two in one day. But it's nothing we can't get through."
For some students, the end-of-semester crunch doesn't include exams, but still is stressful. Jennifer Johnson, a senior guard at Wake majoring in education, has had to rush to complete a Web site about the use of technology in schools.
"I've been working on that since -- what is this month? -- since March," she said. "I've had to add things to it progressively with each class."
While some teams are sweating it out, others get going next week. And a couple of them will take tests while preparing for their first ACC games of the season. Maryland plays host to Florida State on Sunday, Dec. 19.
"It's a problem, but what do you do?" Maryland coach Gary Williams rationalized. "You try to find the time where you can get the most players at practice."
The vagaries of the calendar have occasionally forced the ACC to schedule league games in December, and the expansion to 11 teams this season and 12 next may make that an annual, inevitable trend.
Contact Rob Daniels at 373-7028 or rdaniels@news-record.com
Dec. 13, 2004
News and Observer
By William E. Donaldson
© Copyright 2004
Tom Regan's Dec. 6 Point of View article "When medicines ill-serve the public" presented a one-sided, negative view of the pharmaceutical industry. I suspect that his concern is less for the humans who might be injured by prescription medicines than for the laboratory animals which he considers to be the victims of pharmaceutical research. As a longtime champion of animal rights, Professor Regan can hardly be considered to be unbiased.
His bias is most evident when he quotes the FDA's statement on Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs). He lists specific examples cited by the FDA as "death, disability, hospitalization,...congenital anomal(ies), or (a condition that) requires treatment to prevent permanent damage."
The three dots in the middle of the statement are important. They are the great majority of ADRs which are called side effects, and they include headache, rash, dizziness, metallic taste in the mouth, elevated blood glucose, lowered blood pressure, drowsiness, constipation, stomach upset, diarrhea, dry mouth, etc. All of these are usually transitory and not life-threatening.
The pharmaceutical industry may not be populated entirely by saints, but it is not populated entirely by devils either. If those of a like mind with Regan had had their way over the last century, we would have no antibiotics, no chemotherapy for cancer and certainly no meat, milk or eggs on our dining tables either. Research using animals has served humanity well. Research scientists are as concerned for the welfare of their research animals as is Regan. I know of no reputable scientist who would say that you can obtain useful data from ill-treated and ill-fed research animals.
William E. Donaldson, Raleigh
(The writer is a William Neal Reynolds professor, emeritus, and member of the Toxicology Faculty, emeritus, at N.C. State University.)
Dec. 13, 2004
News and Observer
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
CAMPBELL UNIVERSITY
Chancellor NORMAN ADRIAN WIGGINS has received a prestigious award from the American Association of Presidents of Independent Colleges and Universities. The award commended Wiggins "for his leadership and friendship and for his lifetime of selfless service as president of an independent university and as a founder of this organization." The organization also established the Norman Adrian Wiggins Award.
DUKE UNIVERSITY
JOEL FLEISHMAN, professor of law and public policy studies at the university's Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy, was appointed in November as co-chairman of a group that will advise Congress on ways to improve the administration of charitable organizations.
PAMELA SUTTON-WALLACE was appointed chief of staff to the chancellor for health affairs in October. Sutton-Wallace, who has held several positions within the Duke University Health System over the past seven years, will oversee all the chancellor's office activities and work closely with the executive management team of the Medical Center and Health System.
FAYETTEVILLE STATE UNIVERSITY
Chancellor T.J. BRYAN was selected Citizen of the Year by the Beta Chi and Delta Gamma chapters of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc. The award is presented to a citizen in the Fayetteville community who has made significant contributions and has helped improve the quality of life.
MEREDITH COLLEGE
President MAUREEN HARTFORD has been elected to a one-year term as chairwoman of the LeaderShape board of directors. LeaderShape is a nationally recognized leadership-development program through which participants practice decision-making skills for ethical dilemmas, learn how to work in high-performance teams, discuss how to understand and respect one another's values, and clarify personal values and standards.
N.C. CENTRAL UNIVERSITY
PERCY MURRAY, a longtime department chairman and professor of history, has been appointed as dean of graduate studies. Murray, a professor of history since 1979, spent 14 of those years as chairman of the history department.
N.C. STATE UNIVERSITY
THOMAS M. CONTE, professor of electrical and computer engineering and director of the Center for Embedded Systems Research, has been elected fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, effective Jan. 1. Conte, who joined the faculty in 1995, was selected for "contributions to computer architecture, compiler code generation and performance evaluation."
UNC-CHAPEL HILL
WAYNE A. BLAIR and LAURIE MESIBOV have been selected to fill two new ombudsman positions. Blair, who has served as the ombuds officer at Columbia University since 2002, will hold the full-time, non-faculty position as an employee exempt from the State Personnel Act. Mesibov, a longtime professor in the UNC School of Government, will serve as the half-time faculty ombudsperson. She will continue working half time in her tenured faculty post. They will start their jobs in February.
UNC ASSOCIATION OF STUDENT GOVERNMENTS
State Rep. ALMA ADAMS and DAN GERLACH are the recipients of the John L. Sanders Student Advocate Award. The award, given annually to those who advocate for students in the UNC system, is the highest award bestowed by students of the UNC system. Adams was selected because of her support for higher education. Gerlach, Gov. Mike Easley's senior policy adviser for fiscal affairs, was selected for his responsiveness to concerns about tuition increases.
Police seek suspect in robbery, assault
Dec. 12, 2004
News and Observer
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
RALEIGH -- Raleigh police released a composite sketch Saturday of an armed man who robbed and assaulted a victim near N.C. State University late last week, authorities reported.
The robbery and assault occurred Thursday shortly after midnight on the 3100 block of Hillsborough Street, Raleigh police reported in a Saturday news release.
The suspect, who was armed with a black handgun, approached the victim on foot and announced the robbery. The man struck the victim with the handgun during the holdup and fled on foot, police reported.
Police did not disclose what was taken during the robbery or whether the victim's injury from the assault required medical attention.
The suspect is described as being 20 to 25 years old, about 5 feet 9, with a thin build. He was wearing a dark-colored, hooded sweat shirt.
Anyone with information that might be helpful to investigators is asked to call the Raleigh Police Department's Detective Division at 890-3555 or CrimeStoppers at 226-2746.
Dec. 13, 2004
News and Observer
By JANE STANCILL
© Copyright 2004
CHAPEL HILL -- Some
UNC-Chapel Hill faculty want the university to make stronger pronouncements
about academic freedom as the debate continues
about a controversial proposal for a Western Cultures program.
In a wide-ranging discussion of the issue last week at the UNC-CH Faculty Council,
professors said they were worried about political influences affecting their
classrooms, teaching and research.
Some suggested that UNC-CH ought to join N.C. State University's Faculty Senate in taking a stand against the so-called "Academic Bill of Rights," pushed by conservative commentator David Horowitz.
Horowitz is soliciting support from state legislatures for the document, which he says will protect conservative students' right to express their views on campus.
Karen Booth, a professor of women's studies, asked UNC-CH leaders why the state's flagship university wasn't officially opposing the Horowitz movement.
"We're behind the curve on that issue," she said.
Some said the university's top brass were wrongly silent on the proposed Western Cultures program, which would be funded by the Pope Foundation, a Raleigh-based family philanthropy that supports conservative causes.
Critics have said the Pope Foundation wants to use its donation to influence decisions that should be left up to the faculty.
"It's trying to manipulate the outcome of the curriculum," said elin o'hara slavick, a professor of art.
"I just feel we're in a very chilled environment, and I don't blame it on the university," the professor said. "I think it's national. I do think we need to take a stand."
She said she had hesitated showing some artwork in her classroom, for fear of a political organization putting "a plant in my classroom that will tell on me."
Journalism professor Carol Pardun said that her son, a student at UNC-CH, had endured criticism from faculty for expressing his independent views. She encouraged her colleagues to "look within ourselves and make sure we also are being willing to accept different ideas and have the dialogue go both ways."
Chancellor James Moeser said the university must remain vigilant in protecting academic freedom. He also urged civil, orderly and fair-minded dialogue in a politically charged society.
"If we cannot sustain that on this campus, then I have great fear for this country," he said.
Staff writer Jane Stancill can be reached at 956-2464 or janes@newsobserver.com.
Dec. 13, 2004
Winston-Salem Journal
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
IN THE MILITARY
• Army Reserve Pvt. Lenard T. Blackwell has graduated from basic combat training at Fort Jackson, Columbia, S.C. He is the son of Linda Blackwell and nephew of Keyra Faulkner-Williams of Winston-Salem and a graduate of Reynolds High School.
• Army Pvt. Andrew R. Cassels graduated from basic combat training at Fort Knox, Ky. He is the son of Adchara and stepson of Bobby Saunders of Winston-Salem and a graduate of Ledford Senior High School.
• Marine Pfc. Joseph Frye was promoted to his current rank while serving with Marine Aviation Logistics Squadron 12, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing, Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, Japan. Frye was promoted based on sustained superior job performance and proficiency in his designated specialty. He is the son of Vicky and Harold Frye of Mocksville.
• Navy Ensign Michael Brian Hollingsworth completed pilot training in Pensacola, Fla., and received his wings. He is stationed in Jacksonville, Fla. Hollingsworth and his wife, Jennifer, have two children, Zachary and Rachel. He is the son of Susan and stepson of Spencer Eldridge of Rural Hall and is a graduate of North Forsyth High School and N.C. State University.
• Navy Airman Recruit Leslie A. Sizemore completed U.S. Navy basic training at Recruit Training Command, Great Lakes, Ill. She is the daughter of Caroline S. Lockhart of Clemmons, and a graduate of West Forsyth High School.
Gauging race's role in college admissions an inexact science
Dec. 13, 2004
New Bern Sun Journal
By Barry Smith
© Copyright 2004
RALEIGH - High school seniors across North Carolina are applying to, or anxiously waiting to hear from, colleges and universities as they prepare for the next phase of their educations.
One of the blanks filled out on college application forms is "Race." At some colleges, race is a contributing factor in the admissions process. At others, it's merely used by the college for statistical analysis.
"Most of them do not consider it at all," Leslie Winner, counsel for the UNC system, said of the use of race in deciding whether to admit an applicant. "Some consider race as one of several factors that they consider in trying to have a diverse student body, consistent with the Supreme Court decision in the Michigan case."
The U.S. Supreme Court, in 2003, upheld diversity as a legitimate goal of college admissions. It said that race could be a factor in shaping college admissions policies, but not an overriding factor.
N.C. State University in Raleigh is one of the public universities that may take an applicant's race into consideration.
An applicant's high school record, such as courses taken, grades in those classes, grade point average and standard test scores, is considered "first and foremost," said Thomas Griffin, director of undergraduate admissions at N.C. State University.
"Other factors, like geography, race and ethnicity, leadership, special talents, interest in particular academic programs, are considered as we're looking at those applications," Griffin said.
The admissions office does not assign points regarding these factors, he said. Instead, the admissions office reviews the entire application.
Elon University in Elon uses a similar method for admitting students. Race is "one of the subsequent factors of selectivity," said Susan Klopman, dean of admissions.
These subsequent factors are considered once a student meets initial standards for admission, which include their grades attained, courses taken and standard tests, she said.
"Race is one of them," Klopman said. "A fine violinist for the orchestra can be a factor. Athletic talent can be a factor. We pay attention to gender as well."
Griffin said that N.C. State University considers race as a factor as a means of achieving a diverse student body.
When you think of getting a college education, you think of learning from textbooks and classroom lectures. But students learn from each other too, Griffin said.
Other colleges and universities choose not to use race as an admissions factor. However, some of them aggressively recruit minorities to apply.
"It's not considered at all in the admissions process," Liz Moran, an admissions counselor at East Carolina University in Greenville, said.
Race is on the application for statistical purposes. And the university has an assistant director of admissions charged with minority recruitment.
"He focuses on outreach to those minority students," Moran said. He'll try to reach out to first-generation college students - whose parents didn't attend college - who never thought college was an option for them.
UNC Charlotte is "race neutral," said Craig Fulton, director of admissions.
The university made the change from considering race as a slight factor to not a consideration at all back in 1996-97, he said.
Despite the fact that race isn't considered, UNC Charlotte has around 24 percent non-white student population, Fulton said.
"Certainly the metropolitan setting and a variety of academic majors help us attract a diverse demographic student body," Fulton said.
Barry Smith can be reached at bsmith@link.freedom.com.
WRAL-TV Employee Dies In Car Accident
Dec. 13, 2004
WRAL TV, News and Observer
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
RALEIGH, N.C. -- WRAL-TV lost an employee and friend on Sunday morning.
Sean Roberts, 22, was killed when the car he was driving missed a curve on a rural road south of Henderson and hit a tree, the North Carolina Highway Patrol said.
Roberts was a news production assistant in the WRAL newsroom.
Roberts, who had worked at WRAL since February, was to graduate from N.C. State University on Wednesday with a bachelor's degree in communication.
The Highway Patrol said Roberts was alone in his car when the accident happened around 4 a.m. Sunday.
Funeral services are pending.
Dec. 12, 2004
The Pilot News
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
Michael Lawrence McKenzie of Carthage has accepted membership in the Golden Key International Honour Society and was individually honored during a recent campus ceremony. McKenzie is a junior at N.C. State University majoring in civil engineering.
He is the son of David and Barbara McKenzie of Carthage.
“It is only fitting that a high academic achiever like Michael be recognized by Golden Key,” said Alexander D. Perwich II, Golden Key’s chief executive officer. “Our members are inspired and motivated by the challenge not only to be recognized for their outstanding accomplishments, but also to make a positive impact on our world through the society’s commitment to service.”
Golden Key International Honour Society was founded more than 25 years ago in Atlanta, Ga., and provides academic recognition to college juniors and seniors in the top 15 percent of their class. The mission of the global non-profit society is to build global communities of academic achievers by providing opportunities for individual growth through leadership, career development, networking and service.
The society’s values are integrity, inclusiveness and collaboration, innovation, teamwork and respect. Golden Key has 335 chapters in the United States, Australia, Canada, Great Britain, Malaysia, New Zealand and South Africa.
North Moore Announces AP Scholars
Dec. 12, 2004
The Pilot News
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
Four North Moore High School graduates have earned the designation of AP Scholar by the College Board in recognition of their exceptional achievement on the college-level Advanced Placement Program Exams.
The College Board’s Advanced Placement Program offers students the opportunity to take college-level courses in high school, and to receive college credit, advanced placement, or both for successful performance on the AP Exams.
At North Moore, Bailey Morgan qualified for the National AP Scholar Award by earning an average grade of 4 or higher on a 5-point scale on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams. Bailey is the daughter of Steve and Sarah Morgan and is a freshman at N.C. State University.
Brady Thomas qualified for the AP Scholar with Honor Award by earning an average grade of at least 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and grades of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams. Brady is the son of David and Teresa Thomas and is a freshman at UNC-Wilmington.
Spencer Collins and Ashley Marley qualified for the AP Scholar Award by completing three or more AP Examinations, with grades of 3 or higher. Spencer is the son of Bob and Teresa Collins and is a freshman at N.C. State University. Ashley is the daughter of Tony and Misty Marley and is a freshman at Campbell University.
More than 1,400 institutions award a full year’s credit (sophomore standing) to students presenting a sufficient number of qualifying grades.
Thirty-four AP exams are offered in a wide variety of subject areas, each consisting of multiple-choice and free-response (essay or problem solving) questions.
Wartime holidays hard for Fayetteville families
Dec. 12, 2004
Charlotte Observer
By SHARIF DURHAMS
© Copyright 2004
FAYETTEVILLE - Nickalya Myers-Garner of Elkin had made her holiday plans.
But plans for an election in Iraq changed them.
Myers-Garner's checklist : Graduate from N.C. State this week, spend Christmas with her parents and in-laws, and celebrate her anniversary by sharing year-old wedding cake with her high school crush, Mark Garner, in January.
Mark, a first lieutenant for a supply company in the 82nd Airborne, left a week ago for a 120-day stint in Iraq. He was among the 1,500 paratroopers sent to bolster security leading to the Iraqi elections next month.
"Two weeks ago, graduation was on the front burner," said Nickalya Myers-Garner. "Now it's just one of those things I have to do next Wednesday."
Old hands in this military city, particularly with ties to the 82nd Airborne, are used to spouses and friends leaving with little or no notice.
The holiday season, however, is always harder. And, they've noted the violence in Iraq in recent weeks.
Many help themselves by trying to boost the spirits of others.
They dine together. They buy Christmas presents together. They pray together weekly and form phone trees to pass along tidbits they get from the Army.
Laurrie White invites soldiers and families to dinner during holidays when they're away from their loved ones. Her husband, Norbert, a staff sergeant, has been deployed during three of the past four Christmases.
The Whites and their five children squeeze in holiday spirit when they can.
Last year, family members opened some gifts before Norbert was deployed in early December. This year, the family decorated a Christmas trees in the hours just before Norbert was deployed. They also rushed together the wedding of one of his daughters, Tiffany, 19, the day before Thanksgiving, before either Norbert or the groom, who is in the Navy, could be sent off.
"The Lord knew and made sure her dad was with her," Laurrie White said.
Laurrie White says the adjustment is at least as hard for her husband. A few years ago, a fire damaged their house, and it was partially remodeled when Norbert came back. He couldn't find things. A fleece camouflage quilt Laurrie made is one of the few items from home he's had during his past two stints in Iraq, she said.
She said she tried to keep the children still living at home in a familiar routine.
"He has to get to know them all over again each time," she said.
Laurrie said she worries more about the younger wives, who don't have family around to comfort them. Some of the younger ones say they worry about wives who are raising children alone.
The advice from both: Ask for help.
It was a lesson Jane Bride said she learned. Her husband, Maj. John Bride, has been in the military for two Christmases, and he's been in Iraq for both.
Jane is from Scotland; she met John in Phoenix. The two settled in New Hampshire. John, an internal medicine physician, wanted to ditch the hassles of negotiating his patients' care through private insurers, Jane Bride said. He decided the military would free him of those constraints.
He shipped off to Texas for training and Jane Bride made another move, to Fayetteville.
John started his job at Fort Bragg's Womack Army Medical Center. Then came the surprise.
"He came home three months later and said he had deployment orders," she said.
Jane said she was lucky. During John's first deployment, they could exchange e-mail at least once a day and speak by phone a couple of times a week. Some of those conversations were about the difficulties raising two children, under 4 years old, in a place she didn't know.
"I felt alone and didn't know what to do," she said.
She's countered that feeling this time by becoming more active. She volunteered to call other spouses when the military passes along information. She's also speaking by phone to another wife who is moving to Fayetteville while her husband is deployed. She hopes to arrange a dinner for the new arrival, she said.
And thanks to a cheap fare she found, she's taking the children to Glasgow, Scotland, during the holidays. Her excitement about the trip has made it easier on her husband, she said.
"He realizes we're going to spend New Year's with family that we love," she said. "It's harder for them than it is for us."
Sharif Durhams: (704) 358-5942; sdurhams@charlotteobserver.com
Student donates hair to nonprofit
Dec. 12, 2004
Charlotte Observer
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
N.C. State student Carrie Withrow called her mom, Libby, in Charlotte last month to tell her she cut off 12 inches of her hair -- something she hadn't done since the second grade.
The hair will go to Locks of Love, a nonprofit that makes prosthetic wigs for children who lose their hair.
Withrow, 19, is a sophomore in the scholars program at N.C. State and was invited to join two honor societies. She was an officer in Habitat for Humanity and a member of the equestrian club on campus, and plans to study abroad next year.
She is a graduate of South Mecklenburg High and the daughter of Bruce and Libby Withrow.
Compiled by Michele Wayman
She makes it her mission to help others
Dec. 12, 2004
News and Observer
By MARTI MAGUIRE
© Copyright 2004
CLAYTON -- Like many other
74-year-old widows, Helen Little cooks, gardens, sews, is active in her church
and community, and is an avid discount shopper.
But an inventory of her holiday purchases sets her apart.
Clothes and toys crowd her guest bedroom, waiting to be matched with gift lists from low-income members of a Hispanic church and residents at an assisted living facility.
Two electric keyboards sit in the bathtub, earmarked for singing groups in Haiti.
Waist-high boxes, labeled by their destinations, spill into her garage and line the walls of a storage space donated to her. They will become truckload-size shipments of supplies for needy people across the globe.
Little is well known in her native Clayton and beyond for supporting causes, lots of causes.
A longtime member of the Horne Memorial United Methodist Church, she heads the church's mission work.
The church has raised money to build four schools in Haiti, with two more in the works. It sponsors a school in Liberia and supports a missionary who ministers to AIDS orphans in Zimbabwe. Other outreach beneficiaries range from Iraq to a Johnston County family whose house needs repairs.
"These are relationships we have that are all instigated by her," says Alan Swartz, pastor at Horne Memorial. "She's the prick in our conscience. She's the one who makes sure we keep an eye out and care for the needy in our community and the world."
She buys much of this bounty with her own money, combing discount stores for bulk deals and making rounds of garage sales. The rest pours in after she speaks to churches and civic groups across the state.
"It's just the little things people can do if you make them aware of it," Little says. "There's a lot of need out there. You just need to match those needs up with what people have."
Little serves as mission secretary for the eastern part of the state Methodist church. She is president of the Johnston County Extension and Community Association, a service organization. She has ministered to prison inmates and works with Habitat for Humanity.
"She's got more things on her plate than I'll have in a lifetime," says her daughter, Melanie Rice, who shares a large yellow house outside Clayton with her mother.
The house is split into two homes, one for mother and one for daughter. It sits on the land where Little grew up picking vegetables, cotton and tobacco alongside her five brothers and sister. Little held her own three children to the same standard of hard work.
Rice says it's her mother's upbringing that fuels her full-time charity schedule.
"She grew up poor, and she always worked hard," Rice says. "She is frugal and can't stand to see waste."
Her turning point
Little agrees that her energy level has always been high; even when she was working full time in the computing center at N.C. State University, she found time for clubs and hobbies.
But she cites her husband's death as a turning point. Reuben Little died of leukemia in 1984, months after he was diagnosed with the disease. He was 56.
A month later, Helen Little attended a presentation on Haiti. Two years after that, she retired and took the first of 32 trips to the poverty-stricken Caribbean country. She traveled to remote towns with doctors to instruct people on how to take donated medicines.
Before that trip, she had left the United States only once, on a trip to Europe. Since then she has been to Ecuador, Armenia, Russia and Sri Lanka, to name a few.
"I could have worked, gone to the library, sewed, joined some kind of club, and had a real clean house," Little said. "But the Lord put this in my path, and it's a driving force in my life."
Little sees beyond the poverty she encounters to the people she hopes to help; she is motivated more by compassion than pity.
Launching into the story of going to eastern Russia for the first time, she says she can still picture in her mind a particular woman -- one of about 500 people living in a garbage dump.
"I looked into her eyes and she was my sister," Little says. "I could have been that woman."
The same goes for the women she meets through prison ministry, who she says are often guided by a misplaced need for affection.
"Some of them are in there because they've never been loved the way I have," she says.
But Little is not naive. She expects those she helps to do the most with what they are given.
She collects receipts for all of the supplies bought with money she sends to villages. One of her favorite organizations, Heifer International, requires families to apply for a cow or hog, showing how the animal will benefit them, and pass on at least one of its offspring to another family.
"She doesn't believe in just handing out," Rice says.
Day in the life
Nor does she believe in wasting time. She begins a recent morning armed with a box of tiny hat-shaped Christmas ornaments she will use to decorate a tree for charity at the Medical Mall on U.S. 301 in Smithfield.
A few hours later, she pulls away in her diesel Volkswagen Jetta and drops off magazines at the Department of Social Services.
She took a member of her church there once and was appalled to see that people would wait for hours with nothing to read; now she brings all of her magazines there.
Back at home, she calls to make sure gift cards for donating to Liberian teachers' salaries are advertised in the church newsletter.
Later, she stops by the church to make sure a $500 donation gets to the Liberian school. (She also eyes a desk that has been left up for grabs, wondering where she might send it.)
After a rendezvous at a Cracker Barrel to pick up boxes of clothes collected by another church, she packs the items for shipping.
Then she loads up boxes of crafts handmade by Haitians to sell at a church fair in Nash County the next day.
She cooks for her daughter's family, then settles down to sew dresses for Haitian girls.
Some things she has given up, like overnight shifts answering a crisis hot line and serving on the board of Habitat for Humanity.
"I'll keep doing till I'm no longer able, Lord willing," she says.
HELEN WOOD LITTLE
BORN: Clayton, Dec. 5, 1930
FAMILY: Husband, Reuben Little, died in 1984; three children, Melanie Little Rice and Michael Wilson Little, both of Clayton, and Martin Wesley Little of Raleigh; six siblings, Alton Earl Wood and John Dallie Wood, both of Clayton; Lillian Wood Miller of Tallahassee, Fla., Billy Keith Wood of Dunn, Steven Grady Wood of Greenville and Phillip Randall Wood of Ivanhoe
EDUCATION: Diploma from Wilson's Mills School, 1946; certificate from Raleigh School of Data Processing, 1962
CAREER: Retired in 1986 from computing center at N.C. State University
CHURCH: Mission chairwoman of Horne Memorial United Methodist Church of Clayton and mission secretary for the North Carolina Methodist Conference
Staff writer Marti Maguire can be reached at 829-4841 or mmaguire@newsobserver.com.
CAMPUS NOTES: Elmore invited to join honor society
Dec. 12, 2004
The Greenville Daily Reflector
By staff report
© Copyright 2004
Jack Elmore of Greenville was invited to join the Alpha Chapter of Rho Phi Lambda, an honorary professional recreation, park and leisure services fraternity. Elmore is a sophomore at N.C. State University and a parks, recreation and tourism management major. He is the son of John and Jennifer Elmore, also of Greenville. Elmore is a graduate of J.H. Rose High School.
Rho Phi Lambda is an honor society that focuses on professional development, service and academics for those majoring in parks, recreation and tourism management.
Register awarded scholarship
Jeanie Zhang Register, originally of Shanghai, received the BB&T Business Finance Scholarship. She is a finance major in the business department at East Carolina University. She has been an ECU student since 2000. She is expected to graduate with a degree in finance in May 2005. Her future plans include earning an MBA and working in finance.
Register is the spouse of Jimmy Register of Greenville.
Horton recognized at N.C. State
The N.C. State chapter of Gamma Sigma Delta, the agriculture honor society, recognized Dorothy Jamison Horton as an outstanding freshman for 2003-04. Horton is the daughter of Carolyn and Loyd Horton of Greenville.
She is a student of the College of Agriculture and Life Science. To be named an outstanding freshman a student must have a GPA of 3.5 of higher.
Potter inducted into| honor society
Laurie Anne Potter of Greenville was inducted into the Alpha Omega Nu Chapter of Phi Theta Kappa at Edgecombe Community College. She is a health related professions major. Potter is the daughter of Betty Potter of Fairfield.
Phi Theta Kappa is the oldest honor society for two-year colleges. The society serves to recognize and encourage the academic achievement of two-year college students and provide opportunities for individual growth and development through honors, leadership and service programming. Students must rank in the top 20 percent of their class to be eligible to join and must maintain good grades. Phi Theta Kappa has more than 1.5 million members and 1,100 chapters.
Chick-fil-A awards scholarships
Katrina Hicks and Gary Taylor, both of Greenville, and Ashley Kouris of Wilson were recipients of Chick-fil-A's leadership scholarships for $1,000. All are employed at the Greenville University Commons location.
Hicks is a student at Pitt Community College and is studying human environmental science. Taylor is an East Carolina University recreation management major, and Kouris is an ECU biology major.
For more information, visit www.chick-fil-a.com.
4 local university students receive Mensa scholarships
Dec. 11, 2004
Durham Herald Sun
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
DURHAM -- Four local college students have received scholarships from the Mensa Education and Research Foundation, a philanthropic organization funded by gifts from members of American Mensa and other donors.
Janelle Werner of Durham, Dennis Carey of Raleigh, Megha Bisarya of Cary and Tara Robbins of Chapel Hill wrote essays to win the awards, competing against 97 students locally and approximately 4,300 students nationwide. Together, their awards totaled $1,700.
The four students won the scholarships based on essay merit. Mensa considers neither grades nor financial need in determining winners. In fewer than 550 words, the winners and other scholarship hopefuls described vocational and/or academic goals.
Werner won the $600 national Lester London Award. Werner is a graduate student studying history at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Carey won the $500 regional McGrew-Fruecht Scholarship. Carey is a horticultural major at N.C. State University.
Bisarya, a freshman at Duke, also won a regional award, the $300 Karen Cooper Memorial Scholarship.
Robbins received a $300 award from Mensa of Eastern North Carolina, the local chapter of American Mensa. Robbins is a graduate student studying English and American Literature at UNC Chapel Hill.
Four students jockey for Park scholarships
Dec. 11, 2004
Rocky Mount Telegram
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
Four area students are anxiously awaiting news on whether they have a chance at a prestigious university scholarship.
The Park Scholarship is one of the largest and most competitive scholarship programs. Tuition, books, room and board, a laptop computer and a stipend come with the honor of being a scholar.
"It hasn't sunk in yet, but I'm starting to get a little nervous," said Northern Nash High School senior Harrison Dudley, 17. "I didn't think I had a chance at being nominated, but the closer it gets, my hopes are getting up."
Dudley, the son of Laura and David Dudley, an alumni of N.C. State University, said it was a confidence boost to be selected as a nominee. He said he has been accepted, but is waiting to hear back from Elon University.
Southern Nash High School seniors Matthew McKirahan and Jessica Smith, both 17, are also Park nominees.
"I have a deep interest in State," Smith said. "I felt it would be an honor to go. Red runs deep in my veins."
Smith is the daughter of Cynthia and Arnold Smith, who is also an alumni of State.
McKirahan, son of Larry and Laura McKirahan, said he is familiar with the scholarship.
"One of my good friends got the scholarship, so I knew a little about it," he said. "When I found they have my major, I thought it would be worthwhile looking into. It feels good to be selected."
The merit-based scholarship to N.C. State University is renewable for four years. Park scholars will receive $6,500 each semester, or $13,000 for the year, and $52,000 for the four-year spread.
Northern Nash High senior Heather Sellers is a nominee for two notable college scholarships, the Park and Morehead.
The Morehead scholarship is a four-year, undergraduate scholarship to University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
Sellers' parents, Tim and Gail Sellers, are both N.C. State alumni. She said she has been accepted to State and Meredith College, but is waiting to hear from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.
"I was really surprised to be nominated for both," Sellers said. "It was a big honor, especially with my parents being alumni. They encouraged me to go for the scholarship. I thought it was a great opportunity."
Notre Dame close to hiring Patriots' assistant
Dec. 12, 2004
Charleston Post and Courier, Tallahasse Democrat (Tallahassee.com), San Jose Mercury News
By staff reporter
© Copyright 2004
Notre Dame was close to hiring New England Patriots offensive coordinator Charlie Weis as its new coach, a university source said Saturday night, but the deal was not complete and still could fall apart.
The Fighting Irish have been searching for nearly two weeks for a replacement for Tyrone Willingham, who was fired Nov. 30 after posting a 21-15 record in three years.
The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Associated Press that some procedural issues that could be deal-breakers remained in the talks with Weis.
ESPN, quoting sources close to the university, reported Saturday night that Weis had agreed to a six-year contract that will pay him about $2 million a year. The network said Weis will fly to South Bend, Ind., to meet with Notre Dame players after the Patriots' game Sunday against Cincinnati, and that a news conference at Notre Dame is set for Monday.
REPLAY IN ACC PLAY?
Commissioner John Swofford hopes the ACC will have an opportunity to seriously consider using instant replay to aid its officials.
The ACC must wait for a ruling from the NCAA football rules committee.
Swofford said the committee could approve replay for any conference that chooses to use it, or allow for more experimentation. That ruling could come from the committee's meeting in February, and Swofford wants ACC coaches and administrators to be ready to consider replay.
He will mention replay next week at a meeting of ACC administrators in Greensboro, Swofford told The Charlotte Observer.
"I'm sure we'll have a serious discussion about it in February when we meet with our athletics directors and faculty representatives," Swofford said.
ACC officiating coordinator Tommy Hunt said in late October that he is in favor of replay. He said ACC officials are experienced and competent, but acknowledged that perfection is virtually impossible.
"If we make a mistake, nobody wants to see it corrected any more than us," Hunt said.
N.C. State athletics director Lee Fowler said cost could be an issue because cameras would have to be put in place for games that aren't televised. Some schools already have cameras for their live video boards, but Fowler said those might not be sufficient for use by game officials.
Swofford said it cost the Big Ten about $250,000 to get replay set up.
Dec. 12, 2004
Mytrle Beach Sun News
By Tonya Root
© Copyright 2004
More U.S. tobacco will be grown in the coming years by fewer farmers, an N.C. economist told farmers Saturday during the annual S.C. Tobacco Growers' Association meeting.
The growth eventually will be a result of the $10.14 billion tobacco buyout of the quota price-support system, passed earlier this year by Congress. The buyout gives farmers payments for 10 years, starting in the 2005 fiscal year, based on the number of acres they grew in 2002.
But until those buyout payments start, farmers are fighting for their sixth installment of the Master Settlement Agreement Phase II payments. Officials encouraged farmers on Saturday to show their support for that payment at a hearing set for Dec. 20 in a Greensboro, N.C., courtroom.
"This is our one shot here, and it may send a resounding message to companies that they won't kill this," said Keith Parrish of the National Tobacco Growers Association. "We need this money now, not six months from now or not two or three years from now."
During the hearing, a judge will decide if the settlement payments should continue this year because the payments were supposed to end if a buyout was approved.
The settlement began in 1998 after the four large cigarette manufacturers agreed to settle state lawsuits that sought to recover costs associated with treating smoking-related illnesses.
"We do still have a chance of getting it," said Johnny Shelley, president of the S.C. Tobacco Growers' Association. "The more visibility we have, maybe the more respect we would get from the judge.
"It's got farmers where they can't borrow any money to start the next year with. If they want to be good stewards, they let it go and let the farmers get their money; and we can be buddies."
During Saturday's meeting, tobacco farmers also learned experts predict the average price for a pound of flue-cured tobacco in the 2005 season will be $1.35 to $1.50. It is the first season without the government-regulated price-support quota system, which kept the average price at $1.85 in the 2004 season, said Blake Brown, an economist with N.C. State University.
"It looks like there will be less tobacco farmers growing than in the past," Brown said.
Based on his study of tobacco policy, the buyout and the future of tobacco farming, Brown said currently about 450 million pounds are grown in the United States. He predicted that, in two or three years, there will be upward of 700 million pounds grown in America, giving U.S. farmers greater ability to compete with international markets such as Brazil, the largest tobacco-producing country.
The buyout gives farmers a chance to decide if they want to continue growing tobacco or leave the tradition behind for more profitable crops.
"If you don't have a contract, you need to think about what your alternatives are," Brown said.
Parrish said the backup plan of price support will no longer allow farmers to "barely make a living."
"Each one of us has to decide individually ... what the future holds for us," Parrish said. "It's a bad way to put it, but I know all of us aren't going to make it. We've been hanging on for this buyout, and the buyout is here and now we have to face the music."
Contact TONYA ROOT at troot@thesunnews.com or 248-2149.
Obituary: Dr. Thomas Barker Dameron, Jr.
Dec. 13, 2004
News and Observer
RALEIGH -- Thomas Barker Dameron, Jr. MD of Raleigh died December 11, 2004. Born June 1, 1924 in Rocky Mount, NC to Thomas Barker Dameron, Sr. and Isa Rebecca Sills Dameron, Dr. Dameron grew up in Goldsboro, NC. After graduating from Goldsboro High School, he attended The Citadel, in Charleston, SC and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He graduated from medical school at Duke University where he met his bride, Nancy Jane Henry Dameron.
He interned at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas, completed his General Surgery Residency at Grady Hospital in Atlanta and his Orthopaedic Residency at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore before moving to Raleigh. In 1954, he went into private practice with Dr. Hugh Thompson and Dr. Walter Hunt, with whom he established Raleigh Orthopaedic Clinic where he practiced medicine with great love for forty years.
As a boy, Tom Dameron was an Eagle Scout and was on the football and track teams at Goldsboro High School. In undergraduate school, he was on UNC's football and wrestling teams. He served at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Camp Lejeune during World War II and later at the U.S. Army Hospital at Camp Gordon and the U. S. Naval Hospital in Bethesda, MD during the Korean War.
A member of Hayes Barton United Methodist Church for over fifty years, Dr. Dameron taught both adult and youth Sunday school classes, was a member of the Wesleyan Fellowship Sunday School Class, and served the church in various other capacities. He was chairman of the Medical Community United Way drives for many years, chairman of the Alice Aycock Poe Center for Health Education Building Fund drive and Grandparents Chairman for the Annual Fund at Ravenscroft School. Dr. Dameron was on the Selection Committee of Morehead Scholars for UNC. He served as chairman of the Governor's Advisory Committee for Study of Crippled Children's Facilities and was on the Boards of Directors of the United Way of Raleigh and Wake County, Hilltop Home, Wake County Cerebral Palsy and Rehabilitation Center, Raleigh Chamber of Commerce and the Wake County Board for Care Options Plans for the Elderly.
Dr. Dameron was an instructor in surgery at Duke University Medical School from 1954-1961, Adjunct Associate Professor of Poultry Science at NC State University from 1961-1968 and Clinical Professor, Division of Orthopaedic Surgery, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill beginning in 1965. His work was published in many medical journals, and he authored chapters in numerous medical textbooks. He traveled xtensively, speaking and teaching throughout the US and Europe and in Africa, Russia and China. During two summers, he served as a medical missionary in Southern Ethiopia and Tunisia.
Dr. Dameron served as president of the Southern Medical Association, the North Carolina Medical Society, the Wake County Medical Society, the North Carolina Orthopaedic Association, the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgeons, and the Duke Medical and Johns Hopkins Alumni Associations. He was a member of The Twentieth Century Orthopaedic Association, The Association of Bone and Joint Surgeons, Societe Internationale de Chirurgie Orthopaedique et de Traumatologie (Chairman, US section), The Southern Surgical Association, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons and The American College of Surgeons (Fellow).
Dr. Dameron served on the Boards of Directors of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, the North Carolina Institute of Medicine, the Orthopaedic Research and Education Foundation, the SICOT Foundation, the Southern Medical Association (Chairman), Wake Medical Center, Triangle Bank and Carolina Federal Savings and Loan.
During his career, Dr. Dameron was named Physician of the Year by the American Medical Association, Physician of the Year by the Southern Medical Association, Rex Hospital Physician of the Year, Distinguished Citizen Award by the Occoneechee Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and Tarheel of the Week by the Raleigh News and Observer. He received the Distinguished Service Award from UNC Medical School.
He was also a member of the Terpsichorean Club, the Sphinx Club, the Circle Club, the Royster Club, and Zeta Psi Fraternity.