Showing posts tagged “UNC-Chapel Hill”
Lisa Sorg ·
25 Nov 2009, 2:22 PM ·
5 Comments
In two of the past four years, UNC’s Resource Research Facility, also known as “The Farm,” has been cited by the federal government for failing to provide adequate socialization for three squirrel monkeys, failing to provide enough drinking water for rabbits and for failing to remove dead hamsters from cages. The violations occurred in 2005 and 2007; they were corrected.
The Farm is a holding facility in rural Orange County for animals undergoing experiments on UNC’s Main Campus or at its Francis Owen Blood Research Lab in Carrboro. The USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service conducts annual inspections of animal research facilities to ensure they comply with federal standards of humane care and treatment of animals. The reports are here (.pdf, 700k): usdainspectionreports
In a Jan. 29, 2007 inspection, a federal veterinary medical officer noted that “three dead hamsters were found in three separate cages in one cubicle. Conditions of the bodies indicated they had been dead for some time.”
A Dec. 14, 2005 inspection noted that “current enrichment plan for three squirrel monkeys is not being completely followed.” At least one squirrel monkey was alone in a cage and its toys were not being properly changed. “The toys don’t seem to interest the primates much at this time,” the report reads.
A July 19, 2005 report showed that rabbits undergoing tests were not give enough water, sometimes going for as long as a week with only a quarter of an apple for moisture. “Records indicated that new rabbits and occasionally trained rabbits received very little or no water during test sessions due to their poor task performance,” the report reads.
While reporting the story about the potential environmental impacts of the Farm, the Indy filed a Freedom of Information Act for its USDA inspection reports.
Chapel Hill, Orange County, news Francis Owen Blood Research Lab, Research Resource Facility, UNC-Chapel Hill, USDA Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service
Matthew McGibney ·
23 Jul 2009, 2:42 PM ·
Comment
Following a closed-session meeting of the UNC-Chapel Hill Board of Trustees, the university has dramatically changed its scooter regulations. However, some scooter owners have criticized the transparency of the decision, and argue it doesn’t go far enough in encouraging students and faculty to ride the fuel-efficient vehicles. (See the June 24, 2009 Indy story, “Scooter outrage could change UNC policy.”)
The old policy would have charged between $174 and $371 for a scooter permit, depending on whether the owner is an employee, faculty member or a student. Following the Board of Trustee’s decision, UNC will charge a flat fee of $24 for all scooter permits next year, and appears willing to find secure parking spots for scooters on campus.
Steven Gordon was one of the dozen scooter owners who showed up at the Carolina Inn on Wednesday night, while the Board discussed the scooter policy change behind closed doors. Though they were not allowed inside, Gordon and others spoke afterward with Chancellor Holden Thorp.
Thorp explained the policy change to the owners, and assured them that there would be enough parking on campus for scooters. Thorp provided a map of possible parking spots for motorcycles and scooters, though Gordon called the map “outdated” and criticized UNC for not involving scooter owners in the decision.
“It’s just interesting how if this is the typical way they deal with policy at UNC, maybe it’s not intentional, but they sneak things through with a minimum amount of public input,” Gordon said. “As far as we know, no scooter rider in the community was contacted before this was voted on.”
However, at a separate meeting Thursday morning, board members invited scooter owner Brian Moynihan to speak on behalf of the community. Moynihan laid out four policy demands: a fixed fee of $24 (the price could raise as early as next year, as the new policy is currently written), an increased number of scooter parking spaces, the ability for scooters to park at bike racks, and the notification of scooter owners before the board makes any further changes.
While there was no change in the final ordinance, Moynihan said he still felt progress had been made.
“Overall, it was positive,” he said. “We didn’t get everything we wanted, but we did get lasting recognition that we’re here and have concerns, and that we need to be involved in the process in the long term.”
Chapel Hill, education, environment Holden Thorp, scooters, UNC-Chapel Hill
Matt Saldaña ·
13 Apr 2009, 5:17 PM ·
Comment
Tancredo, a fringe presidential candidate in 2008, boycotted a Spanish-language Republican debate during the campaign, saying the event “pandered” to Spanish speakers and encouraged the “balkanization” of the U.S.
His speech on Tuesday–to be held at 6:30 p.m. in Room 103 of Bingham Hall–is hosted by the UNC-Chapel Hill chapter of Youth for Western Civilization, a self-styled “right-wing youth movement” founded in 2008 to “create a subculture that will promote the survival of Western Civilization and pride in Western heritage” on college campuses
Read the Today’s News story, and an interview with Youth for Western Civilization’s UNC chapter president Riley Matheson, at indyweek.com.
Update: Also see Sam Wardle’s coverage of the Tancredo speech, which was cut short by protesters.
Chapel Hill, education, national, politics immigration, Tom Tancredo, UNC-Chapel Hill, Youth for Western Civilization
Grayson Currin ·
18 Sep 2008, 4:50 PM ·
2 Comments
Some great wishful thinking posts today on Craigslist, in search of Ben Folds Five tickets for tonight’s sold-out show at UNC-Chapel Hill’s Memorial Hall. My favorite: “No ticket brokers please we are grad students!”
We’ve got two big ol’ bars on BFF and some tunes from The Unauthorized Biography… here, and the News & Observer has a good story (though I am curious about the 1,600 tickets sold for the 1,434-seat venue) with an interesting headline here.
Chapel Hill, music Ben Folds Five, UNC-Chapel Hill
Lisa Sorg ·
11 Sep 2008, 9:10 AM ·
Comment
Black Enterprise magazine, which just rated Durham as one of the best places to retire in the U.S., has also listed six N.C. higher-ed institutions in its Top 50 Colleges for African-Americans. N.C. Central University, in Durham, placed 26th, ahead of Duke (31) and UNC-Chapel Hill (32). Other N.C. colleges include Wake Forest (12) N.C. A&T in Greensboro (21) and Davidson College (45).
The publication evaluated 1,400 colleges and universities, basing the rankings on academic and social environments, black student graduation rate and number of black student undergraduates as a percentage of the total.
North Carolina black colleges and universities, Duke University, NC Central University, UNC-Chapel Hill
Lisa Sorg ·
10 Sep 2008, 8:07 AM ·
Comment
Bad news for perennial students: UNC will give undergraduates eight semesters to graduate beginning with the Class of 2011. Students previously had nine, reports WRAL.com.
The requirement is intended to free up classroom space and save “taxpayers and students money,” said UNC spokesperson Dee Reid.
71 percent of students who enrolled in 1999 graduated on time. As for the other 29 percent, they’re trying to find themselves.
Chapel Hill graduation, UNC-Chapel Hill
Vernal Coleman ·
8 Sep 2008, 5:34 PM ·
Comment
The Daily Tar Heel reports today that six university residential halls contain small traces of asbestos.
Chapel Hill UNC-Chapel Hill
Vernal Coleman ·
8 Sep 2008, 12:29 PM ·
1 Comment
A recently released federal study reveals that problems in the Wake and Durham county probation offices are worse than previously thought, reports the News and Observer.
Ordered weeks after the offices were revealed to have mishandled the cases of two men suspected in the separate murders of Abhijit Mahato and Eve Carson, two local university students, a National Institute of Corrections report tells of a Durham County probation office in disarray, with deficiencies in a whopping 80 percent of its cases.
Wake County didn’t fare much better. Auditors found deficiencies in 43 percent of the 944 cases sampled for the study.
This summer , the legislature earmarked an additional $2.5 million stimulus for the system, which officials say is starved for funding.
If nothing else, that will cover the $110, 823 in office equipment the report says is missing from the Wake probation office.
Durham County, Wake County crime, criminal justice, Duke University, Probation, UNC-Chapel Hill
Matt Saldaña ·
3 Sep 2008, 10:49 AM ·
Comment
And newly appointed UNC - Chapel Hill Chancellor Holden Thorp follows in lockstep, The Daily Tar Heel reports. The student paper reports on a memo that Bowles, the UNC system president, circulated to chancellors announcing that he would not support an effort to consider lowering the drinking age, citing a lack of evidence that it would reduce binge drinking and other drinking-related problems. Thorp has “since said he also supports keeping the drinking age at 21,” the paper writes. So far, Duke University is the only Triangle-area college to endorse the Amethyst Initiative, which has collected the signatures of over 125 college chancellors and presidents who endorse “an informed and unimpeded debate on the 21 year-old drinking age.” (The Amethyst statement cites “a culture of dangerous, clandestine ‘binge-drinking’” as one reason for signing.) The Tar Heel notes that “Duke’s political clout is less than that of the 17-campus UNC system.” But that didn’t stop Ohio State, or the university systems of Maryland or Massachusetts, from signing. Nor has it stopped UNC from supporting the discussion of controversial topics in the past.
Chapel Hill drinking age, Erskine Bowles, Holden Thorp, UNC-Chapel Hill
Vernal Coleman ·
2 Sep 2008, 12:24 PM ·
Comment
Recently installed UNC Chancellor Holden Thorp yesterday moved not to renew the school’s three-month-old contract with Victoria’s Secret, reports The Daily Tar Heel. North Carolina was one of 31 universities that this spring agreed to allow the lingerie company the use of its logo for Pink, a line of sleepwear, loungewear and “intimate apparel.”
Astute observers of university policy will note that the school has for years allowed apparel companies known to use sweatshop labor use of the Tar Heel logo. Said Chancellor Thorp, “I saw the catalog they produced and didn’t believe the images were consistent with the values of the university in terms of the way they portray women.”
So, to review: Associating with companies who hire women to make clothing in sweatshops conditions good, associating with companies who hire women to work while wearing a scant of amount of clothing bad.
Chapel Hill, North Carolina, labor sweatshops, UNC-Chapel Hill
