Male seeking female? Go west (to UNC), young man.

08 Feb 2010, Posted by Eugene Wang in Culture, Durham, Playground, 0 Comments

When Beyonce wrote her Grammy-winning single “Single Ladies,” she probably didn’t produce it with Chapel Hill in mind.

But according to The New York Times, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill has a dating scene that has become difficult for all those ladies who put their hands up when Beyonce asks them to in the song’s characteristic hook. With an approximately 60 percent female student body, UNC’s social scene skews female and gives many single men looking for love a distinct advantage.

This trend toward more women than men in college is not restricted to UNC. In 2000, women comprised 57 percent of college enrollment, according to data from the American Council on Eduction. Although large public universities have had majority-female student bodies – aside from UNC, the article states that large public universities like California, Florida and Georgia skew toward the fairer sex – some private schools like New York University also have more women.

According to the Times, Stephen Farmer, UNC director of undergraduate admissions, attributes UNC’s gender imbalance to the university’s lack of an engineering school, which disproportionately attracts male students.

But such a gender imbalance is not present at some top schools, including Duke. In fact, Duke’s undergraduate population has fairly equal numbers of men and women – if anything the population skews slightly male. Such parity in the male-female ratio is also more common among Ivy League schools, the article states.

NYT Goofs in Salinger Obit

28 Jan 2010, Posted by Andrew Hibbard in Literature, Playground, 0 Comments

Amidst the terrible sadness sweeping the nation due to J.D. Salinger’s death, there is some humor to be found in the now-corrected version of the New York Times’ obituary of the reclusive author. Toward the bottom of the second page, the following sentence was to be found:

Quote TK from Salinger’s agent about surviving manuscripts, if any, and plans for them.

Check out the screen grab below.

Trustee Rubenstein gives $10M to Lincoln Center

01 Oct 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Alumni, News, Tidbits, 0 Comments

David Rubenstein, Trinity ‘70 and member of the Board of Trustees since 2003, is spreading his wealth.

Rubenstein donated $10 million to the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, the New York Times reported Wednesday.

Rubenstein added to the center’s $1.2 billion redevelopment project, and the center will name its new visitors and ticket space on Broadway the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center, the Times reported. The site will offer discounted tickets and free shows, and it is scheduled to open Nov. 24.

The donation was sparked by Rubenstein’s 60th birthday last month, according to the article, which reports that Rubenstein made $2.7 billion as managing director of The Carlyle Group. Estimating that he could live to about 81 years old, Rubenstein has decided to give his money away to causes he supports before he dies.

“My view is, if you have money, you can spend it, you can save it, or you can give it away,” Rubenstein said to the Times. “I bought all the things I need to buy.”

Since Rubenstein co-founded The Carlyle Group in 1987, the company has expanded to house offices in 20 countries with more than 1,290 investors from 72 countries. The Carlyle Group manages about $86.1 billion in assets, according to its Web site.

Along with his commitment to the Duke Board of Trustees, Rubenstein  also serves on the boards of 30 other institutions—which he also supports financially, the article states.

In addition to using his wealth to underwrite scholarships and fund arts centers, Rubenstein has purchased several historical documents which he has loaned to American museums, including copies of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Emancipation Proclamation, according to the article.

“Being happy in life is not easy,” Rubenstien said in the Times. “I would give up all the money I have if I could be 50. You can always make money.”

Sanford professor evaluates Obama’s use of media

24 Sep 2009, Posted by Lindsey Rupp in Faculty and Staff, National Politics, News, media, 0 Comments

Ken Rogerson, professor of public policy and director of undergraduate studies at the Sanford School of Public Policy, participated in the New York Times’ Room for Debate blog, “Obama on All Channels,” Sept. 23.

Rogerson was one of several professors, presidential speechwriters and authors to comment on President Barack Obama’s frequent media appearances. Posts addressed whether the president is in danger of being overexposed.

In his post, Rogerson noted that Obama is “doing his job.”

“He is out among the citizens—both virtually and physically—promoting his policy agenda, showing support for existing programs and asking us to think hard about political decisions that are being made,” Rogerson wrote.

Rogerson added that still, Obama may be overexposing himself, leading citizens to prioritize consuming other information available to them in the “maze of modern technology.”

He contrasted the surplus of information about Obama and his doings with the  author J.D. Salinger’s media shyness, noting it is “interesting” that Salinger’s reclusive behavior has made  him  more compelling to the public.

“The next time Salinger decides to say something in public, I suspect people will stop to listen,” Rogerson wrote.

Quoted: Peter Feaver on Obama and Bush diplomacy

20 Sep 2009, Posted by Zachary Tracer in Faculty and Staff, National Politics, News, 0 Comments

Peter Feaver, Alexander F. Hehmeyer professor of political science and director of the Triangle Institute for Security Studies, was quoted in the New York Times Sunday. The article, by Peter Baker, discusses how President Barack Obama has gained few concessions from foreign leaders, despite the good will he has built up abroad.

Here’s Feaver’s take on the matter, as quoted in the Times:

“The problem is he’s asking for roughly the same things President Bush asked for and President Bush didn’t get them, not because he was a boorish diplomat or a cowboy,” said Peter D. Feaver, a former adviser to Mr. Bush now at Duke University. “If that were the case, bringing in the sophisticated, urbane President Obama would have solved the problem. President Bush didn’t get them because these countries had good reasons for not giving them.”