USD Magazine, Summer 1999

ALCALA

\ ..

H E L P I NG S he's been a fixture at the Linda Vista community health clinic for more than two years, but nurse Connie Curran still makes a concerted effort to win the trust of her patients. The 1995 Philip Y. Hahn School of Nursing and Health Science graduate makes coffee and brings juice and breakfast snacks every Wednesday to make the center's visitors comfortable. It works. "They'll come in if there's food," says Curran with a laugh. "Actually, we can tell it's working because right away they open up a little more and ask questions. Food puts people at ease." Curran helps direct and teach a group of USO nursing students who volunteer at the Community Outreach Partnership Center just off campus on Comstock Street. Funded by a federal grant, the center provides, among other services, health care for Linda Vista, a neighbor– hood that abuts campus. Curran and Mary Jo Clark, associate dean, help nursing students get practical experience at the clinic. The volunteers

HANDS STUDENTS, FACULTY AID COMMUNITY

give blood pressure checks, make health assessments and talk with visitors about any health concerns. "I think we fill a real need," says Curran. "Some of these people might not otherwise get any medical help." The Community Outreach Partner– ship Center, or COPC, provides a num– ber of other services. Launched as an effort to strengthen USD's relationship with Linda Vista, COPC also provides residents with legal, business and educa– tional help. School of Business Adminis– tration students meet with small business owners and offer help with taxes and marketing plans, while School of Educa– tion students developed early childhood education and English as a second lan– guage programs. They also help with the Bayside Kids Program, which gives Linda Vista parents and their children an after– school alternative. School of Law students mediate in landlord-tenant disputes and offer other kinds of legal advice. COPC was started in 1997 through a $400,000 Department of Housing and through the NCAA playoffs before losing to top-ranked Virginia in the title game. Today, the trio is back together in an effort to lead the San Diego Flash professional minor league team to a second straight A-League Western Division crown. "It's kind of amazing, really, that we're all together like this again," says Tate, a second-year goalie. "It says a lot about the level at USO." Joining the trio with the Flash this year is Jamie Munro '99, a star defender. All four USO players have contributed mightily in several key wins, though only Legg and Munro start. The 6-foot-5 Adair provides an offensive boost off the bench and Tate has shared the goalie duties for a team that has limited opponents to just 1.5 goals a match.

Linda V'JSla residents undergo a health screening al the Community Outreach Partnership Center.

Urban Development grant. The program not only gets USO students involved, but helps Linda Vista residents take more active roles in their own community, says Anne Hendershott, associate professor of sociology and center adviser. "We really want to help empower

residents," says Hendershott, "especially those who had not formally been involved in such things. Our goal was to create a venue where their voices could be heard. And it's nice because it involves all of the different schools at USO.'' USD SOCCER

Three USO alumni also play for Major League Soccer, the highest level of soccer in North America: Goalie Scott Garlick '94 and forward Guillermo Jara '96 play for the Tampa Bay Mutiny, and Leighton O'Brien '99 is with the San Jose Clash. "We've had a top program for most of the '90s," says USO men's coach Seamus McFadden, when asked about the number of his former players in the pro ranks. "So in that sense, it's kind of natural. We've had a good run and we're attracting some top players.'' Top players will appear in July in Torero Stadium, as Major League Soccer stages its annual All-Star Weekend in San Diego. MLS officials have reserved Torero Stadium for a Celebrity All-Star game July 14 that is open to the public,

(L lo R) Jamie Munro '99, Chugger Adair '93, Tom Tate '95, Kevin Legg '95. F or a small group of former USO men's soccer players, championship seasons have become the norm since graduation. Chugger Adair '93, Tom Tate '95 and Kevin Legg '95 were part of the 1992 West Coast Conference championship team at USO that made a spectacular run

N E

U S D

M A G A Z