USD Magazine, Summer 2001

ALCALA ALMANAC

ship that had been attacked. The Cole was bombed while refuelling in Yemen at the Gulf of Aden, the western arm of the Arabian Sea. Matthias' job was to help survivors get in touch with their loved ones via the Camden's satellite communications system. "We had the phones running 24 hours a day," says Matthias, who offered hugs to the Co/e's survivors while they waited for their turn on the phone."They mostly just wanted to assure their families that they were OK and that they loved them. There were lots of tears." The bombing, caused when a small ship packed with explosives rammed the Co/e's bow, killed 17 sailors and injured 39. "We ran boats back and forth, swapping out our crew for theirs so they could come back and call home, take showers, talk to the chaplain or just rest," says Matthias, whose duties didn't allow her to leave the Camden. "We fixed their air conditioning, bailed out leaking water, got their mail delivered, set up e-mail accounts, did their laundry and just helped them relax." Matthias cannot disclose much informa– t ion about the tragedy. Although she didn't see the destruction firsthand , she saw its effects in the exhausted faces covered with tears, blood and soot. She will never forget the stench of death that clung to everyone who set foot on the Cole. "I can't imagine seeing what they saw and going through everything they went through," Matthias says."They are heroes."

Because of technology, chil– dren as young as 5 or 6 years old can manipulate a weapon. As a result, 300,000 children are serving in conflicts around the world." - Joyce Neu, director of the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Jesus was the ultimate man– ager. He hired 12 losers and still built a successful organi– zation." -Author and motivational speaker Ken Blanchard, to a BusinessLink USD breakfast crowd. Don't you get the feeling that Dick Cheney is sitting behind the desk in the Oval Office, while George W. is off to the side at a card table, playing with model airplanes?" - "Saturday Night Live" comedian Darrell Hammond, who imperson– ated Cheney, Bill Clinton and Al Gore for a sold-out show in Shiley Theatre . There are 1,600 lobbyists in Sacramento and 1.5 of them are devoted to children's issues." - Law Professor Bob Fellmeth, director of USD's Children's Advocacy Institute, speaking to law students applying to the institute. during her speech at the I2th annual Social Issues Conference.

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Michelle Matthias '99

USS Cole Tragedy When disaster strikes, sometimes the best comfort is calling home T hat's what Michelle (Dye) Matthias '99 discovered during the aftermath of last year's bombing of the USS Cole. Matthias, a naval communications officer deployed in the Persian Gulf on the supply ship USS Camden , was working the radios after dinner on Oct. 12, when the captain announced they were heading to a fellow

USD by the Numbers

U.S. News & World Report College Rankings 228 National* universities in country, including USD 4 Number of tiers national universities are divided into 2 Tier in which USD is ranked I S Ranking of USD's engineering program 2 I Ranking of USD's tax law program 36 Ranking of USD's graduate nursing program I OJ Ranking of USD's business program * National universities are those with a full range of undergraduate, master's and doctoral programs.The magazine's other categories include liberal arts colleges and regional colleges.

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