UCLA Today: War is closer to home for some

BY CYNTHIA LEE and JUDY LIN-EFTEKHAR
UCLA Today Staff

For many on campus, the war in Iraq seems a distant confrontation on the other side of the globe.

Yet this conflict is closer than we may realize. About 17 staff employees — supervisors, emergency medicine technicians, office workers — are on active military duty, eyewitnesses to and participants in the fury.

Spouses and children of some employees have been dispatched to unknown destinations in Iraq and Kuwait, leaving behind worried loved ones. And only a phone call away from orders to ship out are military reservists such as Ed Galvan, senior security guard supervisor, and Joyce Keeler, a neonatal critical care nurse, both with UCLA Medical Center.

Anxieties about this war have already sent employees, including some parents of soldiers, to seek support from the Staff and Faculty Counseling Center. “While there may be support for spouses, there’s little support in the community for these parents,” said Co-Director Nan Levine-Mann. She has also addressed some issues — signs of stress, feelings of vulnerability — in group sessions with various campus departments that have asked for her help.

And for a dozen students who are permanent U.S. residents from Iraq and others from the region who may need support, the Office of International Students and Scholars is doing what it can to alleviate anxiety and stress, said James White, counseling attorney. “We try to let them know that things are hopefully going to subside soon. If they have any immediate needs that require them to leave school, we are here to advocate on their behalf and to help them hold on to their status so that they will not lose any ground in getting their degree.”
Here are some snapshots of those among us for whom the war is close:

Delaine Madden, executive assistant to Vice Chancellor Claudia Mitchell-Kernan in the Graduate Division, tries to imagine that her oldest daughter, Kalia, has “just gone to her office” when, in fact, the Air Force reservist, an Arabic linguist, was deployed over three weeks ago to the war zone. “Her job (with military intelligence) is extremely sensitive. I really don’t know much about that,” said her mother, who has four daughters who are or were in the military. “I know that she doesn’t actually get involved in the fighting. It helps to know that.” Family support is critical. Care of Madden’s six grandchildren in Utah has fallen to Kalia’s sister, with friends and neighbors helping out.
Julie Ortiz Rummel, executive assistant to the senior counsel for UCLA media relations, is married to career Marine Eric Rummel. A veteran of Desert Storm, he was deployed to Kuwait in January. What few details Rummel knows, she has learned from his letters to her and their two young sons. Most recently, he divulged he is now in Iraq, driving a convoy vehicle carrying ammunition and rockets. “I tell our older boy — the younger one doesn’t understand — that Daddy is in a different country trying to help the women and children there,” Rummel said. “I never tell him the full ramifications of the war.” She writes to her husband, sends care packages and tries to keep up a strong emotional front. “His being in Desert Storm and other deployments since then make it easier. I continue to tell myself it’s a normal routine.”
Following the latest developments of the war on TV, Keeler, a nurse, Air Force reservist and mother of a 6-year-old boy, is ambivalent about joining it. “The military part of me is incredibly anxious to go; the mother part of me is not,” she said soberly. Knee surgery kept Keeler off the call-up list until March 23, when military doctors declared she was again fit to serve. With her will updated and power-of-attorney papers in place to provide for her son, she is 90% ready, she said. Over recent months, Keeler has been working out at the gym to build up her knee and arm strength to enable her to carry the wounded on stretchers to planes, just as she did in Desert Storm and Somalia as part of the 452nd AeroMedical Evacuation Squadron.
Galvan, senior security guard supervisor at the hospital, has already seen two emergency medicine technicians leave for Iraq. Now he wonders if his time will come. “I know I can lose my life, but I want to make my country and my family proud,” said the Naval reservist, who is trained to repair planes. “Right now, I’m feeling anxious. All we’re given is 48 hours to leave.” The father of four said the sight of war protesters “gives me a good-chill feeling. How many countries in the world allow you to protest when your nation is at war? That’s why I put on my uniform — so that people can speak their mind.”

To read Chancellor Albert Carnesale’s message to the campus regarding developments in Iraq and to stay abreast of related discussions, available services and security concerns, see www.ucla.edu/conflictwithiraq/index.html.

Campus Security

BY WENDY SODERBURG
UCLA Today Staff

Although there is no imminent threat, some campus departments are doing their best to make the working and living environments of faculty, staff and students as safe as possible.

For example, UCLA’s Police Department is continuing its patrols of critical locations on campus and stands ready to implement UCLA’s emergency plan, if needed. UCPD also lists some protective measures and helpful resources on its Web site, www.ucpd.ucla.edu.

Since the Sept. 11 attacks, UCLA has had well-established emergency preparedness procedures in place. The speed and reach of the campus emergency communications system have been increased, and the protocols for the handling of suspicious mail and substances have been improved. Emergency drills and training sessions continue to be run in partnership with law enforcement and other authorities.

The Office of Environment, Health and Safety (EH&S) trains its staff to deal with such crises as smallpox, radioactive materials and chemical contamination, and also provides training to departments at their request: www.ehs.ucla.edu.

Recently, the campus implemented UCLA’s new Emergency E-mail Notification System, which allows emergency messages to be sent to the campus community as effectively and efficiently as possible.

Here are other ways in which emergency information can be acquired:

Call UCLA’s emergency hotline: 1-800-900-UCLA to receive recorded information.
Visit the UCLA home page (www.ucla.edu) to find links to the latest bulletins from Chancellor Albert Carnesale and to the campus’ emergency preparedness site, which provides information on what to do in a variety of emergency situations.
Tune in to Radio 810 AM, which broadcasts on campus and within a small radius of the campus, during daylight hours only.
Tune in to UCLA Channel 3, available only through the on-campus cable TV.
Stay alert for specific instructions from the leadership of your respective school, department or campus unit.
If you are not on campus, you may be able to obtain important, UCLA-specific updates by checking major Los Angeles television and radio outlets.
Remain aware of your surroundings. Report any suspicious activity or objects to the UCLA Police Department at (310) 825-1491. Or call 8-911 in case of an emergency.