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Student lobby
fears financial
Veteran tells of ocean’s horror
cliff in 2010 Survivor of was certain someone would no-
tice it was gone. Murphy said
naval disaster the U.S. Navy took the view that
Continued from A6
shares story the ship must have changed
course on its own, that surely
they would know it if had been
Colorado legislators had received By Taryn Jones sunk.
many hundred phone calls, letters tjone101@mscd.edu Several hundred sailors
and e-mails, and the action had an fought off starvation and dehy-
effect. Sixty four years after the dration while floating on only a
“This year we need many, many USS Indianapolis was attacked few life rafts and cargo nets.
more students participating,” An- by Japanese torpedoes, Paul Remaining survivors were
drew Bateman, Metro’s Student Gov- Murphy, one of the survivors, discovered by chance Aug. 2 by
ernment Assembly president and still tears up when recounting a Navy pilot who disobeyed stan-
president of the ASC, said. his story of loss and persever- dard operating procedure and
The question is: How do you get ance. made a water landing to save
the elusive students’ attention? The Metro Office of Student the first few.
“When you’re trying to explain Activities invited Murphy to the Rescue efforts proved dif-
the connection between higher edu- Tivoli Multicultural Lounge Nov. ficult due to effects that an ex-
cation and the broader economic 12 as part of Auraria’s Veterans tended stay in sea water can
stability of the state … that’s not Day commemoration. have on the body.
something people have an instant On July 30, 1945, the India- As the first men were hoist-
connection to,” Bateman said. “We napolis sank in 12 minutes leav- ed from the water, their skin was
need to find that instant reaction, ing a few hundred men to fend inadvertently pulled from their
that taps into the pulse … that’s one off shark attacks in the middle arms.
of the things we need to do.” of the Pacific Ocean while wait- Out of 1,196 men originally
The delegates elected a commit- ing to be rescued. aboard the Naval vessel, only
tee which will begin planning ac- “As the day went by, the 317 survived.
tions for the coming legislative ses- burn victims, and the ones with For the past 15 years, Mur-
sion, beginning January. broken bones, in the rafts, soon phy has been meeting at least
In the next two weeks before the started to die. They died a hor- 25 others that rode the waves of
next meeting scheduled Nov. 28, rible death. But as they passed the event with him that day in
each school’s delegation will design away their life jackets were tak- Indianapolis, IN for their annual
a plan to best suit its campus on how en off and given to those that Survivors Reunion.
to reach its students. didn’t have any, and their bodies “It’s still a big part of who
The ASC organizers will be send- were left to float away. That, I they are. It’s worth repeating [to
ing out a “how to” packet on engag- think, is one of the main reasons others],” said Mark Schwartz,
ing students in political action. the sharks began to appear,” director of student activities.
But “what you say to them, your Murphy said.
issues,” Bateman said, “is up to what The ship was a large 610- Veteran Paul Murphy prepares to recount his World War II survival ex-
each school decides.” foot aircraft carrier so the crew periences Nov. 11 in the Multicultural Lounge in the Tivoli. Photo by Taryn
Each school has different cir- Jones • tjone101@mscd.edu