Hunger Strike

To the Editors of The Crimson:

I admire the spirit in which seven Harvard students have decided to fast for divestiture. But just how effective will a fast be? A few years ago, every newspaper carried stories about the hunger strikers in Northern Ireland. Today, the British are in Ireland, along with a few more graves. I'm sure the students here are fasting for a limited time, but I don't think they will even get the token gestures that Williams conceded to its strikers.

The problem is that Harvard, as a corporate body, has no human emotions, as George Putnam's laughter so blatantly shows. They won't respond to actions that could be construed as succumbing to mere "human" emotions. The seven students (and, for that matter, anyone who wants to effectively protest for change) should approach Harvard in a more corporate way--something it can understand. For instance, the idea of placing the senior gift in a conditional trust is more effective; it involves more people and proves to Harvard that the issue of divestiture is directly tied to its income and could affect alumni gifts for years. If Harvard values those lost donations more than the stock in South Africa, then it would think seriously about divestiture. Don't try to appeal to Harvard on moral grounds--attack it on financial grounds. Danielle Gordon '85