Moral Reasoning Students Start Fund for Ethiopia

After hearing a lecture in Moral Reasoning 22, "Justice," two students have taken ethics beyond the classroom in an effort to raise funds to help people in famine-stricken Ethiopia.

Robert S. Cobburn '85 and Daniel R. Abbasi '86 last week formed an ad hoc student group called the Harvard Ethiopian Life Project (HELP).

Both students in Associate Professor of Government Michael J. Sandel's popular class, they said the professor's lecture on moral acts and omissions inspired them to do something to tight hunger in the African nation.

There is a small difference between the action of taking a gun and killing someone and the omission of not contributing an affordable $5 to help save a life, Abbasi said yesterday. "The end result is the same--a person has died," he explained.

About 100 HELP volunteers will launch an intensive, week-long campaign to collect monetary contributions from the Harvard community, Abbasi said.

Not Just Philosophizing

"Its gratifying to see students take seriously the connection between philosophical reflection and concrete political activity," Sandel said yesterday. Sandel has agreed to allow Abbasi to address his class later this week.

Abbasi said he will also try to get permission to make an appeal to the full stadium audience at the Harvard, Yale Game Saturday. In addition, volunteers will be stationed in the Freshman Union and House dining halls during dinner next Sunday and Monday.

HELP organizers timed the fundraising drive to coincide with Yale Weekend and Thanksgiving.

"Alumnae will be in a good mood when we win the game, and we want to capitalize on that good humor," said Abbasi. The Leverett House junior added that the Thanksgiving holiday would be made more meaningful for students if they contributed to the hunger fund

"One hundred percent of the money collected will go to those who need it and thats a guarantee," said Abbasi. Hyers publicizing the new group stated that a $5 donation can feed an Ethiopian family of live for one month.

More than 900,000 Ethiopians are expected to die of starvation in the next year