Over 1800 Students Fast to Assist the Poor; College Will Donate Dinner Money to Oxfam

Harvard dining halls were less crowded than usual last night because 1822 students skipped dinner to raise money for the Oxford Committee for Famine Relief (Oxfam), an international group that sponsors relief and development projects in the Third World.

The effort raised $1740 for Oxfam, Henry Dones '79, chief organizer for the fast, said last night. Harvard Food Services contributed 95 cents for every student who agreed to skip dinner, Dones said.

Only part of the reason for the fast was to raise money, Marie Korn '79, who helped organize the fast, said last night. "There's also the symbolic value of experiencing for one night the hunger of people in poverty," she said.

"Unless there's some crisis or famine, the plight of hungry people around the world is forgotten," Stephanie Berry '79, another fast organizer, said last night.

Students who agreed not to eat in Harvard dining halls for the Oxfam fast had different reasons for participating. "I'm not doing it so much for the moral commitment--I just think it's important to give money to underdeveloped countries," Tricia Henry '80, said last night.

Henry said she and her roommates were skipping dinner in the Union, but might go out to eat later. "We're not being hypocritical," she said. "We just don't think it's necessary to express support by fasting, as long as Oxfam gets the money."

"The Hell of It"

Connie Sawyer '79 said last night she was fasting although she did not think the action would help her understand the hunger of people in real poverty.

"I know I can get something to eat here if I want," Sawyer said. She said she was fasting "just for the hell of it."

The fast by Harvard students was part of a nationwide effort to increase concern for the problem of world hunger and raise funds for Oxfam, Kendall Dudley, national Oxfam fast organizer, said yesterday.

Over 200,000 people nationwide fasted, Dudley said. Most of them abstained from eating the entire day, although Harvard students were only asked to sacrifice one meal, he said.

Ninety per cent of funds raised by the effort would go directly to Oxfam projects in Africa, South America and Asia, with the rest going to administrative costs, Dudley said.

The Harvard Hunger Action Group organized the Oxfam fast at Harvard, Dones said, because it wanted to do something about world hunger problems and Oxfam was the most efficient group to work with.

"We studied different relief groups and Oxfam was the best," he said.

This is the third year that Harvard students have participated in the Oxfam fast, Dones said. Only 1400 students were involved last year.

"The fast wasn't really that hard to organize," Dones said. "We had quite a few interested volunteers come in to help us sign students up."