Comic Relief

Facing serious failures with Wyclef and last year’s Snoop Dogg concerts, the Harvard Concert Commission (HCC) has taken much criticism and fielded questions about its competence for a good while. This weekend, however, the commission proved that, under the right conditions—and with collaboration—it can deliver on its promises. Saturday night’s Comedy for a Cause event, which was sponsored by the HCC and the Earthquake Relief Coalition (ERC) to raise funds for October’s earthquake in Pakistan, was a resounding success. Not only was the event enjoyable for the more than 800 students and locals in attendance, it raised roughly $10,000 for the cause, bringing the ERC closer to its $50,000 end-of-the-semester goal. All parties involved deserve praise for this success, and we hope that this model of multiple-group sponsored events is followed in the future.

After the devastating Pakistan earthquake, the ERC was formed by a group of 34 students wanting to organize events to raise money for the millions of affected individuals in the region. Seeing as the HCC had decided over the summer to pursue a fall comedy show, the co-sponsorship seemed logical. But we understand that communication is often hard to foster between groups, so we applaud the impressive and interested outreach of both groups. This cooperation made it possible to secure seven comedians hailing from Saturday Night Live, the Tonight Show, and Curb Your Enthusiasm—on the performers’ own time, free of charge. That the HCC and ERC were able to approach and convince performers of this caliber is a testament to the level of success that can be achieved with appropriate planning and organizing.

The charitable nature of the show undoubtedly contributed greatly to its success. Because the seven stars performed voluntarily, the only costs of putting on the show were minimal production expenditures. The ticket profits, as well as the individual donations, which amounted to $1,100, will go directly to the Edhi Foundation, a Pakistani emergency service organization, jointly chosen by the ERC and HCC. Though we don’t doubt that students would have wanted to see a comedy show regardless of whether the proceeds were going to earthquake relief efforts, we would not have seen such great enthusiasm and generosity without a charity benefactor. We are excited that the HCC plans to make Comedy for a Cause an annual event with a different beneficiary each year.

Beyond the success of the show in terms of the tangible funds raised for a worthy cause, the comedy show was also a victory for students looking to champion causes for which there might not be significant initial support from University Hall.

After the Katrina disaster, the University partook in many extraordinary efforts to provide relief to the affected region. Displaced students who could not return to their college campuses were offered the chance to apply for a semester’s admission to Harvard in order to resume some semblance of stability and continue with their interrupted educations. Students and faculty were also able to donate to a fund that would be matched by the University and directed towards relief efforts, enabling members of the Harvard community to feel like they were contributing in a more personal way.

The Pakistan earthquake, however, did not receive such exceptional treatment, leading some students to question why one catastrophe deserved special philanthropic measures and the other did not. The disaster in Pakistan killed over 80,000 people and left an estimated 3.5 million survivors homeless—numbers that dwarf those that Katrina left devastated in its wake. The moral conundrum as to when to step beyond the bounds of pedagogy and into the realm of philanthropy is undeniably murky, and we recognize that there is no clear test as to when to spearhead relief efforts or other charitable causes.

Given this ambiguity, we wrote in October that the administration, in supporting special programs after Katrina, was responding to significant community concern and thus contributing to an environment in which students, faculty, and employees felt that their desires were being acknowledged. We reasoned that the Pakistan catastrophe was not receiving exceptional administration attention because those within the Harvard community had not clamored for it. The ERC has proven, however, that with proper insistence and raised awareness, students have the ability to make the administration listen.

The ERC has been receiving support from Massachusetts Hall ever since University President Lawrence H. Summers promised to provide funding for any groups working in the earthquake relief effort. While there is no word as to whether the President’s office will match the funds or make a donation to make the ERC reach its $50,000 goal, the administration should be commended. The powers-that-be recognized that students were passionate about this cause, and they responded.Both sides—the students who mobilized the efforts in order to create a buzz, as well as the receptive University administration—have done their parts to work together. We hope to continue to see such awareness, passion, and cooperation as motivated individuals in student groups join forces to make a difference.