U.S. Campus Life Sept. 11 fund raising By Masako Yamada	フレームで見る  英文をプリントする  脚注をプリントする
テロ被害に向けた募金 ピザを注文したら、アメリカの国旗の記された箱で届けられた。

This weekend, I planned a small farewell party in my apartment for a labmate who was returning to Spain. We all went to the supermarket together to buy ready-made food for the party. It was basically a potluck dinner, only we didn't make our own food. Unfortunately, as in the case with some potluck dinners, some participants did not bring their fair share of food; thus, we found that we ran out of food before everybody was full. We decided to order some pizza from across the street.

When the pizzas arrived, we all had a good chuckle. There was a huge American flag on top of the box with the words "God Bless America." Obviously, it was a special box made in response to the attacks on Sept. 11. A newfound patriotism has been hitting even the most jaded, sedate cities (like Boston) and it has apparently even permeated the world of fast food. Even though there is nothing funny about terrorist attacks, there was something comical about seeing that big flag on the top of the box. The side of the box still had the usual checklist of toppings, "Sausage, Pepperoni, Mushrooms..."

Actually, the box had a grander purpose than to incite patriotism among the pizza-eating public. The box company is donating part of its profits to the "Red Cross September 11th Fund." In spite of our initial laughter, all of us agreed that this was a good idea, since the pizza-eating public is very large. One month after the attacks, it seems that people are not rushing to write relief checks and lining up to donate blood.

There is still a lot of anxiety and sadness over the attacks, but the feelings aren't as urgent as before. There is still a great need for relief, however, so perhaps this kind of "everyday" fund raising is the best way to raise lots of money. We paid no more for the pizza than usual; my guess is that both the pizza parlor and box company have taken small profit cuts to make corporate donations.

On Oct. 11, many restaurants across the country held fund-raising dinners for victims of the terrorist attacks. The owners of participating restaurants agreed to donate 10 percent of sales to the relief effort. This initiative was widely publicized. I was at a restaurant in an affluent Boston suburb that was participating in this event. The restaurant was absolutely packed.

My general feeling has been that many people have wanted to help in someway after the attacks. Since there's a limit to how much one can help physically, especially from afar, donating money is probably the easiest and most effective way for people to help.

While this tragedy has certainly inspired an astonishing number of private citizens and organizations to contribute, it has not been without some controversy. For instance, other non-profit organizations that rely on contributions have been suffering because people have decided to contribute to the Sept. 11 fund instead. I do some fund-raising work for Boston University, and we've been discussing that we probably won't see many contributions this year. Many non-profit organizations have been providing valuable services for years, but they have seen incoming donations taper off. Their causes pale in comparison.

I've also read that some victims of other tragedies feel that their own tragedies Ewhich are just as painful for them Eare not getting the same kind of support as the Sept. 11 attacks. I don't think it's really a matter of "jealousy" over not getting the same kind of attention. Everybody agrees that those attacks were horrendous.

However, practical issues exist. For instance, college scholarship funds have been set up for students whose parents have died in the Sept. 11 attacks, but similar scholarship funds have not been created for children who have been orphaned otherwise. This might seem like petty squabbling, but after a month in shock over the attacks, the implications, and the events yet to come, people have to talk about money issues and, unfortunately, that kind of talk begets squabbling. It's not enough for people to have good intentions and to want to help.

Shukan ST: Oct. 26, 2001

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