The fundraiser sponsored by the College Republicans and Democrats and the Amherst Assembly for Patriotism raised $801, most of which will be donated to charities contributing to Sept. 11 relief efforts. The money will be distributed among the United Way Sept. 11 Fund, America's Second Harvest and Habitat for Humanity. Student volunteers collected funds from Nov. 12 to 15.

"I'm very pleased with the amount we got, but this event wasn't about meeting a specific goal. It was about giving students an opportunity to donate," said Dan Geldon '04, a College Democrat who helped to organize the fundraiser. "A lot of students came together and donated, and I think that's something to be proud of."

Ted Hertzberg '04, an executive board member of the College Republicans, expressed disappointment with the amount raised. "This whole $801 is incredibly paltry. It's less than 50 cents per person. It's embarrassing that we can't even raise $1000," he said.

The groups decided to donate some money to charities not directly related to the Sept. 11 relief efforts, because other charities have received less money than usual as a result of the emphasis on the terrorist attacks. America's Second Harvest and Habitat for Humanity will each receive $120, while the United Way September 11th Fund will receive $561. The event organizers chose the charities because they are reputable and would give to all victims of the attacks, according to Geldon.

"Our primary goal was to give money to victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, but we recognized that other charities have been suffering because of all the resources being devoted to Sept. 11 funds," said Geldon. "We felt that giving some of the proceeds to hunger and homelessness organizations would be a nice gesture. We wanted students to realize that charities not related to Sept. 11 assistance have seen a precipitous drop in donations since the attacks," said Brent Lanoue '02. co-president of the College Democrats.

Leaders of all organizations involved agreed that the bipartisan nature of the event was necessary. "We made this a bipartisan event to show that, when tragedy like this occurs, we are all Americans-not Democrats or Republicans," said Geldon.

"This is one issue we and the Republicans clearly agree upon," added Lanoue.

The event organizers recruited students to staff the tables. "Many people have felt powerless in this situation, but by getting involved in a fundraiser like this one students at least feel they're doing what they can to help," said Geldon.