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Editor:
I want to make a case for contributing to the United Way in this letter to you all. I see an analogy with the reasons that people do not contribute in Tolstoy's novel "Anna Karenina." Tolstoy observes that when families are happy, they are all happy in the same way, and when families are unhappy, they are unhappy in different ways.
I take Tolstoy's observation to mean that a set of several conditions is necessary for a family to be happy (sufficient income, health, and so forth), and when any one of these conditions is not met, the family will be unhappy. Likewise, for many of us, it only takes one reason to withhold a contribution to the United Way.
Many reasons have been given by our colleagues for not supporting the United Way. I believe, nevertheless, that the positive reasons for contributing overwhelm any seemingly negative reasons.
Let me end with a concrete example. In the coming winter, the university area will attract homeless people who will be asking for money for food. If you cannot help them at the moment, you can tell them that you have already given them money for food. It is waiting for them at the Primavera Foundation, which serves up meals and provides shelter and housing for homeless persons.
If you would like more information about the good work the United Way does, ask your departmental representative for more information. I hope that we can persuade you to join the family of United Way contributors.
Richard A. Demers
professor of linguistics
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