L-A College Students Develop Humanitarian
Projects
June 2003
Students in the spring semester Western Civilization class
held at USM’s Lewiston-Auburn College were given an
unusual assignment by the instructor, Dr. Barry Rodrigue.
As part of their graded course work, each of six groups from
the class had to select and develop a “solidarity project”
that would then be presented to the entire class at the end
of the semester. The following projects were presented: Aid
to Chechnyan Refugees - to help those displaced by that country’s
fight for independence; the Lewiston Multi-Purpose Center
– to help raise donations for courses being taught there;
Aid to Bosnian Refugees - to help those uprooted from the
ethnic conflicts of the 1990s; Project Heifer – to help
purchase farm animals for needy families in Third World countries;
Afghanistan Assistance – to help people displaced by
the recent war; and Romanian Orphans – to help the thousands
of uncared for orphans in that country.
The class members, who had raised over $220 dollars, decided
to help the people closest to home and donated the money to
the Multi Purpose Center in Lewiston. Students in the class
have sought donors to fund some of the other projects, and
have received a donation from the Christian Fellowship of
New Gloucester to assist the Romanian orphan effort.
Any individual or organization interested in providing financial
assistance to one of these projects is asked to contact Barry
Rodrigue at 753-6574 or rodrigue@usm.maine.edu
