ONE YEAR AGO, ANGRY ENVIRONMENTALISTS tied themselves to trees. This University cannot hold a student trustee race without charges of cronyism or a student assembly race free of accusations and mudslinging. Slope Day incites heated debates over which class of students - graduate or undergraduate - should fund the fun. Temporarily, it looked like undergraduates would have to pay for all sporting events due to disagreements between the S.A. and the Atheltics Department. Within one day of tickets going on sale for the Ann Coulter '84 lecture, there is already talk of students staging a protest outside the event.

The Coulter protesters are largely partisan dissenters. Politics, of course, are hardly the only thing separating one Cornell student from the next. After the tragic stabbing on West Campus, some minority groups found themselves incensed. The incident, involving one white Cornell undergraduate stabbing a black student visiting from Union College, led to claims of patterns of institutional racism at Cornell. Among other demands, demonstrators on Ho Plaza in the weeks after the stabbing proposed that every student at the university be required to take a course dealing directly with current societal issues such as racism, sexism and homophobia.

And there is a wide array of peaceful barriers on The Hill: Program houses vs. residence halls; Collegetown vs. West Campus; architects vs. engineers; Greek vs. non-Greek.

In short, there are divisions all over this campus.

But every once in a while, something happens to unite the campus. This Friday, Cornell will host its second ever Big Red Relief concert. After the huge success of last year's charity benefit, which raised $10,000 for UNICEF to help victims of the tsunami in South Asia, this year the show will work to raise money for the children of war.

The event functionally involves every sector of the Cornell community.

Whether you are living in Alice Cook House or in a fraternity, your governing body is contributing to the concert. The event's sponsors include the Interfraternity Council, the Panhellenic Association and the Alice Cook House. The Class Councils and Student Assembly are working toward Relief, with support from the Class of 2006, Class of 2007 and SAAC. Cornell Athletics, WVBR, the Department of Planning and Phi Sigma Pi honor fraternity all chip in as well. And in keeping with many campus events of this scale, Big Red Relief could not be put on without the help of the Cornell University Programming Board and the Cornell Concert Commission.

The event also garners support from the greater Ithaca community. Collegetown Bagels, Home Depot, Wal-Mart and Lowes make donations to the charity concert.

Furthermore, the featured talent is undoubtedly some of Cornell's finest. The combined cost of a ticket to see all of the individual performing groups would amount to over $100, but those in attendance at Relief get a survey of all the groups for the price of one.

Big Red Relief is Cornell Night in the spring, but with a more unifying and charitable twist. Let's go Red!

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