HUDS is already involved in several local community service initiatives, providing—by its own estimate—nearly 11,000 meals a year to Massachusetts residents who are facing hunger.”

The GIF was launched last month by students at Swarthmore College aiming to raise money to provide logistical support and materials—but not weapons—to the 2,000 African Union peacekeepers in Darfur. Senators Sam Brownback, R-Kan., Jon Corzine, D-N.J., and six members of the U.S. House of Representatives have signed on to the fund’s effort.

Hamilton, the co-founder of HDAG, said that the group has already raised $6,000 for the fund.

The death toll in Darfur from violence, disease, and famine since civil war erupted in the region in February 2003 is estimated to be as high as 400,000 by some experts.

The Bush administration and Congress have declared that black Muslim Darfur residents are the victims of genocide. But critics of the administration say the U.S. has not done enough to protect villagers from government-backed Arab militias.

“If this BoardPlus thing comes off, then two of the only tangible things that have been done for Darfur—writ large—have happened at this university,” Power said.

Last month, Harvard sold its shares of stock in the Beijing-based oil company PetroChina after months of pressure from activists who criticized the company’s ties to the Sudanese government. The move made Harvard the first major institutional shareholder to divest from PetroChina since the Darfur crisis erupted, according to activists.

HDAG’s petition can be found online at www.harvardinvest.com.

—Daniel J. Hemel contributed to the reporting of this story.

—Staff writer Katharine A. Kaplan can be reached at kkaplan@fas.harvard.edu.