Student Senate's Got Swabbed? bone marrow drive smashed all previous records, more than doubling the world record for a bone marrow drive.
After the drive closed yesterday, 2,209 people had been swabbed - double the previous record of 1,100, and well past the drive's goal to register 1,300 people
in the National Marrow Registry.
Erica Cohen, an at-large senator and organizer of the event, received thunderous applause at the senate's meeting last night, though she still was cleaning up from the event.
This is a great day for (Cohen)
the university and Student Senate said Student Senate President Michael Adeyanju.
Emily Bacha, University Life Commissioner for the senate, called the event an amazing amazing achievement.
Congrats to her (Cohen)
tRAC and everyone else who took part in the event
Bacha said.
The primary sponsors of the event included Hillel, Alpha Epsilon Pi, the Residence Action Council, Student Senate and Vision OHIO.
Only about 1 percent of people registered as donors are found to be a match, Cohen said in a previous interview.
When registered donors show up as a match, they can either go through the more common peripheral blood stem cell process or can undergo a procedure to extract liquid bone marrow from the hip. Peripheral blood stem cell donation is a process similar to donating blood, but only stem cells are donated and it takes upwards of four hours.
Cohen said there were no major hitches in the drive, other than handling the sheer number of people who came to register.
We were just trying to get people through as quickly as possible
she said.
Ryan Lombardi, dean of students, also commended the effort.
It was twice the record of any bone marrow drive ever on a college campus or otherwise
Lombardi said.
The previous record of 1,100 people swabbed was established in June 2008 by the crew of the United States Navy amphibious assault vessel USS Kearsarge.
Students crowded the third floor of Baker University Center to register for donation even after its 6 p.m. close, Cohen said.
Another drive was held at the OU Hillel meeting last night, and students will have a final opportunity to be swabbed after the Campus Crusade for Christ meeting tonight. Adeyanju said he expects the numbers to rise but could not say by how much. Final numbers will be available after these drives end.
Any student wishing to donate but who is unable to attend these meetings should contact Cohen, Adeyanju said.
The Campus Crusade for Christ 180 weekly meeting will be held in Morton Hall 201 at 9:00 p.m. Students can be swabbed after the meeting ends at 10:30.
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Tristan Navera
