A battle is raging between Ohio University and Miami University, and there will be blood - 400 pints to be exact.
The American Red Cross conducted a blood drive at Ping Center on Monday as the first part of the Blood Battle, a blood donation competition the Red Cross announced at the OU-Miami men's basketball game Jan. 14 in Oxford.
Each school competes for the highest donation rate and has a 200-pint minimum that will be collected during two main blood drives per school.
Officials said that they consider the first drive to be a success, with students donating 105 units of blood.
We had people waiting here for 45 minutes. That's a lot of devotion for a donor
said Greta Black, a drive volunteer.
The battle's second blood drive will be on Feb. 16 at Baker University Center from noon to 7 p.m.
The school that wins the blood battle will be presented with a trophy at the OU men's basketball home game vs. Miami Feb. 26, while the losing school's student body president will sing the winning school's alma mater or fight song.
Student Senate President Michael Adeyanju said he was confident OU would come through and win the battle, adding that he would appreciate student participation so he would not have to sing.
Several organizations such as Student Senate, the OU Red Cross, the O Zone, the Department of Athletics, Alpha Phi Omega and the College of Osteopathic Medicine are sponsoring campus blood drives and recruiting student donors.
The goal of the battle is to increase donation rates by 10 percent between the participating schools, officials at the Red Cross said, adding that they hope to make the battle an annual tradition between OU and Miami.
The current blood battle grew out of plans for a much smaller event conceived by members of the Athens and OU chapters of the Red Cross. The original event would have pitted OU's Army and Air Force chapters of the Reserve Officers Training Corps against each other. The intercollegiate battle between OU and Miami came after organizers saw the successes of similar events held between Ohio State University and the University of Michigan and between the Army and Navy.
Competitions have proven to be extremely successful said Rodney Wilson, communications manager for the central Ohio blood services region for the American Red Cross. If there's some sort of extra incentive that brings people out (to donate) in a way that is unique.
Students involved with the battle said they are confident of the event's success and of OU's victory over Miami. Officials said that they hope for the second drive to be as successful as the first.
Everyone is really excited. Their faces just light up
said Elise Bowman, OU Red Cross member and Athens Red Cross intern. They want to follow through and see what happens ... This is a huge undertaking.
The number of donations by OU students has risen steadily over the past three years. In 2006, donations from OU students accounted for 32.4 percent of all blood donations in Athens County. That number rose to 35.8 percent in 2007 and 37.6 percent in 2008. Battle organizers hope that this positive trend continues in 2009.
The Central Ohio Blood Services Region of the Red Cross serves 27 counties and supports the blood supplies of 39 hospitals in that region. More than 200,000 donations, about 650 a day, are needed every year to meet regional needs. Donations from high school and college students make up 20 percent of annual donations.
Those involved with planning the blood battle are trying to help students overcome their misgivings about donating. The most common reason for not donating is fear, said OU Red Cross president Anna Schottenstein.
Most people say they are afraid of the needle
Schottenstein said. People also say they don't have time or have given recently.
Some valid reasons for not giving blood include anemia, illness, recent overseas travel, or recent blood donation. Persons younger than seventeen or those weighing less than 110 lbs. may not donate. Students can donate at any drive without advance notice. To make an appointment, students can call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3453) or by visiting bloodsaveslives.org.
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Erich Hiner
