Ohio University students on East, West and South greens will be pitted against each other to see who can donate the most blood Winter Quarter.
Previously, OU students battled with Miami University students to donate more blood, but a lack of infrastructure in Oxford forced OU and Red Cross officials to try something new.
“We were really in a quandary, because that blood battle was a great source of blood supply for our area,” said Jenny Hall-Jones, assistant dean of students.
Hall-Jones will represent South Green. Kent Smith, vice president for Student Affairs, and Ryan Lombardi, dean of students, will also participate in the competition, representing West and East greens, respectively.
“Our division has always been a supporter of the American Red Cross,” Smith said. “We’ve tried to come up with some creative ideas of how to get students involved with this great cause.”
The competition will last throughout Winter Quarter, and blood drives will be held in every residential complex on campus except Scott Quad. Two additional drives will be held at Baker University Center.
The blood drives at Baker Center will be held Jan. 23 and Feb. 16. from 2-8 p.m.
Although the Red Cross hasn’t set a quarter-long goal, it has set goals for each individual drive. The event’s organizers hope to have 120 blood units donated at each of the larger blood drives at Baker Center, said Lori Gaitten, a donor recruitment representative in the central Ohio blood region. Gaitten serves Athens and Perry counties.
Lombardi said off-campus and commuter students will be able to choose which green to vote for.
“For off-campus students, most of them started out in a green somewhere, so they’re going to have a loyalty to someplace,” Gaitten said.
Hall-Jones, Smith and Lombardi set up a Twitter account to promote the competition.
“We did create that (Twitter account) more for the informational stuff so we can let people know about the different blood drives going on across the campus,” Lombardi said.
The amount of blood units being donated has stabilized since last year, but there is a specific need for Type O and B blood types, Gaitten said.
“(Donors) want to come in when things are dire, but we don’t want it to get to that point,” she said. “As fast as we can bring it in, it’s going back out.”
Students can set up an appointment at one of the drives by calling 1-800-RED-CROSS (1-800-733-2767).
bv111010@ohiou.edu
