By
Mindy Jones
Arizona Daily Wildcat
ASU reps object to UA's effort to raise number of pints after competition ended
Unwilling to let a four-year winning streak end, the University of Arizona is trying to raise its losing numbers in the ASU versus UA blood drive after last Friday's deadline.
Originally advertised as a one-week event between Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, the challenge has been extended by the American Red Cross and Greek Life at the UA.
Representatives from the Red Cross and members of the Kappa Sigma fraternity house plan on holding a last-ditch blood drive on Oct. 26 in an attempt to top ASU's collection total of 1,081 pints.
Brian Green, recruiter for the American Red Cross, said the pints of blood collected in the blood drive, being held at the Kappa Sigma house, 1423 E. First St., will count towards UA's 1,019 pints collected during the challenge.
"Although things picked up towards the end of last week, we estimate that only about 70 percent of what we needed was actually collected," Green said. "ASU was pretty much in their ballpark in terms of collection totals, but we were definitely low."
Last year, the American Red Cross collected 1,455 pints from UA students, faculty and staff during the challenge and were expecting to do approximately the same this year, he added.
"Considering the college challenge was the only blood drive going on last week, UA was essentially providing all of the blood we needed to collect for the Tucson area," Green said. "Specifically, we don't know what went wrong."
Green cited UA campus construction and a change of location as possible factors affecting the low donation rates.
He also noted that although many UA clubs and organizations advertised the challenge, others came up short in their support.
A similar theme of low numbers was seen across the state on the ASU campus too, Green added.
Sylvia Klausnik, community relations representative for the United Blood Services, was on hand to collect donors at ASU.
"Our donations seemed pretty steady throughout the week," Klausnik said. "This year we relied a lot on individual walk ins, and maybe we should have made more individual drives like the UA did."
Klausnik agreed with the UA's programming ideas, but she said she does not think the university's attempt to beat ASU is fair.
"As far as I knew this was all advertised as a one-week challenge, meaning when the week is over the challenge is over," Klausnik said. "I hope that their drive goes well, but I will be speaking to my manager regarding the addition of the numbers to their total."
While the rivalry between the two state schools continues, children in the pediatric AIDS wing of the University Medical Center will benefit with beanie bears supplied by the American Red Cross.
"We will be putting a tag around each bear and allowing the donor to sign their name on it," Green said. "At the end of the drive the children will get all of the bears, and get to see where the donated blood is coming from."
