The basketball season may be over, but the rivalry between Syracuse University and University of Connecticut is still as competitive as ever.

The ‘Are you up for the challenge? Give blood’ competition kicked off April 4. Students, faculty and staff of both SU and UConn are competing against one another in hopes of donating the most blood throughout the month of April.

Last year, SU managed to retrieve a victory over UConn, who was the previous year’s winner. SU donated 419 pints of blood, while UConn donated 418.

Julia Collier, account manager for Syracuse’s American Red Cross headquarters, said she believes the old, bitter rivalry is being used for good in this competition.

‘In a sense, we’re taking a rivalry that exists in one arena and transferring it into something a little more jovial,’ Collier said. ‘It’s something both schools can do to promote the need for blood in their own respective communities while still maintaining that playful rivalry.’

Once donated, the pints of blood stay local, Collier said. The units are first tested at the Red Cross labs for any indication of disease. The blood is then given to local New York hospitals for anyone who might need it, whether it is for someone who has cancer or for someone hurt in a car accident, Collier said.

The competition is effective, Collier said, because of the large amount of diverse people on the SU campus.

‘We try to make ourselves present in places where young people are going to be, so we want to be on campus as much as possible,’ she said.

To entice college students to donate blood, Collier said, the most effective method is free giveaways. From free participant T-shirts to raffles for a new iPad, the Red Cross creates fun incentives for healthy college students to donate blood. Collier said fraternities, as well as athletic clubs and teams, are among the biggest donators.

‘The younger you are when you start donating, the more likely you are to keep donating throughout your life,’ Collier said. ‘We want to hook people while they’re still young and when they have the time and the energy to devote to a cause like this.’

There are three more opportunities for the SU community to donate blood. On April 19, there will be an employee drive at Archbold Gymnasium from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.; one on April 24 at Watson Hall from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and another April 30 at the Schine Student Center from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.

‘We’re always in a shortage for blood, especially in New York,’ Collier said, ‘so the more people that donate the better.’

mhnewman@syr.edu  

Published on April 17, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Meredith: mhnewman@syr.edu | @MerNewman93