Virginia Blood Services kicked off the second-annual Crimson War Challenge yesterday among student concern regarding regulations governing blood donation from gay and bisexual men.
According to Angie Baber, team manager for Virginia Blood Services, the University of Maryland and the University vie to collect the largest quantity of blood in a week's time.
Not all college students are eligible to donate blood, however, she said. Students have to be at least 17 years of age, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in general good health.
According to Baber, the Food and Drug Administration also sets additional standards restricting gay and bisexual men from donating blood because they have an increased chance of carrying AIDS. Baber said people with hepatitis are also prevented from donating blood in addition to people who have traveled to certain European countries within the past three months because of the possibility that they carry mad cow disease.
"The goal of the Virginia Blood Services is to collect the safest and purest blood supply," she said.
Queer Student Union president Kevin Wu said he does not agree with the FDA recommendation. According to Wu, current FDA regulations mandate that any person who has had sex with another man since 1977 cannot donate blood.
"The blood is tested for the HIV virus anyway, and it's discriminatory to implement an all-across-the-board policy," he said.
QSU's co-vice president Blake Wilding said a new CIO titled Queer and Allied Activism initiated a campaign to educate the University community that not everyone in the Inter-Fraternity Council, the organization that sponsors the blood drive, can donate blood freely.
"We're trying to educate people that our blood is rejected based on outdated statistics and discriminatory policies," Wilding said.
According to Wilding, QuAA formed a petition that will be sent to the FDA asking that blood services allow gay people to contribute blood.
The blood collected this week is supplying hospitals in central Virginia, and the drive must collect at least 380 pints of blood per day, Baber said.
"The turnout's been very good, and we hope the next four days turn out to be as good or better," she said.
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita had little impact on the blood drives, Manager of Mobile Connections Lisa Fox said.
The blood collection centers that were affected by the hurricane already had an abundant supply of blood. Because blood lasts for 56 days, they will not run out of their inventory until late October, she added.
Virginia Blood Services is part of a national network called America's Blood Centers, which assists blood collection agencies that are low in their supply, Fox said.
Lauri Wilson, account manager for Virginia Blood Services, said the strategy that works best for recruiting college students is sharing the information that one donation will make a difference in three lives.
"Needs have increased for blood transfusion, and students want to help people and this is a good way to do that," she said.
Wilson also said even though 60 percent of the country is eligible for donating blood, less than 5 percent actually donate.
The IFC sponsored the drive for the second consecutive year, according to Wilson.
"Last year was the first year of the challenge and U.Va. won," Baber said. "I know they're hoping to do the same this year."
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