Purdue ahead of IU in 7th Blood Donor Challenge

IU and Purdue University are going head-to-head again, and this time they're out for blood. But instead of clashing over football or basketball, these universities are competing for who can donate the most blood in the seventh annual Blood Donor Challenge.\nThe blood drive, which started Oct. 13 and runs through Nov. 14, is sponsored by both schools' alumni associations and collects blood for local hospitals.\nCurrently, Purdue is beating IU in the blood battle, raising 990 pints to date compared to 661 pints from IU. The winner will be announced at the football game against Purdue on Nov. 22 at IU. Whoever collects the most blood receives a trophy.\n"We need to pick up the pace," said John Hobson, senior vice president of the IU Alumni Association. "There is still plenty of time left."\nIn the past, Purdue has won four of the last six competitions. IU won the first and also won the most recent drive. Last year's competition set a record for the event, raising 4,678 pints by both universities. \nDonor Recruitment Representative Amber Richardson said the drive is important because blood is desperately needed. Summer is usually the slowest time period for blood centers, but she said shortages can happen unexpectedly.\n"This fall has not been the best," she said. "We are at a day supply. We need to be at a three-day supply."\nWhen there is only a certain amount of blood available, sometimes sacrifices are made, Richardson said.\n"We contact hospitals and elective surgeries have to be canceled and rescheduled at a later time," she said. "If there was an emergency, there should be enough blood. But sometimes other things have to wait in a shortage. They can wait until we have more blood. For instance, cancer patients' transfusion have to be postponed."\nRichardson said so far, the blood drives at IU have been disappointing, but she was not sure of the reason.\n"I'm actually trying to figure that out," she said. "I really don't know why they're slow. I had one at Ashton (Center). We only had five people show up."\nThere will be blood drive locations across campus almost every day until its end on Nov. 14.\nStill, students that do turn out will not only help to beat Purdue -- but to save lives.\n"It's a nice project for alumni and students to get together in conjunction with the big football game," Hobson said. "The real winners are the people in the hospitals who are getting blood to save their lives."\nFor more information on the blood drive, call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE or log on to www.indiana.edu/~alumni/programs/blood.html.\n-- Contact Campus editor Adam Aasen at aaasen@indiana.edu.