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Students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University and University of Connecticut will compete in the annual “Are you up for the challenge?: Give Blood” competition during the month of April, which is also blood drive month for the American Red Cross. For the third year, the competition determines which school donates the most pints of blood. UConn won the challenge in 2010; SU won in 2011. The winner is determined by the ratio of enrollment to participation. To schedule an appointment to donate blood, call 315-233-6010.

The SU vs. UConn Blood Battle, sponsored by the American Red Cross and the Division of Student Affairs, consists of 12 total drives. The competition kicks off on Wednesday, April 4, in the Schine Student Center from 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., and in SUNY-ESF’s Marshall Hall from 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.

“The SU vs. UConn Blood Battle is a healthy form of competition between two highly spirited schools that enables our campus to rally around meeting a critical need of our community, “ says Thomas V. Wolfe, senior vice president and dean of student affairs. “We all know the real winners here are the people whose lives are saved because of the blood donations. They are the impetus for this challenge, and we are humbled to have received the trophy last year as a result of the incredible turnout of students, faculty and staff. We hope to exceed last year’s donations as we continue to help the American Red Cross in its mission to save lives.”

For the second year, the Division of Student Affairs is also sponsoring faculty and staff drives to encourage participation in the cause and competition, though all drive locations are open to the campus community. They will take place on Thursdays, April 5 and April 19, in Archbold Gymnasium from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Faculty and staff members constitute a large portion of the campus population and have the ability to give back in a large way by donating during the month-long challenge.

Blood drives on campus will be held:

• April 4: SUNY ESF Marshall Hall 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m.
• April 4: Schine Student Center 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• April 5: Employee Drive at Archbold Gym 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
• April 9: Law School 10 a.m.-3 p.m.
• April 10: Goldstein Student Center 3 p.m.-8 p.m.
• April 11: Sigma Chi 1 p.m. – 6 p.m.
• April 12: Day Hall 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
• April 12: Schine Student Center 12 p.m.-5 p.m.
• April 13: Goldstein Student Center 3 p.m.-8 p.m.
• April 19: Employee Drive at Archbold Gym 9 a.m.-2 p.m.
• April 24: Watson Hall 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
• April 30: Schine Student Center 11:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

In tandem with the SU vs. UConn Blood Battle, the Division of Student Affairs is launching a Blood Drive Activism campaign to educate the SU community on the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) blood ban on men who have sex with men (MSM). Participants in the April blood drives will be invited to “donate in protest” by signing a hard-copy postcard that encourages the FDA to end the ban. Postcards will be available at a table staffed by students from Pride Union and the LGBT Resource Center during the April 4 drive in the Schine Student Center, as well as at the LGBT Resource Center and other offices within in the . Campus and community members who are unable to acquire a postcard are invited to participate by signing an online petition at BloodDriveActivism.syr.edu, which will be made available during the April blood drives.

SU has a longstanding history of saving lives

Blood donations from SU students, faculty and staff—as well as the number of donation drives on campus—have increased over the past six years. Each pint of blood can help save three lives, and in all, SU blood drives have helped to save more than 100,000 lives since the SU-Red Cross partnership began more than 40 years ago.

In 2009-10, 1,447 pints of blood were collected at 42 drives on the SU campus. In 2010-11, 2,111 pints were collected at 51 drives, resulting in 6,333 lives saved in the past year.

For more information about the SU vs. UConn Blood Battle and campus blood drives, contact Nancy Waite, Syracuse recruitment manager for the American Red Cross, at 607-239-9888 or waiten@usa.redcross.org.

Not everyone is eligible to donate blood, and blood donation is not the only way to support this event. If you are interested in volunteering, in lieu of donating blood, call 315-233-6010 for volunteer opportunities.