Blood Drive Exceeds Goal in Kick-Off of April Blood Battle vs. Boston College

(Story update: The event generated 245 registered donors, with 181 presented to donate. This led to 178 units of blood being donated to the Red Cross, well past the goal of 153 units of whole blood.)

Students, faculty and staff at Syracuse University will once again compete in the annual blood battle competition during the month of April, with a special blood drive and men’s basketball game-viewing on Feb. 12 to kick off the battle.

For the fifth year, the winner of the April Blood Battle will be determined by which school donates the most pints of blood by percentage of college enrollment; however, this year the opposing school has changed. Since SU is now a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, SU will be competing with Boston College, as opposed to UConn, in the first-ever SU vs. Boston College Blood Battle. Last year, UConn just barely beat SU. This year, the winning school will also be awarded a trophy.

To prepare for the April Blood Battle, there will be a blood drive on Feb. 12 from 2-9 p.m. in the Goldstein Auditorium. Students, faculty and staff will be able to donate then and make an appointment for one of the many April blood drives around campus. All presenting donors at the blood drive on Feb. 12 will receive a free T-shirt.

Additionally, SU fans can also cheer on the Orange during the Feb. 12 blood drive, as the men’s basketball game vs. Pittsburgh will be shown on the big screen in Goldstein Auditorium at 7 p.m. Free snacks will be provided.

April’s SU vs. Boston College challenge, sponsored by the Red Cross and the Division of Student Affairs, will consist of multiple blood drives throughout the month of April. The competition will begin on Wednesday, April 2, in the Schine Student Center from noon-5 p.m. All blood drives are open to the campus community.

To schedule an appointment to donate blood at the February and April drives, and help SU bring home the trophy, call 1-800-RED CROSS or visit http://redcrossblood.org. More information can also be found on Facebook at American Red Cross Club of Syracuse University.

For more information about the SU vs. BC Blood Battle and campus blood drives, contact Katie Stepanian, Red Cross Syracuse account manager, at 315-382-3579.

Not everyone is eligible or able to donate blood, and blood donation is not the only way to support this effort. If you are interested in volunteering, in lieu of donating blood, email Stepanian at katie.stepanian@redcross.org.