Student Blood Services saw a staggering increase in the number of donors at the start of its two-day blood drive Wednesday, as many students who sought to make a difference after the Sept. 11 attacks didn’t mind waiting more than two hours to donate.
“We’ve seen more people in the first two hours this year than in a whole day last year,” said Hilary Shalla, Student Blood Services director for recruitment.
Shalla, an Education senior, said the group had 215 people sign up for appointments this year, up from the usual 30 to 40. At the end of the first day of the drive, which ran from noon to 7 p.m. at Norris University Center, 20 people still were waiting to donate.
Although the blood will go to Chicago-area hospitals and not help people directly affected by the attack, most first-time donors and experienced blood-givers said they still felt a sense of purpose.
Weinberg senior Daniel Wee, a first-time donor who spent three hours in line before giving blood, said the experience made him feel good about himself in spite of the wait.
“I want to help out in any way I can,” Wee said. “The wait is a lot longer than I expected but I’m still glad I came here. (Donating blood) is a good thing for anyone to do now.”
Weinberg freshman Andrea Baker said students’ willingness to wait so long showed how interested they were in helping.
“I’ve given blood before but now I feel like it’s more meaningful,” she said. “There is an increased awareness of how needed blood is. It’s great that there is a huge pool of students to tap into here.”
Students who walked into the Louis Room wanting to donate first had to fill out a form listing personal information and any medical conditions. They then went through a mini-physical and medical interview with staff members to further determine if they were eligible to give blood.
After passing the interview, donors waited for their turn by doing homework, catching up on reading and watching the movies supplied by Student Blood Services. The group also brought in drinks and food for students waiting to donate.
Speech freshman Chris Orvin, who entered the Louis Room at 3:15 p.m. and gave blood at 5:30 p.m., said the blood drive organizers should have anticipated the increase in students.
“I didn’t expect to wait so long,” Orvin said. “I have given in the past, so I thought it would be a good thing to do. I planned to donate before the attacks, but this gave me further reason to do so. The process and waiting was more disorganized than it should have been, though.”
Officials from LifeSource Blood Services, the organization brought in by Student Blood Services to administer the donations, said they felt they could accommodate the donor increase and that people across the country have adjusted to longer waiting times.
The number of first-time donors across the country has vastly increased in response to the terrorist attacks, officials at LifeSource said.
“People are feeling like they want to do something,” said Almeria Thomas, team supervisor for LifeSource. “This is definitely the best opportunity for students to donate, and we have seen more interest from them.”
