Students stepped up to rally other ASU East students and staff to donate for this year's blood drive for the American Red Cross.
Students from North Residence Hall, the One Nation Club and the Alpha Eta Rho coed fraternity came together with the help of Mike Mader, director of student services, to organize the event and rally volunteers to give up an hour of their time and donate blood on Tuesday.
Senior office specialist Irene Rodriguez, aeronautical engineering sophomore Rachel Trovince and education senior Courtney Alonzo, as well as Tara Curtis, president of the One Nation Club, and Lauren Baldwin, secretary for the Alpha Eta Rho fraternity, were the key players in organizing this year's drive, according to Mader.
"Overall, I was pleased because the students worked hard to put this together," Mader said. "This was the first time I worked with students for the blood drive.
"We had just over 50 people come in, and we got about 32 pints of blood, which is about par with past drives," he added.
Curtis said the Navajo tribe cannot donate blood or body parts because it is a cultural taboo, but "we asked Mike how we could help out."
"We had a lot of fun," Curtis said. "We went to every department and asked people to sign up. A lot of people wanted to sign up - only a few were worried about the needles."
Alonzo from North Residence Hall said, "We had to attend a meeting first, then we distributed fliers and we went around and knocked on doors and asked people to give blood.
"It helped to have a bulletin board up with all the information about giving blood, because it answered people's questions," she added.
Rodriguez had a slightly different response, however.
"I tried to recruit staff and faculty, but I only got three responses, so I was very disappointed.
"I had sent out an electronic newsletter and it said to call me. Only three people called," she said.
This was also the first time the blood drive was held in the Campus Union Building. In previous years, it had been held in a mobile van brought by United Blood Services.
In the past, the drives were done through United Blood Services. Rodriguez said the Red Cross and United Blood Services "are equal, but the snacks are better with the Red Cross."
Baldwin said she had put up posters in the Simulator Building and sent out e-mails to many students in the aviation department.
As aeronautical management freshman Dusty Stelzer was one of the students at the event waiting to give blood for the first time in his life.
"I've had shots before so I am not nervous, but everyone says you get this weird feeling like you are going to pass out," he said.
He said fainting was his biggest fear.
Aeronautical management junior Tim Traxler was also waiting to give blood.
"I am here for dessert," he said. "I am killing time. I have been here 20 minutes. This is the first time that I have had to make an appointment to give blood."
The Red Cross organization had started a competition among the Arizona colleges. Environmental resource management student Dave Parnell said as he was giving blood, "Beat U of A! We'll beat them by sheer numbers."
Reach the reporter at erika.camardella@asu.edu.
