By Arden Berry | Staff Writer
This week, Baylor students took on the bloodiest battle yet against TCU.
Baylor Health Services held a blood drive from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Tuesday and Wednesday outside of the Bobo Spiritual Life Center. However, they were not alone, as TCU held its own blood drive at the same time.
Robinson graduate student Uriah Yarbrough, the outreach coordinator for health services, said he has been planning this blood drive for about a month.
“I’m hoping to get 500 units of blood across both campuses,” Yarbrough said.
Each unit of blood represents one donor, and each unit has the potential to help three people.
“1,500 people — that’s like a small town,” Yarbrough said.
Carter BloodCare provided the buses, and P.F. Chang’s provided the raffle prizes. At the end of Tuesday, the Baylor Student Health Advisory Council (SHAC) Instagram reported on their story that 73 people from Baylor and 100 people from TCU had donated blood.
“TCU is pretty pumped up, as it is their first homecoming since 2018 with a full schedule of events leading up to the game, and this is one of them,” Yarbrough said in an email to his campus partners.
Houston junior Sravya Dutta, president of SHAC, said having the battle with TCU as an incentive went well.
“But, in general, Baylor students are great with being open to donating blood and helping the community,” Dutta said.
Frisco junior Abhi Rajkumar, vice president of SHAC, said the blood drive theme brought a “competitive mindset.”
“Every Baylor student wants to win against TCU,” Rajkumar said.
For students who missed this blood drive, Dutta said the next one will likely be next semester. Last semester, she said they did it in February for Valentine’s Day.
“The blood drive is a great way to get a spotlight on what we have here,” Dutta said. “Not just giving to the community, it also highlights the Health Center, SHAC and Carter BloodCare and shows that we are also here for students as well.”
Dutta said students considering giving blood can familiarize themselves with the process to feel more comfortable.
“Everyone from Carter BloodCare is super welcoming, and they’ll educate you about exercises to do while you donate,” Dutta said.
Rajkumar said further education about what the blood is used for can also encourage students.
“I think actually understanding that educational aspect is going to essentially drive students to have, like, a bigger incentive to donate blood and help out the community,” Rajkumar said.
The Carter BloodCare website provides this information and offers a text-based initiative that donors can opt into, allowing them to see when and where their blood is sent to be transfused.
Whichever team wins, Rajkumar said the outcome for those who need blood will be the same.
“Of course, Baylor may be a winner, TCU may be a winner, but it’s the people receiving the blood at the end, they’re the winners,” Rajkumar said.
