Students at St. Edward’s University are becoming more willing to give blood.

The most recent blood drive on Jan. 20 yielded 61 pints, or units, of blood, said Marcie Lasseigne, a university public relations associate. The amount of blood donated stands as an example of increases in recent years in the amount of blood donated at the university.

Statistics from the Blood Center indicate that St. Edward’s placed last out of the five universities from which the organization collected in 2006, with 67 units donated. However, campus blood drives have become more active since then. According to Associate Dean of the School of Education J. Frank Smith, who organizes the campus blood drives, 50 to 70 units are now collected at each individual drive.

St. Edward’s holds several blood drives each year, usually in conjunction with the Blood Center of Central Texas. The next blood drive at the university will be on March 31.

“We typically schedule no more than five in a year, typically two in a long semester,” Smith said. “And we try to schedule one during the summer.”

Since participants must wait eight weeks between each donation, two each semester is about the most that can be scheduled, said Smith.

The blood drives are held in the Mabee Ballrooms of the Ragsdale Center, where students, staff and faculty can easily make a blood donation. The Blood Center collects from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

“It doesn’t take a whole lot of planning on the part of someone to participate, and generally only takes 45 minutes to and hour of your time,” Smith said. “But you’re giving something precious. There is no shortage of need.”

Potential donors should note that illness, certain medications, global travel, recent tattoos or piercings and others factors can make them ineligible to donate. According to Smith, around three out of every four donors is accepted.

“There are probably more faculty and staff that give blood,” Smith said. “I bet students are more than a third of the donations, but mostly it’s faculty and staff…It probably has something to do with all the tattoos and other behaviors that keep students from donating that most [faculty and staff] aren’t involved in.”

The March 31 blood drive is sponsored by the College Assistance Migrant Program Alumni Association, and will be held on Cesar Chavez’s birthday. That drive will be part of a nationwide competition between universities with CAMP programs.

St. Edward’s is a level four donator for the Blood Center of Central Texas, meaning that the university collects donations at least four times per year.

When people donate, they can choose to become a member of the Blood Center of Central Texas’ “Hands of the Donor” program. As members of the program, donors collect points with each donation, which can be redeemed for prizes on the organization’s website.

But free merchandise isn’t the only incentive to donate. According to the Blood Center, every unit of blood donated saves two lives.

“Donating blood is super easy and super fast,” said senior Jeff Katz, who plans to attend the March 31 drive. “You never know who you’re helping.”

More information about the Blood Center can be found online at [email protected]