The competition between UC Davis and Sacramento State goes beyond just the football field. On Tuesday, Blood Source will host the third annual Causeway Classic blood drive.
The winner of the Causeway Classic is determined by which campus donates the most pints of blood. UC Davis is so far undefeated, but this year Sac State donated over 1,300 pints of blood – comparable to UC Davis’s amount last year of 1,445 pints of blood.
“The Causeway Classic started as a way to increase awareness and participation in blood drives among campuses,” said Blood Source Account Manager Bree Leon. “We knew the Causeway Classic football game had always been a big rivalry, so we wanted to give students another way to show their school spirit.”
Within the competition between UC Davis and Sac State, there is another competition between campus organizations, including sororities, fraternities, clubs and sports teams. The organization with the highest donations in their name will receive a first place prize of $300, while second and third place prizes are $200 and $100, respectively.
However there is controversy over whether the blood drive should be an ASUCD sponsored event because of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) policy that states men who have sex with men are not allowed to donate.
“ASUCD supports the blood drive, but opposes the policy,” ASUCD Senator Andre Lee said. “The idea that I oppose the most is that [ASUCD] has to choose between supporting something that is life giving and something that is an LGBT issue that I also support.”
Sabrina Dias, sophomore biology major and speaker of the Outreach Assembly, said the Gender and Sexuality Commission would be tabling to educate those who are not familiar with the FDA policy.
“In order to combat any type of policy, the specific issue needs to be brought to light,” she said. “There will also be a petition circulating for those who wish to support the efforts in working against this FDA policy.”
In addition, for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups on campus that want to participate in the blood drive and compete for the prize money, they can volunteer. One hour of volunteering will count as donating one pint of blood.
Emmanuel Diaz-Ordaz, junior animal science major and member of the Gender and Sexuality Commission, said that ASUCD should spread more awareness and ask others in the LGBT community to table.
“They came to the Gender and Sexuality Commission and expected us to table at the blood drive, and to my knowledge they did not ask anyone else,” he said.
Despite the controversy, the Causeway Classic continues to be an ASUCD sponsored event and the blood donated mainly goes to Davis and Sacramento communities.
Students and staff can come and donate on Nov. 2 and 3 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Freeborn Hall. The winner will be announced at the Causeway Classic football game.
“One pint of Blood can save three lives and only lasts 42 days,” Leon said. “So, having these blood drives and having students come out and support is critical to save patients in the hospital.”
JASPREET BAHIA can be reached at campus@theaggie.org.
