“Please tell them to stop. We have a protocol,” wrote Dr. Alotta Blud of the American Red Cross in an early morning email to school administrators on March 31.
However, many Chamblee students seem to believe that the race for service hours supersedes protocol.
“It seemed like a great way to get Beta Club service hours, so I went all in,” said senior Isabelle Ringing (‘22), who brought in six gallons of blood from home.
The blood craze began with an incentive structure. Typically, each student could earn one service hour for donating a pint of blood. The language on the flier reads, “Earn one service hour per pint of blood.” This ambiguous sentence appears to be the catalyst for the possibly untoward blood collection schemes.
“Frankly, service hours are worth more than blood. You don’t need to keep all of it in you, right?” said freshman Helen Wheels (‘25).
“I first learned about the blood drive today, luckily I had a bag of blood on me to donate,” said junior Ben D. Rules (‘23).
But how much is too much? A normal blood donation is roughly one pint. The average adult has around five liters of blood in their body, equivalent to around 10.5 pints.
According to Healthline, “most adults can lose up to 14% of their blood without experiencing any major side effects or changes in vital signs.” With some students going back again and again to drain a pint, it won’t be long before minor side effects set in.
“Where is all of this coming from?!?” Beta Club officer Doug Grave (‘23) was heard screaming as they were seen covered in blood.
There also seems to be confusion about blood needing to go through the Red Cross rather than directly to Beta Club for credit. A new flier is being drafted to clear up the confusion.