Although many MSU students try to give back to the community through service and philanthropy, one student group wants Spartans to donate a little more than just their time.
The Biomedical Laboratory Diagnostic Student Association, or BLDSA, is competing in the Gift of Life Campus Challenge. The competition pits colleges across Michigan against one another to see who can get the most students to register with Michigan’s organ and tissue donor registry. As of Wednesday night, Wayne State University was ahead of MSU by almost 200 registrants with MSU in second place overall.
Jaya Gupta, BLDSA’s Gift of Life coordinator, said the goal of the competition is to increase the number of donors on Michigan’s registry.
“It will potentially allow for more people who are in need of organs to potentially be reached,” said Gupta, a biomedical laboratory science senior.
The competition, which began Jan. 10 and will be completed Feb. 21, awards two trophies. One trophy is granted to the school who gets the most people to register. The other goes to the university who signs up the largest percentage of its student body, Gupta said.
Last year, MSU lost to Wayne State University by 80 signatures, she said.
“We have won the registration count category almost every year,” Gupta said. “We want it back. It’s a tradition of ours to win that trophy.”
During the competition, BLDSA will be walking around campus, visiting classrooms to talk about organ donation and setting up tables in places, such as the Union, Brody Hall and the Main Library, to get students to sign up, said Rachael Toepfer, the assistant professions coordinator and assistant academics coordinator for BLDSA.
“I have known people that have received organ donor tissue,” said Toepfer, a clinical laboratory science junior. “It made a big difference in their lives.”
But for those who might not be on campus, Gupta said students, family and friends can go onto the Gift of Life Michigan website and register to become an organ or tissue donor, specifying it is on behalf of MSU.
BLDSA president Evan Ballard said the satisfaction that comes from being an organ donor is immeasurable.
“The amount of good that can come from donating organs after you’ve passed, it’s not really something you can put a value on,” said Ballard, a biomedical laboratory science senior.
There are 3,000 people in Michigan and 114,000 people around the country who are in need of a new organ or tissue, according to the Gift of Life website.
“At the time the organs are donated, the donor won’t really need them anymore,” Gupta said. “(Being a donor) can improve the lives of up to 50 people and save eight lives.”
But Gupta said what she enjoys most about the competition is getting to know her peers and fellow BLDSA members and sharing experiences.
“There’s an increased sense of community that our department has when we embark on this challenge,” Gupta said.
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