Kristin Dierwa passed out the last time she donated blood to the American Red Cross, but it did not prevent her from rolling up her sleeve to give more in the North Wonders Hall blood drive early Wednesday morning.
"It was one time so it's not a big deal," the advertising junior said. "I didn't die so it's not a problem."
Dierwa said the chance to save lives is more important than possibly getting sick again.
According to Justin Looyenga, a member of the campus services division of the American Red Cross Mid-Michigan Chapter, the state has been in a critical need of blood for two years.
"We like to have a blood supply of three days for emergencies and multiple accidents," Looyenga said. "We're at a one day to one and-a-half day supply, so we're in a critical position."
The Wonders Hall blood drive exceeded its goal of 70-75 pints of blood and finished the day with 87 usable pints, Looyenga said.
Snyder Hall's Sept. 2 drive brought in 73 pints and Thursday's Gilchrist Hall drive was expected to receive 60 pints.
Four drives remain for students to give blood: one today at Fee Hall where the goal is 45-55 pints, two at Holmes Hall and one in the Iowa Room in the Union.
Looyenga said the Red Cross includes campuses like MSU in its blood drives because college students have more time to donate than many other adults.
"Students have a little more flexible schedule than the average donor," Looyenga said. "We come to the dorm to make it easy for them. In most cases they can just go down to their hall and donate on a given day."
This makes it more simple for students, who might not go out of their way to donate at the nearest Red Cross building, 800 E. Grand River Ave., but will take 45 minutes to an hour out of their day at an MSU blood drive.
"If (blood drives) are closer to people it's more convenient for them to go and they'll get more blood that way," said Sarah Haskin, a blood donor and no-preference freshman.
Students who would like to donate blood are encouraged to register in a specific time slot through the residence hall hosting the drive or the Red Cross.
"We still accept walk-ins, but you never know how long you'll have to wait," said Emily Kujawa, the student director of the Wonders Hall drive and a human biology junior. "It's better to make appointments."
But donors have to meet the Red Cross criteria in order to give blood, including a minimum age limit of 17 years.
People who weigh less than 110 pounds or have used non-medical intravenous drugs are ineligible to donate. Those who have gotten tattoos in the past year or ever tested positive for an HIV test are also excluded from the drives.
When giving blood, donors are walked through several precautionary steps. Previous donors will be screened in a computer to ensure it has been 56 days since their last donation.
Looyenga said the time limit was set by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in order to allow a person's blood supply to replenish - the blood drives take one-twelfth of the body's blood.
Nurses then check the vital signs of donors and prick their finger to screen the blood for iron levels - if all is clear, a pint of blood is drawn.
"Every time right before I do it I get some butterflies," Steven Rykse, a no-preference sophomore said. "Then they poke your finger before you donate and after that I'm fine because it's the worst part."
