I'm not attacking you at all, so I hope it's not seen as such. While I see your point that the sororities have made blood donation "mandatory," I have a problem with it being mandatoru--- this isn't like not coming to a meeting or attending a workshop-- this is an instrument invading your body and drawing out fluids. I'd like to see where in those chapters' bylaws this is mandatory, and what national officer approved those bylaws. An organization can't make someone do something they don't feel comfortable doing, or something they are not physically able to do. I mean, how many of us have ever been asked to put a hand on a bible, and if you weren't Christian, you were allowed to abstain, and still take part in the activity.... I feel this mandatory is more of an urban legend-like belief. There's no way a sorority regional director could approve something like that, and it's something that's become "required" through heresay.

Also this story has been posted in the news section of AOL. CNN too. This no longer a local story. Good grief. I can only imagine what the consequences will be for this girl.

Once again, I agree with kddani.

Pitt likes to brag that the Pitt Greek System is the biggest supply of blood in Pittsburgh (not a mean fete, considering the number of transplants that are done here). If you don't give blood, or find someone to give it for you, you're basically an outcast during the Blood Drive - it is truly a very, very competetive event.

Is donating blood good? Of course. Is the concept good? Yes. But is it a form of hazing? I think that needs to be investigated.

it made the Atlanta paper.

As for me...back in the 70's when WGa was having a blood drive, there was a competition between Greeks. I went and the nurse took my blood pressure 3 times before she said it was very low and I shouldn't give blood right then. But I still got "credit". No idea who won the competition that year.

Course my mom freaked out when I said I tried to give blood, but she wouldn't really say why. Turns out I have normally low blood pressure and with a usual body temp of 97.4,, I'm normally not normal.;)

This is how is USED to be at Pitt, too. Now, it's very cut throat.

I agree with you on that it should be investigated as whether it is a form of hazing but I've been taught that hazing is anything, physical or emotional, that makes you uncomfortable, hurts in in any shape or form or forces you to do something you don't want to do. If you want to go off that definition of hazing, then yes in a way it was a form of hazing.

I received an email on one of my listservs that was a PR statement from the national office of Gamma Phi Beta. It basically apologized and stated that it was the actions of one member, and emphasized that this member was/is not a leader of the chapter and that none of the chapter leaders condoned the email.

Apparently the way this email got out was because there is a girl in G Phi who has the exact same name as some other random girl at Mizzou. To send email to someone's student account you only have to type in their first and last name. So from what I've heard anyway this girl not in G Phi received the email and was appalled by it and sent it the The Missourian and some other paper.

I've also heard that since the email was sent on a listserve it got sent to a girl who had deactivated but hadn't been taken off the list yet. And apparently this girl has something against them and spread the email around.

Who knows...this story has only been out for like what, a day, and I am SO SICK TO DEATH of hearing about it on every news channel and every freakin' paper. I understand it's a big deal yes, but we can only talk about it SO much...I dunno...:confused:

And I'm with AXJules, I know that some houses fine for not giving blood...others put up a "wall of shame" with girls names who didn't give blood or have someone give for them, I know that I don't want to be THAT girl who was just too lazy to give blood and when we lose greek week it would be all my fault or something... anyway I could sit here and explain how competitive and cut throat our greek system and anyway all this is, but until you come here and go to school here, you won't understand so I'll just save my time. ;)

Nope, not an attack :) I'm just saying, when they sit at chapter and go, ok we all decided in order to win YOU ARE ALL GOING, and bringing 3 people. Otherwise the fine is $25." That's money I can't afford.

Wow... the Wall of Shame... that's hardcore!

When I was an undergrad I'd write negative points into pledge's pledge
books with the promise that those points would be changed to positive
as soon as they gave blood. Nowadays I'd probably be brought up on
hazing charges for that. People should give blood because it's a good
thing to do. I forget whether I'm on my 5th or 6th gallon right now...

I don't think there's anything wrong with having a listserv... things like this just happen sometimes.

I personally think that they should not only lose the points for the Blood Drive, but also be removed from the Greek Week competition. Yes, it sucks for everyone to be punished for the actions of one, but at the same time, the school and Greek system need to make a point that this will not be tolerated. Perhaps the Blood Drive competition should be removed entirely from Greek Week competitions as it will inevitably lead to people doing whatever it takes in order to "win" when they should be more concerned about donating the blood, period. It shouldn't matter if there is a competition, the fact that others are in need should be a sufficient reason for donating.

The moral of the story is not to give girls named Jenny Smith a bid. :p (No offense to any actual Jenny Smith out there, just a lame attempt at humor)

I def. agree w/ nyrdrms that something should be done to show that this will not be tolerated.

for all we know this kind of behavior might be happening in other chapters on that campus that we don't know about, all because they want to win greek week.

This is exactly why our chapter's Yahoo group is moderated by officers. We still have the benefits of a mailing list, but everything sent has to be approved by officers.

CO-SIGN

Okay, how do we fix this?

What if the competition was something like points for the most non-chapter members you bring?

I'm not sure that that would really be a solution because then the issue would be whether or not members are asking others to lie as wel or pressuring them into it. It was mentioned that this problem of pressuring members into donating blood occurs in other organizations on that campus (and perhaps other campuses as well).

Someone had mentioned that points were given somewhere else for members who tried but were unable to donate...for whatever reason. I think if the blood drive competition is going to remain, then that would be the best solution. That way the organizations could still receive their points and wouldn't have to put their members, and the recipients of the blood, at risk.

Pressure to give blood doesn't just happen with Greeks -- I remember some pretty intense pressure to give blood my senior year in high school, too. Our student council organized a blood drive, and I was friends with a lot of the student council members so they all kept pressuring me to donate -- even after my doctor had forbid it for medical reasons (low blood pressure or low blood sugar or something along those lines) AND my track coach had forbid it because we had practice that afternoon and a meet the next day and she'd seen too many kids passing out in the middle of practice because they had donated blood earlier that day. Apparently neither of these were good enough excuses. ;)

Our blood drives for Homecoming offer the option to get participation points if you go and volunteer for an hour, but a lot of the times they're so flooded with volunteers that they don't even need us.

Girls are rough on each other.

I have heard Geeeks at penn state say that the dance-a-thon has become a monster with enormous social pressure to raise a lot of money.

IMHO if any activity requires that degree of pressure to do something so time consuming or invasive . . . it needs to be reconsidered as a worthwhile activity.

I don't think a blood drive should ever be a competition. It's just too...I don't know, *squicky* or something. Giving blood should be a personal decision, not something that's done because of peer pressure.

Completely agree.

I donate platlets (which help clotting) rather than whole blood most of the time-- which means that I get my red blood cells *back* during the prodedure. It also means that you sit in that chair for a long time-- I've been in the donation chair for 90 minutes sometimes, because it's a more complicated procedure. And not as many people donate them-- often because you can't really do the procedure at the campus blood drives-- it requires a more expensive machine.

Because I'm getting my red blood cells back, donation times are much more frequent. I make a monthly trip to downtown Boston, watch a movie on the pay-per-view screens they have set up, and have gotten used to the whole ordeal.

It's not for everyone. But I can do it, and I'm willing. So I choose to.

However, no one should ever be forced to donate blood. It's a good thing to do, and it's something I believe everyone (who is physically capable) should do at least twice per year... but I respect those who aren't able for whatever reason.

And I am squeamish about needles-- I still can't look at them! :)

~ Mel.

A misguide sense of responsibility! Way over the top!:(

Not indicative of GPB on any campus, or The National or any GPB on GC!!

Now there is talk of expullsion! From School, U. Mo. and maybe GPB!:o

Does anyone know the difference between Expullsion and being expelled?:confused:

Big difference!

Actually expullsion and being expelled are the same thing (expullsion meaning "the act of being expelled"), she'd be kicked out of the school. Suspension on the other hand is temporary...could be a semester, a year, whatever the school sees appropriate in this case.

Donating blood is not for everyone. I donate and have done so since I was an undergrad and went with my big sis to my first blood drive Not everyone qualifies medically and there should not be pressure to donate. Trust me, passing out in front of several really good looking frat guys may seem like a good way to get a hug but it's really, really embarrasing!

Having this be one of several service opportunities in which GLOs can compete for the most "hours donated" and counting a blood donation as an hour served would make more sense (and, indeed, back in the dark ages when I was an undergrad, that was the system we used). Typically, there were more volunteers for blood drives than they could use (unless you were a nursing major, you could only work the canteen or transport... hmmm, serve cookies and get service points? Hey, sign me up!!)

Really? IN the Tennessean? I missed it.