University Times

The first of five on-campus blood donation drives was held this week in the William Pitt Union and Victoria Hall. Pitt’s diving coach Julian Krug has his blood drawn in the WPU Assembly Room by Lori Mortimer of the Central Blood Bank.

The Staff Association Council (SAC) is urging the Pitt community to support efforts of the Central Blood Bank, which holds five on-campus blood drives during the academic year.

Central Blood Bank spokesperson Dale  Ellgass told SAC members Sept. 9 that last year’s campus blood drives netted 305 units of blood, the equivalent of aiding 900 hospital patients.

“This year our goal is to get up to 400 units, which would help about 1,200 hospital patients,”  Ellgass said.

While the September drive is over, donors can sign up for the Nov. 17 and Jan. 26 drives; dates for the April and June blood drives have not been announced.

The drives are held 8 a.m.-4 p.m. in the William Pitt Union lower lounge, and 8 a.m.-2 p.m. in the first floor lobby of Victoria Hall. Donors now can schedule appointments online for the blood drives by logging onto www.centralbloodbank.org and entering sponsor code CU190020 for the WPU location or CU190002 for Victoria Hall.

Appointments are preferred, but walk-ins also are accepted.

Questions should be directed to Pitt blood drive coordinator and SAC President Gwen Watkins at 4-7702, or gwatkins@pitt.edu.

Ellgass said that under the blood bank’s Brighten Life program, donors who make quarterly blood donations are rewarded for their loyalty. “The Brighten Life program works something like the Giant Eagle program where you get credits toward buying gas. Here you accumulate points toward purchases at our online store,” including items such as clothing and restaurant gift cards, he said.

Other member benefits include free cholesterol screenings; an online tracking system for wellness information such as blood pressure, pulse rate and temperature, and automatic appointment reminders. Donors can join the Brighten Life program by logging onto www.centralbloodbank.org and following the prompts to set up a personal “my donation history” confidential account.

Ellgass also dispelled a few blood donation myths at the SAC meeting. “You hear: ‘I can’t donate blood because I take medications.’ Most meds don’t prevent you from donating blood, with a few exceptions like blood thinners for heart disease,” he said. “You also hear, ‘I donated, so I’m done for the year.’ Actually, you can donate every 56 days, so you can donate up to six times a year.”

*

At the Sept. 9 meeting, Watkins announced the staff council’s representatives to Pitt’s Board of Trustees standing committees for academic year 2009-10.

Those representatives are: Barbara Mowery, academic affairs; Joyce Selden, affirmative action; Carol Hodgkiss, athletics; Tammeka Banks, audit; Monika Losagio, budget; Angela Coldren, health sciences; Watkins, institutional advancement; J.P. Matychak, investment; Jonah McAllister Erickson, properties and facilities; Rich Colwell, risk and compliance, and Elisabeth Hilf, student affairs.

In other SAC developments:

• SAC’s safety and security committee is sponsoring a CPR certification course 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Oct. 17 in 669 Benedum Hall. The class features adult and pediatric CPR training as well as choking care and the use of the automatic external defibrillator (AED).

Completion of the course, which will be led by Pitt police officer Nashaun Forney, carries two-year CPR and AED certification.

The cost for University employees and students is $30; for others it is $40. The deadline to register and pay (cash or check) is Oct. 2. To register, contact the SAC office at 4-4236 or sac@pitt.edu.

• Pitt’s annual Health, Safety and Security Day, co-sponsored by SAC and the Department of Environmental Health and Safety, will be held 10:45 a.m.-2 p.m. Sept. 29 on the William Pitt Union patio and lawn. Professionals will be available to discuss safety and security measures, and offer healthy living advice. The event will include fire extinguisher instruction.

• Ron Frisch, associate vice chancellor for Human Resources, confirmed that Pitt is converting from paper copies to an online employee time record system, which is expected to be in place by January. Details of the system will be announced soon, he said.

—Peter Hart