Dylan Lake

Staff Writer

Everyone wants to be a Good Samaritan, but when it comes down to actually doing a good deed, most back out.

If donating blood makes the donator happy and the person who needs the blood healthy, then by all means bring a blood drive to campus.  The benefits of the blood drive are pretty extensive.

Somebody that really needs a blood transfusion will get the blood he or she needs. While the person donating gets a movie ticket and that warm, feel good tingle of helping someone in need.

There are just a few problems with the current Florida Southern College blood drive operation.

The first problem is the buses.  They are long, bulky, loud and they smell like, well, blood.  Every time they set up post in front of the cafeteria five or more parking spots are taken.

Parking in front of the cafeteria is a bold move on their part.

It is a prime location to attract the undercover Good Samaritan who would not necessarily go out of his or her way to donate.

The problem is that the giant buses take up some prime parking spots which are already very limited on our campus.

I have lost count of how many times I have come back from lunch downtown to find that the best spots are occupied by the blood drive buses.

Then I have to circle around campus again on the extraordinarily rough brick roads (which absolutely destroy my tires) to find a spot near my dorm.

Call me lazy, but I am trying to walk as little as possible from car to room.

I do not really want to have to walk all the way from the cafeteria to the humanities building just to get groceries. At that point I would rather just buy my groceries from the Moc Mart.

I might sound like I am complaining a bit much about a service that is for a good cause. But I have a solution to the problem.

Instead of setting up the blood drive buses in front of the cafeteria, they should move the donation operation to the field house.

Instead of offering a free movie ticket, the organization could provide food and beverage for donators.  We are college students. It is not hard to please us.

A food bribe will go a long way in our demographic. They could go the extra step and bring a projector to play a movie or music, which is always a bonus.

Free food and a soundtrack will attract a lot of people that the current method is missing.

Moving to the gym will eliminate the odor problem too.

Since it is a bigger area the smell will disperse throughout the air and provide an overall more pleasant atmosphere.

I think that a lot more people will donate blood if there was more immediate reward provided.

As well, the atmosphere is so important in encouraging people to actually donating instead of just thinking about it and thinking of reasons not to.

Plus, the fieldhouse is smack dab in the middle of campus not isolated to one side. Prime location to attract students.

Ask a college student which is better, a cramped bus that smells like blood, or a gym with free pizza and soda?  Most college students will probably pick the latter.