Blood Drive Offers New Prize To Counter Falloff in Donors

Faced with a drop in donations for its annual spring blood drive; the Harvard Bloodmobile has offered a $75 prize to the House or section of the Yard with the highest percentage of donors to the program.

The one-week drive had collected 703 pints of blood as of Tuesday, down from last year's half-way mark of 730, student Chairman Matthew T. Ryan '84 said yesterday.

The cash prize offered this year for the first time, will come from the University Health Services (UHS). Director's Fund Ryan said the prize will give recruiters in the dining halls another way to approach people."

One reason for the falloff in participation of this year is that (UHS) did not send information packets to potential donors, as it has in the past. Marling costs and problems with address changes forced the agency to withdraw this publicity support UHS officials and yesterday.

Dunster House with 34 donors currently leads the race for the prize. Ryan said, although he emphasized that the competition remains extremely close.

The freshman class has provided the fewest donors, with some sections of the yard having filled only 15 percent of their previously established quotas.

Maret C. Hamre 85, the drive's coordinator for freshmen said yesterday that many freshmen who have never given block may be afraid to donate while many others are too young to participate without parental permission.

Ryan said he hopes donations will increase substantially before the end of the drive on Friday, and that the program will match the 300 pints they collected in the final days of the program last year.