Responding to an emergency appeal from the American Red Cross, 485 Johns Hopkins students, faculty and staff flocked to the Glass Pavilion to give blood on Feb. 12 and 13. After some were deferred or unable to complete the process, the Red Cross had collected 407 units (pints) of blood, the most ever collected at the university, topping the previous records of 390 units in September 2001 and September 2002.

Three student organizations helped with the drive--Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity with pre-registration tables and volunteers, Circle K service club with volunteers and JHU Red Cross Corps with publicity and volunteers. Staff members and retirees also helped.

The drive was the first to employ the new electronic blood donor record system and confidential interviews to replace paper forms. In general, the system significantly reduced overall donation time. On Thursday afternoon, however, a full schedule of appointments plus a large influx of walk-in donors led to longer processing times. The Red Cross and the Office of Faculty Staff and Retiree Programs, which coordinates the drive, are planning to expand the number of screening booths and are exploring ways to continue to streamline the process at the next drive, in April.