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Blood Simple
Engineering students show their
pride by donating blood. |
This is the story of a brainchild, born Nov.
18 at a student liaison meeting between the University of
Calgary and the University of Alberta. Both universities,
during the second week of winter-term classes, feature traditional
engineering student activities.
At the U of A these activities strive to increase cohesiveness
and provide a relaxed environment for meeting other engineering
students, and our peers to the south have a similar set of
goals for their activities. Together, we demonstrate engineering
pride at its finest.
The activities themselves differ between the U of C and U
of A but they occur at the same time. Both universities need
more donations to campus food banks, and other charities are
also continually in need of donations.
Why not work together, with a joint food and charity drive
blended into each university's winter-term activities? Enter
the new Charity Challenge.
The requirements were simple: gather as much material as possible
to donate to a food bank or charity. The university raising
the largest cash value would win.
Initiatives at the U of A were diverse and innovative. Both
as a collective unit and as individual disciplines, engineering
clubs took up the challenge and worked to make this challenge
a success.
First-year students passed a collection jar around a class
they were all enrolled in, raising $150. For many activities
that took place during the week, a cover charge was applied.
The proceeds from these activities were given in full or in
part to charity.
In addition to these cash-oriented initiatives, donations
in the way of life fluid -
blood - were made. Two days out of the week allowed for engineers
as well as other students to donate blood. More than 70 units
were collected from the engineering students alone, 21 of
whom are first-years. Thanks goes out to all those that donated.
Although this was the first year of this challenge, its success
was evident in more ways than the donation total. The media
was contacted and coverage was provided for select activities
that took place during the week. As well, the challenge helped
build a new optimism within the engineering faculty for our
capabilities in coming years.
Though complete results from the drive were not tabulted by
The PEGG's deadline, food drive results had been counted.
Eclipsing last year's total of about $1,900 worth of donations,
this year's food drive total has a cash value of $2,657.75.
We look forward to seeing the final tabulated results - as
well as seeing how the U of C has reacted to the Charity Challenge
gauntlet.
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