It’s fall and that can mean only one thing, it’s time to give blood. Giving a pint of your blood is a great gift, it really is. For every hot, red pint you squeeze out, you are saving a life somewhere in our fair state. When your blood leaves the Union, maybe you will save a loved one who has been in a car accident or a cop shot in the line of duty. Maybe you will save the life of a child desperately in need of a transfusion. Or maybe, just maybe, the life you save will be your own. It’s true. Whose to say that one day you won’t be the injured party in desperate need of a pint or two of your particular blood type? Many hospitals give priority to donors. So giving blood isn’t just a great thing to do for someone else. It is a great thing to do for yourself. If you are like most Americans, you love enough to give the very best and that is a pint of the red, red vino only you can provide you. So give blood if only to be selfish. They give out cookies you know. On a related note, kudos to the Government of the Student Body for sponsoring the blood drives every year, it is a great way to encourage good citizenship on campus. A bad way to encourage citizenship is when some organizations force their members to give blood whether they want to or not just to win a trophy. We firmly believe that the vast majority of people on campus do not have a good enough excuse to skip giving. Many rely on a minor fear of a little needle prick to keep them off the donation table and that is unfortunate, sad and just plain wrong. But there are some whose dread fear of needles is very real. Forcing the gift of blood is wrong and if you have to harangue the members of your community to give against their will just for a piece of plastic and wood, give it up. For the rest of you, give up the blood! Editorial Board: Carrie Tett, Greg Jerrett, Katie Goldsmith, Amie Van Overmeer and Andrea Hauser