There is a discrepancy between Vassar students’ fervent desire for positive change and their ability to enact it. Of course, none of us can commit to every club that advocates for social justice, environmental action or democratic values, nor can we always be assured that our advocacy has the impact we desire. This is all the more reason to engage in the low-commitment kindness that is donating blood. Just a short 10-minute donation can save three lives. What other form of service does so much good with so little time and effort? While there are many reasons for someone not to participate in blood drives, I urge those at Vassar who are able to contribute to do so.
At the Vassar blood drive in February 2026, staffed by the New York Blood Center, an email from Vassar stated that 87 donations were made, and an estimated 271 lives were saved. The number 87 seems high, this figure is very misleading. It includes many students, Vassar faculty and staff, and non-Vassar-affiliated Poughkeepsie locals. Even if all 87 people who donated were students, they would comprise merely 3.4 percent of the 2,511 currently enrolled students. Even a modest uptick in donations could change so many lives.
Of course, there are many legitimate reasons for someone not to participate. For example, those weighing under 110 pounds are ineligible, as are those with medical conditions like anemia and HIV. Other reasons not to donate blood include religious objections, recent trips to areas prone to malaria and the use of certain medications. Additionally, those ethically committed to vegetarianism are often ineligible to give blood due to low levels of iron.
A Vassar senior who wished to stay anonymous from Chattanooga, Tennessee, who identifies as a cisgender gay man, told me that he had not participated in the last blood drive because he was under the impression that it was against the law for him to donate. This impression is understandable. Indeed, it was only in 2023 that all 50 states allowed gay and bisexual men to donate blood. Additionally, Black Americans were barred from donating blood as late as the ’70s; Jewish people were turned away until the ’50s. It would make sense that members of these groups feel deterred by historical exclusions. Putting aside resentments for the discriminatory practices associated with blood drives is much easier said than done. As someone who is Jewish, I relate to the negative feelings that are evoked by past exclusions. However I feel that rather than reject the notion of donating blood, I instead should embrace the opportunity to contribute to society that my great-grandparents were denied.
A question that occurred to me was whether Vassar would be able to accommodate more students at the blood drive. Vassar Director of Health Service, Margot Schinella, informed me that not only can Vassar accommodate more donors. She also has been attempting to recruit more students through emails, flyers, tabling and other forms of outreach, with little success. The question remains: Why are so few students participating?
As a thought experiment, let us assume that half of all Vassar students do not meet the qualifications for donating blood. Let us then divide the remaining half in half again to account for those who were probably unaware of the blood drive. And one more time just for the heck of it. What is left is still six times more than the number of Vassar students who contributed to February’s blood drive. This is not acceptable. This situation is not the hypothetical of taking a bullet for someone, or a trolley problem decision; all that is asked is 30 minutes of your time to save three human lives! Moreover, it is fair to say that the responsibility does not fall squarely on the student body. If anything, the faculty bear more responsibility as they are authority figures and should lead by example.
I write this not claiming to be any kind of moral authority. I realize that, every day, there is more I could be doing to help those around me. What I do know, however, is that the opportunity to do so much good so easily is both rare and absolutely essential.