Clayton Black (45) and his teammates hope to score on the court Feb. 12 after the Wittenberg community scores in the annual Blood Battle.
Springfield, Ohio — In preparation for one of the biggest men's basketball games on the 2010-11 schedule, the Wittenberg University Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and Student Senate are putting school bragging rights on the line.
On Tuesday, Feb. 1, SAAC and Student Senate are participating in the third annual Blood Battle, a blood drive competition with North Coast Athletic Conference (NCAC) arch-rival Wooster. Wittenberg students, faculty and staff are invited to give blood between the hours of 2-6 p.m. in the Joseph C. Shouvlin Center for Lifelong Learning, Room 105.
The results of the blood drive will be announced at the Feb. 12 men's basketball game between Wooster, currently ranked No. 1 in the nation, and Wittenberg, the NCAA Division III leader in all-time victories, at Pam Evans Smith Arena. Wooster students, faculty and staff are also holding a blood drive. The director of athletics at the school that loses the Blood Battle will wear the opposing school's hat for the entire second half of the Feb. 12 game.
"This is a great way for the Wittenberg community to get involved in a great cause while showing their competitive spirit," said Wittenberg SAAC Blood Battle Coordinator Boo Vernon, class of 2011 from Lake Bluff, Ill. "We hope to fill all of our 84 time slots during the day so we can put the Wittenberg Red & White on Wooster's athletic director again this year."
Wittenberg won the inaugural Blood Battle in 2009, but Wooster evened the score in 2010.
An association-wide SAAC was adopted at the 1989 NCAA Convention to review and offer student-athlete input on NCAA activities and proposed legislation that affects student-athlete welfare. In 1997, the NCAA expanded the organization to represent all three NCAA divisions, and today the association mandates that all member institutions have SAAC organizations on their respective campuses.
Wittenberg's SAAC holds monthly meetings and hosts a variety of campus events, including a popular end-of-the-year awards banquet. All 23 of the university's varsity athletics teams are represented in the organization's membership.
Student Senate is a student organization comprised of elected representatives from various campus constituencies. The group includes an executive committee (elected at-large among the entire student body), as well as class presidents, and senators representing large groups, including Greek and non-Greek organizations, student-athletes, international students, Concerned Black Students, residence life and others. The group serves as the campus' student government, and actively supports Wittenberg as the liaison for students to the university administration.
Written By: Ryan Maurer
Photo By: Erin Pence
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