Yesterday marked the end of this year's Penn State-Michigan State Blood Donor Challenge.

More than 1,500 Penn Staters rolled up their sleeves and contributed to the competition.

However, not everyone who wanted to donate could participate in the drive.

Following U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) standards, the American Red Cross excludes segments of the population that are deemed "risky." These groups include men who have had sex with other men, recent rape victims and many people who have spent time in foreign countries, among others. The Red Cross says it doesn't want to be discriminatory, but that its current process is necessary to ensure the safety of the blood it supplies.

We agree that the Red Cross must be very cautious about its blood supply, because the sick people who receive its units have the right to be sure that these pints of help won't make them any sicker.

However, we can't help but wonder if the FDA and the Red Cross couldn't somehow fine-tune their screening questions to target more accurately who's at risk for spreading certain diseases.

For example, if a man has had unprotected sex with dozens of women, he may donate blood. But if a man has anal sex using a condom with another man, he's barred from donating.

We wonder if the questions truly filter out those most at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

We hope that the screening process will be modified in the future to allow more people to safely donate blood, in addition to improving the scientific testing that discovers diseases in blood already taken.

In the meantime, however, people who are able to pass the Red Cross' screening process should remember that they're the lucky ones. They're able to donate blood and save lives. Those who are eligible have a special responsibility to provide the life-giving gift of blood.