Though Joe Paterno and his team have a few weeks left before heading to Michigan State, competition between the Nittany Lions and the Spartans is already brewing.

Today begins the 12th annual Penn State-Michigan State Blood Donor Challenge, an event sponsored by the American Red Cross. The challenge is a way for both universities to increase their blood inventories before the holiday season approaches.

The challenge will continue through Nov. 17, and the final score will be announced at halftime during the Nov. 19 football game at Michigan State.

Although Penn State lost last year's challenge by 35 pints of blood, Penn State remains in the all-time lead with seven challenge wins. "We are ... Blood Donors," the theme of this year's drive, is meant to encourage students to compete in the challenge and remind them that the drive itself is about more than competition.

Wendi Keeler, Penn State Student Red Cross Club adviser, said the drive allows the school to be competitive with another university while keeping in mind the positive outcome of their donations. Keeler estimated that 7,000 units of blood are collected on campus each year. Nearly 2,000 units from that total are collected through the challenge, she said. "Helping hospital patients collect 1,750 units of blood in two weeks is amazing," Keeler said.

Red Cross Club President Rami Horani (senior-premedicine) said he believes so many units of blood are donated because of the challenge's competitive nature. "Pride is associated with football and competitive spirit. This event brings out school spirit in a positive manner; Michigan State feels the same way," Horani said.

Justin Looyenga, Michigan State's donor recruitment representative, said competing against another university is an incentive for more students to donate. "There is a lot of pride and team spirit associated with this season, and this is something that everyone can relate to," Looyenga said.

While team spirit is high in the fall, so is the need for blood, Keeler said.

"Although the challenge is supposed to be about competition, the main goal is to get pints of blood. This gives the Red Cross a giant push before the holiday season," said Toni Gibson, Red Cross Club's blood drive coordinator.

Gibson (sophomore-psychology and communication arts and sciences) also stressed the number of volunteers needed to make the drives possible.

Keeler said most of the drive's sponsors are student organizations that provide publicity and volunteers. Nearly every on-campus dorm helps the challenge by holding drives in their commons areas, she said. More than 25 sponsoring student groups provide volunteers and donors, and another 200 to 300 individuals from other student groups volunteer as workers at the drives, Keeler said. "The drive provides an outlet for students to obtain community service; we wouldn't be able to work without them," she said.

Red Cross Club Education Coordinator Jenn Wilson (senior-premedicine) said the group will go to classrooms beginning today to recruit student donors and to publicize the event.