The voice of De Anza since 1967 Volume 58, Issue 1
Tuesday, Feb. 13, 2024
lavozdeanza.com
De Anza hosts Stanford blood drive
By Mackenzie Jardine EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
The conference rooms rumble with laughter and catchy pop music as nurses move around the plethora of tables and donation stations in the Hinson Campus Center on Jan. 25 for the quarterly blood drive. Students, ready for donation, move in and out of the area, checking in at the front table and then sitting for their turn. When donors are called they follow a nurse into a private blue tent area, where they have their blood levels checked and see if they are fit for donation. After the exam, they are led to a chair and put into a reclining position as the nurse in charge of them begins the process of donation. The whole process takes about 45 minutes and can save lives. Blood cannot be manufactured which makes the importance of donating blood extreme. Greg Klein, 57, a nursing trainer that has been employed at Stanford Blood Center for five years said that the blood center is highly regulated by the FDA and that blood has a shelf life, depending on the product. “If it’s platelets (a part of blood cells that initiates blood clots), it’s
Stanford Blood Center nurses move around conference room A and B while they prepare to take in donators on Jan. 25. as short as five days. We test for all known communicable diseases and (the testing) takes about two or three days depending on the product so the shelf life (of a platelet) would be (about) three days,” Klein said. “Whole blood, which is what we’re doing here (at the blood drive) would be about 35 to 42 days.”
Jerick Toledo, 29, is a nurse that was hired by Stanford Blood Center after a 12-to-13-week training program. The program ensures that all nurses understand blood pressure, needle technique and what makes a potential donor eligible or not. The eligibility varies from person to person so having a big donor pool is necessary.
PHOTO BY MACKENZIE JARDINE
“We try to expand our accessibility to everyone,” Toledo said. “Our main goal is to supply blood for patients that need it.” Blood types can equate to eligibility, despite (the blood drive) taking any and all people. O positive and O negative are universal donors, but the positive and negative typing of the blood actually makes a difference, negative being
superior, Toledo said. Blood drives hope that people become lifelong donors. College students tend to be younger which allows them to donate many times throughout their lifespan. It’s important for people to enjoy the experience and want to come back again and again, Klein said. Su Myat Wutye (who prefers to go by Su), 21, an electrical engineering major, always had a desire to donate blood in her home country but couldn’t because she was only 18 at the time. Soon after that, COVID-19 hit, causing her to miss her chances all together. Su said that when she came to the U.S., she still had that desire. “I saw the advertisement in the cafeteria and (thought) why not give it a try? I wish to help in any type of way,” Su said. Donating blood can have people hesitant between the potential woozy feeling and the large needle, but Isabel Nelson, 22, psychology major assures it’s easy and has great benefit. “You can save a life. It’s really simple and just a little prick,” Nelson said after donating. “I feel fine. It’s a good thing to do. People should donate.”
Join La Voz Bot students inhibit precious campus resources PAGE 3
Winter Club Day PAGE 4
Bands of the bay: Hemorage PAGE 6
How to join La Voz PAGE 7
‘Saturn’ bedazzles Fujitsu Planetarium PAGE 8
Track and field athletes discontent with athletic department, president By Ann Penalosa and Leila Salam
MANAGING EDITOR, FREELANCER
Track and field athletes, coaches and alumni confronted De Anza College’s administrators with their grievances about the athletic department’s handling of their 2023 season overall, as well as their lack of support during various pending legal investigations, at the Media and Learning Center on Wednesday, Jan. 10. The team mainly aimed to speak to College President Lloyd Holmes, Athletic Dean Eric Mendoza and Athletic Director Ron Hannon, while Chancellor Lee Lambert was invited as an observer. Mendoza and Lambert did not speak throughout the meeting. Several of the team’s older concerns, raised in their earlier meeting with Chancellor Lambert on Sept. 27, 2023, as well as new grievances were
not answered during this meeting, as President Holmes said he would follow up with individual students afterwards. Mattis said that sports administration told him when he came back that there was no funding for the new equipment. However, the football team recently received at least seven new blocking sleds which cost over $2,000 a piece, with more new equipment inside a shed which La Voz was not able to access. Another complaint was alleged unprofessional favoritism within the teams by the athletic trainer. Additionally, two female athletes came forward saying that members of the football team had sexually assaulted them in fall quarter, one during a football game, and she said that the Title IX (Title IX prohibits sex-based discrimination in education) lawyer in charge of that case dismissed it despite that player confessing to assaulting her. The other said she never
Student athletes meet with De Anza College administrators in the Media PHOTO BY LEILA SALAM and Learning Center on Jan. 10. not that.” heard back from her Title IX lawyer. Assistant Coach Jerry Duong said who’s like a brother to me,” LaVigne The athletes do not know why their said. “What he did and how he went the last minute notice about the Coast cases were not addressed. Conference Championship meet’s about it was not the way he should Robert LaVigne, 20, a communew location negatively impacted have. He didn’t go to coach Mattis nications major, the former Student athletes’ ability to compete and even himself and say, ‘I don’t want to be Athlete Advisory Council President some of their grades. on the team;’ he simply said to himand an athlete for both football and “A lot of our athletes schedule self, ‘I’m not going to show up any track and field, said that he is close classes around conference; they were more and that’s what it’s gonna be.’” friends with the student Mattis had a not allowed to change things when LaVigne said the argument heated argument with, resulting in an it was so last minute. They found between the student and Mattis got investigation and him being placed out the day before conference, even blown out of proportion “to make it on paid administrative leave in the though the (athletic department) made seem like Mattis was a racist, a bigot, middle of the spring 2023 season. the decision four days after Mattis and picking on one of the only Black “Coach Mattis was just trying to was put on leave,” Duong said. (athletes) on the team. As someone teach. This (player) is somebody who is Black myself, Coach Mattis is See Page 2 for continuation.