Red Cross Corps hosts first blood drive of year in Univ. Union
The Towson University American Red Cross Corps hosted one of their annual blood drives Wednesday in the University Union Potomac Lounge from 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Over 60 donors, including students, faculty, staff and members of the community, participated in the event.
"I started to donate blood as soon as I was old enough," Noelle Risser, a sophomore business major, said.
"I try and give blood as often as possible because O-positive is in such high demand and can be given to anybody."
The Red Cross Corps is a service organization that works with numerous volunteer groups to care for the well being of others, both nationally and internationally.
They host blood drives, teach health and safety courses and assist disaster action teams.
"Not only is there an immediate need for blood, but this particular blood drive is supposed to be an outreach program that will strengthen the relationship between Towson University and the community," Megan Burrow, a junior nursing major and vice president of the TU Red Cross Corps, said.
Although not everyone is able to donate blood, there are other ways to get involved with the TU Red Cross Corps.
"We do more than just blood drives. We support other programs like the Ronald McDonald Organization and Our Daily Bread. We also host an annual dodgeball tournament fund-raiser in order to raise money for out organization. We always need more volunteers," Burrow said.
For more information on how to get involved with the TU Red Cross Corps you can contact vice president Megan Burrow at mburro1@towson.edu or president Amanda Walter at awalte1@towson.edu.
--Samantha Buckley
Emergency sirens positioned on campus; planned tests on schedule
Four emergency sirens have been positioned on buildings across campus by the Towson University Police Department.
They will be tested in September, TUPD chief Bernie Gerst said.
The on and off campus communities will be notified through various mediums well in advance of the test, he said.
Sirens have been placed on top of the Towson Center, the Enrollment Services buildings, 7800 York Road and Smith Hall. The sirens are designed to disperse information to the University community in case of an emergency.
The sirens are preloaded with eight automated messages and TUPD also has the ability to speak to the campus through the sirens.
According to Gerst, the TUPD are also working on ways to continue to convey information following the initial alarm.
"The first thing you will hear is probably to get inside of the closest building," he said.
"We would then direct people to the Towson Web site or to listen to WTMD for further information."
Gerst said the TUPD is also looking into a campus-wide public address system hooked up in each building.
-- Kiel McLaughlin
TU Police Dept. adds crime dog, to be trained by Baltimore County
The Towson University Police Department has added a new head and four more legs to the precinct.
Philmore, a black Labrador retriever the department saved from an animal rescue, will soon enter training at with the Baltimore County Police Department to be the TUPD's new drug dog.
Baltimore County has offered to train the dog for free, TUPD chief Bernie Gerst said.
He will be starting his six-week course in the next few weeks. Gerst expects to have Philmore ready to join the department by the end of October or the beginning of November.
-- Kiel McLaughlin
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