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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Oct. 25, 1978)
Firm banks on plasma By SHAUN BRINK For the Emerald Commercial plasma banks have come out of the closets and into the money, and the move has led to a flood of eager sellers and a stream of critics. ‘‘Plasma banks have a bad reputation,” says Alan Wickizer, director of the Eugene Plasma Corporation. “But just because there is money involved it doesn’t mean we are getting a lot of bums or we don’t care about the indi vidual.” A skid row image of blood banks prompted the FDA to investigate charges that transfusions from paid donors carried a greater risk of viral hepatitis. The investigation culminated last May in an FDA rul ing requiring that all blood and blood components be marked by source, either a paid or volunteer donor. Despite the ruling, some medi cal authorities, including the vol unteer American Association of blood banks, express doubts about the commercial banks. But those doubts are unwar ranted, Wickizer says. “We are extremely careful,” he explains. “We send a sample of every plasma to be checked for hepatitis.” In addition, he says, all clients must fill out a lengthy ques tionnaire and be screened by the staff doctor. The center rejects anyone who has had hepatitis or has been pregnant in the last six months. A current illness, a low protein count or body weight also temporarily prevent a person from selling plasma. "Our concern is for the donor as well,” the director says. "If they are not healthy, we won’t let them donate.” EPC’s parent corporation, North American Biologies Inc. of Miami, showed similar caution when it selected Eugene for one of its new centers. The neighbor hood — the downtown mall, the library and the University — will, EPC predicts, help eradicate the skid row image. “Fortunately we have few dere licts,” Wickizer says. “We do have several husband and wife teams saving for a trip.” Other “plasma sellers” include teachers, stu dents, a father saving money for his second child’s birth and a fraternity raising money to help an injured member. Clients earn $10 for a pint of plasma and can make up to $100 a month. The money attracts peo ple who normally wouldn’t donate blood, Wickizer says. "After all, you can’t buy books on blood bank credit,” he adds. “If we do get any of Lane Memorial Blood Bank’s regular donors we enourage them to stay there," the director says, stressing EPC was not in competition with the volunteer blood bank. Scott Wright, administrator for the Lane Memorial Blood Bank, also expressed a desire to avoid a competitive situation. “I don’t want to have a nit-picking situation like there is in Seattle. Nothing is going to gain from it.” Wright has some personal re servations about commercial plasma banks, but adds “They (EPC) are here.” The volunteer bank’s medical director. Dr. Jacqueline Miller also says she has “a slight feeling of uneasiness" about commercial blood banks in general. There has been concern, she adds, that fre quent plasma donations would cause a decrease in plasma pro teins. However, the studies are in conclusive, she says. Miller, who also heads the Pacific Region Accredidation Board for blood banks, does agree with Wickizer on one point: The plasma is needed. "Most vol unteer blood banks separate plasma on a large scale,” Miller says, “but by no means can they provide it all.” Commercial banks, like EPC, are increasingly and profitably filling in that gap. Both banks sell plasma to drug firms which break it down into gamma gobulin, cryoprecipitate (for hemophiliacs), fibrogen (for clotting), and serum albumin (for bum victims). EPC stresses this side of the plasma business, as well as its efforts to provide professional and attractive surroundings for the “donors.” The efforts are, literally, paying off. When EPC opened its doors in July, people crowded in to sell their plasma to the grateful living Photo by Grog Gawtowstci Plasma donation is a new and profitable way for Eugene area residents to spend their free time. One can make up to $100 a month, and some people use this to save for special occasions. in order to buy tickets to see the Grateful Dead. By the middle of October, over 1,200 people had sold their plasma to EPC. Many have become regular, satisfied donors. “This is sure not like the one in San Francisco — that’s one de pressing place,” said a 24 year-okj man. “The people here are skilled. It’s a bright, cheerful place.” And that’s the image the center plans to maintain. Music school to toot horn over new facility By DOUG McRAE For the Emerald The first addition to what is now Beall Hall was a surplus Army bar racks in 1921. This weekend, the music school will dedicate its latest addition in a three-day celebration that coincides with homecoming activities. University Pres. William Boyd says the new structures are a part of the music school’s "quantum leap forward” from its first facilities, which he described as New practice, classroom space added "near slum conditions.” The $2.07 million north and east wings add needed practice and classroom space, as well as of fices and storage lockers, to the school’s previously cramped facilities. Morrette Rider, music school dean, says use of the structures marks the start of a new era for the school, and the future addition of THE SEVEN WEEK COURSE BEGINS WEDNESDAY, OCT. 25 AND RUNS THROUGH WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 FOR MORE INFORMATION CALL 484-0457 or 345-6328 or 484-9627 INTERESTED PERSONS MAY ATTEND ANY OR ALL CLASSES 1754 PATTERSON - 7:00 pm WEDNESDAY NIGHTS ALL WELCOME, NO FEE Sponsored by the Sri Chinmoy Centre Page 8 Section A faculty members and equipment should enable the school to reach its long-range goals. Requests for funding the con struction were submitted to the Legislature as early as 1963, but it took 12 years for the music school’s proposals to reach a high enough priority on the list of fund ing requests from the state’s higher education system, says Rider. The $2.07 million appropriation covered construction costs of the new wings and remodeling in the old middle and south buildings, says Rider. Construction began in 1976 and was completed last summer, Rider adds. In the dozen years between the first submission of construction funding requests and the final ap propriation, the school used its best lobbying tool, says Royce Saltzman, associate dean at the school. “Our lobbying was done through music," he says. “By play ing at Senate banquets and legis lative dinners, we told them what the school was about.” During that time, however, the school ran into serious problems as a result of overcrowding. Conditions were so bad, says Saltzman, that "we had kids prac ticing in closets and halls because of the lack of practice rooms. There was also a lack of class rooms.” election nov. 1 and 2 Take an active voice in Scott for Incidental Fee Comm. deciding who will spend part of your tuition. Scrutinize the Voter’s Guide statements in this edition of the Emerald and vote. It will only take a few minutes to read the Voter’s Guide and become an informed voter. pd. Basset IFC M-F 8to8 S 9 to 5 Campus Copy QUALITY PRINTING WHILE YOU WAIT AND SELF-SERVICE COPYING 762 East 13th Ave. Eugene, Oregon 9740; Rider says scheduling the school's inadequate facilities often forced students to rehearse late at night. “It was not uncom mon to find organ students practic ing at three or four in the morning,” Rider adds. Last year the school had over 425 music majors taking classes and practicing in facilities de signed for 200 students, officials say. “As evidence to the overcrowd ing last year, the newest facilities are in almost 100 percent use now,” says Stephen Stone, assis tant to the dean. There are now 451 music ma jors enrolled, says Rider, and offi cials estimate that as many as 1,000 other students from the University take classes there. While space is a major consid eration in serving such large number of students, another fac tor is unique to the music school. “The biggest problem is acous tics,” says Rider. “We make a lot of noise.” “Some buildings had good iso lation, but some of these buildings are 50 years old and the sound was horrendous,” Saltzman says. The solution of the noise prob lem was to “build a building within a building,” says Rider, adding that the result is that sound is so well isolated in the new wings that students “cannot hear people in the next room.” This type of construction leads to higher costs, says Rider. Boyd points out that the school got “more for their money than most universities are getting.” Rider says occupation of the new wings has not only helped improve the school’s programs, but has also "made quite a differ ence to faculty and students both. There is a lot of pride.” Rider estimates between 500 and 600 persons will attend the official dedication Saturday morn ing in Beall concert hall. Wednesday, October 25, 1978
