The Ohio football team is not the only group battling Miami University this weekend. Ohio University fraternities and sororities have been out for blood yesterday and today.

The OU-Miami blood battle is one of 56 bloodmobiles the Athens County Chapter of the American Red Cross tries to have each year, Sandra Shirey, executive director of the chapter, said.

The American Red Cross began the blood war yesterday at the First United Methodist Church in Athens. It continues from 12 p.m. to 6 p.m. at The Convo today.

The OU-Miami blood battle provides the chance for students at OU to donate more blood than students at Miami. Almost every fraternity and sorority helps out during the event, Shirey said.

Two OU greek organizations, the Chi Omega sorority and the Phi Gamma Delta fraternity, are helping to run this year's OU-Miami blood battle.

Courtney Jacobs, a junior and member of Chi Omega, said their goal was 80 donors yesterday and 90 today.

"(The amount of blood collected) varies from about 20 units to over 100 (units) depending on the size of the bloodmobile and the group sponsoring (it)," Shirey said. A unit is one pint.

Students donate often when the bloodmobiles are on campus, Shirey said.

"They ask that we donate, but we don't have to. It's a nice thing to do to help out the community," said OU senior Nicole Diso, member of Chi Omega.

"Because I have type O positive (blood) and that's rare, I donate. I look at it as a possibility to help someone else and maybe someone else would help me someday," she said.

Chi Omega has helped with the bloodmobiles in the past, OU senior Molly Schwenker, president of Chi Omega, said.

Like Chi Omega, Phi Gamma Delta is no stranger to American Red Cross bloodmobiles.

"I guess our organization has done it in the past. I was contacted by a person with the Red Cross and asked if I was interested in helping and I said, 'yes,' " OU senior Jason Hoy, president of Phi Gamma Delta, said.

The members of the fraternity are encouraged to become involved, he said.

"Basically we are trying to get members of our fraternity to donate and help at the centers there (at the bloodmobile)," Hoy said.

Other sororities and fraternities donate at the OU-Miami blood battle as well as helping at other bloodmobiles throughout the year.

The blood collected at the drives helps to serve the needs of hospitals in the area as well as Doctors Hospital of Nelsonville and O'Blenness Memorial Hospital in Athens, Shirey said.