The University of Missouri is investigating a sorority in which members were urged to lie about whether they’d had tatoos, body piercings or colds when giving blood. The blood was given as part of a campus donation competition. The blood donation coordinator for the Gamma Phi Beta house sent an email to members threatening severe punishment for any member who did not donate. She wrote, “I don’t care if you got a tattoo last week. LIE. I don’t care if you have a cold. Suck it up. We all do. LIE. Recent piercings, LIE.” The Red Cross says it discourages actions such as piercings and tattoos that could jeopardize the safety of the blood supply.
