The Food and Drug Administration has banned men who have had sex with other men from donating blood since 1983. But now, SJSU President Don Kassing is prohibiting any blood drives on campus because the FDA ignores SJSU’s nondiscrimination policy.

Although the nondiscrimination and FDA policies are decades old, Kassing stopped blood drives on campus just last week.

“A number of gay men complained for years,” said Wiggsy Sivertsen, former director of SJSU’s Counseling Services. “The problem was we needed to get somebody to file a complaint with the Office of Equal Opportunity. Somebody finally did, so we were able to move.”

The community can organize blood drives but not at SJSU.

“If the Stanford Blood Bank wanted to bring their van down and park across the street, of course, they’re more than welcome to do that,” said Larry Carr, associate vice president for public affairs in the president’s office.

For now, donating blood off campus is the only option for students, including Tau Delta Phi President Dominic Fass. His fraternity is planning a blood drive in March - off campus.

Michele Hyndman, Stanford Blood Center’s public relations manager, said that the center would hold blood drives near SJSU.

“Twenty percent of the blood we collect comes from students,” Hyndman said. “Donating blood at a school blood drive is often the first time somebody is exposed to donating blood. It becomes a platform from which they become lifelong blood donors.”