Texas Tech offering vaccine incentives to students, faculty and staff

LUBBOCK, Texas (KCBD) - Texas Tech University is encouraging its students, faculty and staff to get vaccinated against COVID-19 by offering incentive programs.

Those who are fully vaccinated can register for weekly drawings for various prizes. The first drawing will be held on Sept. 15 to allow for the campus community to get vaccinated. Those who are already fully vaccinated can enter now.

Student body president Faisal Al-Hmoud says he hopes students will do what’s best for public health, incentive or not.

“The most that we can do is just encourage students, mainly for our immunologically-compromised individuals, for our healthcare workers who have been working tirelessly for people with Covid, and for people who just can’t get the vaccine,” Al-Hmoud said.

Students can win campus store gift cards, dining bucks, scholarship money and a parking spot in the Flint Avenue Garage for the year. Faculty and staff can win club-level tickets to football games, concert tickets at Buddy Holly Hall, rec center memberships and more.

Student Grant Williams says he’ll be putting his name in the drawing.

“I mean I feel like it would be a good opportunity to just get involved in whatever they have going on and I’m already vaccinated. So, why not,” Williams said.

For students to register, they must upload a copy of their CDC issued vaccination card (or appropriate documentation if received abroad) to Student Health Services just as you would other university required vaccinations such as MMR and Meningitis.

One student says the program may cause strife within families.

“I know a couple of them who have said their parents wouldn’t allow them. For those who are older, who have like stereotypes in their minds, I don’t think that will work,” she said.

Transfer Anaya Sills says she’ll be entering the giveaways. She hopes the incentives will help keep the school year as normal as possible.

”My sister has an auto-immune disease. So, I just wanted to not put her at risk so I got vaccinated. I’m going to be a junior, so I kind of like haven’t had that much of a college experience ‘cause my freshman year got cut short and then last year was weird. So, I’m really excited,” Sills said.

Al-Hmoud says he’s excited to start his term in-person.

“Finally are able to see football games, go to intramurals, go to class, so. So many invaluable experiences that make college what it is, make Raiderland what it is, coming back. So, I can’t wait,” Al-Hmoud said.

Faculty and staff that are fully vaccinated will enter their drawing by submitting their name via this link. If selected as a winner, the individual must produce their CDC issued vaccination card proving that they are fully vaccinated when they pick up their prize.

The university will also host campus vaccination clinics throughout the semester.

A full list of incentives and drawing dates can be found - here.

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