On May 10, the University of Lethbridge announced it would be giving students the chance to win free tuition if they received a COVID-19 vaccine before the commencement of the fall semester.
Now the institution has expanded the It’s Worth a Shot campaign to faculty, but with different prize options and deadlines.
Mike Mahon, president and vice-chancellor of the U of L, explained the plan was to always have an incentive for both students and staff to become vaccinated with at least one dose to help foster a safe return to the classroom in September.
“We just decided that we would roll it out in two parts,” he said. “The prizes are different, so we didn’t want any confusion.
“In the end, from our perspective, the most important thing is to encourage our whole community to get vaccinated.”
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While students are vying for one of nine grand prizes for free tuition—worth about $3,600 each–staff can enter a draw for the chance to win one of five free reserved parking spots for one year, one of five ONE Pass memberships to 1st Choice Savings Centre for Sport & Wellness facilities, one of five Faculty of Fine Arts ticket packages, bookstore gift certificates and more.
Faculty and staff at both the Lethbridge and Calgary campuses can enter, with Calgary-based equivalents for winners further north.
“Parking is always an expensive thing, so we thought that would be a good motivator,” Mahon said. “Plus we like the relationship between parking — which means coming back to campus — and getting vaccinated.”
Mahon said the reaction so far as been positive, with many staff already putting their names into the draw despite having until Aug. 2 to do so.
“It’s so easy that in the first couple of hours, (I think) almost 500 faculty and staff have already registered.”
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