Huskers who complete their COVID-19 vaccination can earn another shot — this one for Big Red-centric prizes.
Announced in a June 23 message from Chancellor Ronnie Green, students, faculty and staff can participate in the prize drawing by voluntarily providing vaccine details online. Green said the Voluntary COVID-19 Vaccine Registry is part of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s plans for a return to full-capacity, in-person instruction for the fall 2021 semester. It will also help university leaders and local health officials better understand the breadth of vaccination rates within the university community and help shape plans for the fall.
“I recognize the threat of COVID-19 may feel far away in these summer months. But, we are not out of the woods yet,” Green said. “Having a significant portion of our campus community vaccinated is the best way to protect yourself and to guard against any spread of COVID-19 on our campus in the fall. Also, the more who are vaccinated, the more open our campus will be.”
Participants in the voluntary registry will be exempt from the university’s plans for required weekly saliva-based testing in the fall semester.
The university’s voluntary COVID-19 vaccine registry will launch the week of June 28. Details will be provided here.
To participate, students, faculty and staff must have completed a final dose of a COVID-19 vaccine by Aug. 15. A variety of prizes will be awarded weekly starting July 5. A grand prize drawing — which features five student awards worth undergraduate in-state tuition and fees; and (for faculty/staff) a trip for two to the Husker football game in Ireland in August 2022 — will be held after Aug. 15.
Weekly prizes for faculty and staff include: a reserved named parking spot for one year; season tickets for two to the Lied Center for Performing Arts’ Broadway series; Husker football season tickets for two; Husker volleyball season tickets for two; 60-minute massage at the Campus Rec center each month for a semester; and Champions Club football season pass for two.
Weekly prizes for students include: $250 Dining Dollars meal plan; $250 in Husker gear; 60-minute massage at Campus Rec each month for a semester; Outdoor Adventures Center climbing pass for a semester; smart watch; weekly free Dairy Store ice cream for two for the academic year; and a one-year membership to the Nebraska Innovation Studio Makerspace.
Details on vaccine availability can be found here. All vaccines approved by the World Health Organization and recognized by the Lincoln-Lancaster County Health Department are accepted for the prize drawing.
To help monitor for the virus in the fall, the university is requiring weekly saliva-based testing for all students, faculty and staff who will be active on campus. Exemptions are available and include participating in the voluntary COVID-19 vaccine registry.
The testing will remain in place until public health officials allow the university to shift to a random testing strategy.
In the fall semester, the university will continue to use the Safer Community app to allow individual access to campus buildings. Students, faculty and staff who do not have an exemption, must complete a first saliva-based test by Aug. 19 to ensure access for the first day of classes on Aug. 23.
Individuals who are exempt from the testing will have a continuous “Access Granted” notification on the app.
“Be prepared, Huskers — locate your vaccination cards and be ready to submit them to our registry next week,” Green said. “Good luck in winning one of our great prizes and thank you all for keeping our community safe.
“I can hardly wait to see our campuses full and vibrant with activity in the new academic year.”
