How students are being motivated to attend weekly testing sites

Student Government has been implementing incentives in order to increase the number of students getting tested for COVID-19 on campus. By allowing students who get tested to fill out a survey, those students are then entered into a drawing to win prizes while the winners are announced every Monday.

Among some of the prizes students can win include the grand prize which is a $250 vista gift card and five $100 bookstore gift cards that are awarded every week.

Matthew Friedmann, the Student Body President, talked about whether these incentives are helping with increasing the testing numbers on campus. “We saw an uptick in testing numbers the first week we announced them and have yet to hear about last week’s numbers,” Friedmann said.

“It’s important to keep in mind that there are multiple variables that affect the testing number,” Friedmann added. “With the biggest of those being how the events and the incentives are communicated to students.”

Students have been receiving weekly email reminders about COVID-19 testing on campus as well as emails from Student Government reminding them about the prizes they can enter to win if they continue to get tested.

Friedmann also talked about the importance of getting tested frequently. “Some students don’t realize that you can be asymptomatic, have no idea, and spread the virus to other members of our community. That’s why frequent testing will allow you to know if you fall into that category.”

“We encourage all students to take their obligation of frequent testing seriously,” Friedmann added.

Student Government plans on keeping the incentives in place for the rest of the year as they’ve been approved for funding. Friedmann also said that they plan on providing small prizes to each student who gets tested.

When it comes to other campus organizations getting involved in testing incentives, Friedmann said Student Government has been partnering with the Residence Hall Association and University Relations to “approach this as dynamically as we can.”

“We encourage any organization here on campus that can reach students, to please remind them of the big gift card incentives, and encourage those students to get tested regardless of their possible exposure or lack of symptoms.”

Students can get tested at the Shelly Ellig Indoor Track on Thursdays and Sundays from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m.