What will it take to get a university vaccinated? FIU leaders are counting on $150
Florida International University has helped book vaccination appointments for its older employees. It has hosted on-campus COVID-19 vaccine pop-ups for students and staff. There’s even a vaccine site on campus.
Now, the university is trying another approach to get reluctant students, faculty and workers vaccinated: $150 to use on campus.
The incentive was announced this week during the start of the fall 2021 semester and comes as Florida continues to see a surge of new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations, many younger and unvaccinated. And like at other state universities, masks and COVID-19 vaccines are optional at FIU.
“We know that vaccines are the most effective tool we have against COVID-19, including the delta variant,” FIU said in a statement. “We strongly advise all members of our university community to get vaccinated and have created an incentive to encourage those not yet vaccinated to get the shot and help us keep our university safe.”
So how can students and employees get the $150 incentive? They need to get a first dose of the Pfizer or Moderna COVID-19 vaccine or the single-dose Johnson & Johnson between Aug. 25 and Sept. 10.
People with a first Pfizer or Moderna dose must complete their second dose no later than the end of September to be eligible, according to a message FIU President Mark B. Rosenberg sent to the university community late Wednesday.
To get the incentive, students and employees will need to upload their CDC vaccination card to the university’s Student Health portal by Oct. 15. The $150 reward will be deposited into their FIU One Card, which is the university’s version of a debit card.
The school said it’s working on a different vaccination reward program for students, faculty and staff who were fully vaccinated before Aug. 25.
The $150 can be used on the university’s campuses, including its Modesto Maidique main campus on Southwest Eighth Street and its Biscayne Bay campus in North Miami. FIU cash is accepted by a variety of on-campus businesses including the bookstore and dining options such as Chick-fil-A and Pollo Tropical.
At FIU, more than 14,000 doses have been administered to students, faculty, staff, and members of their households. The university, which has more than 50,000 students, told the Miami Herald it doesn’t know how many of its students or employees are fully vaccinated because people can get their shots at dozens of locations across South Florida. A state law also prohibits educational institutions from requiring proof of vaccination.
The incentive will help FIU get a better idea of its COVID risk. The university says the reward is already drawing interest.
The strategy is one state and county officials have been using for months, with incentives that include free food and concert tickets, to get people vaccinated. Other South Florida educational institutions have similar incentive programs.
The Broward County public school district, for example, is offering employees a $250 bonus if they show proof of vaccination by October. And fully vaccinated students at the University of Miami in Coral Gables can enter raffles for prizes that include university swag and a stadium suite at a football game.
This story was originally published August 27, 2021 at 12:54 PM.
