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Vaccinated students at Tennessee State University will be eligible to receive a $100 gift card as the school tries to boost vaccination rates as students return to campus for the fall semester. Public colleges in Tennessee are not allowed to require students to get vaccinated.
Students who are vaccinated at on-campus sites will receive the gift card, and students who live in on-campus housing are eligible to receive an additional $50 gift card. Students will have until August 27 to prove they are fully vaccinated and claim their gift cards.
Vaccinated students will also be entered into a daily lottery where they can win monetary prizes.
School officials told employees they are working on a vaccine incentive program for faculty and other staff members as well.
Students have started to return to campus as they prepare to begin the fall semester. The school is expecting to have the largest freshman class in five years.
"As the University approaches the start of the 2021-2022 academic year, we are excited about your return to the TSU campus. I truly appreciate your fortitude and willingness to prevail over what has been a challenging eighteen months for all of us," President Glenda Glover wrote in a letter to students.
According to WPLN, 60 students have claimed their gift cards since the program began.