UW student wins tuition, fees grand prize for reporting vaccination

An undergraduate student in political science from Virginia will receive up to $4,500 in tuition and fees after winning the first grand prize in a drawing for UW students who’ve reported being vaccinated for COVID-19.

According to a UW release, the student, who asked to not be publicly identified, won the prize after his name was drawn Monday from among students who’ve reported their COVID vaccinations on the Student Health Service patient portal.

Students who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical or religious reasons may participate in the drawings by completing a vaccination exemption form found on the Student Health Service website.

Additionally, a senior outdoor recreation and tourism major won $300 in the weekly drawing for prizes for those who’ve reported vaccinations. The student, from Cheyenne, asked to not be publicly identified.

While appearing on Sheridan Media’s Public Pulse, Director of UW Institutional Communications Chad Baldwin told listeners after conducting a campus wide survey, UW discovered the vaccination rate was much higher than originally anticipated. 

The $300 cash prize, as well as other prizes, are going out weekly until the sixth week of the fall semester Sept. 27. The second winner of the grand prize, covering up to $4,500 in tuition and fees, will be drawn the week of Sept. 27. The award would be reduced by any scholarship amount a student is awarded. The prize is meant to cover only costs the student or family is obligated to pay out of pocket.

According to the university, while vaccinations are not required for UW students and employees — instead, they’re strongly encouraged — students should report their vaccinations once they’ve received them. This allows the university to track overall vaccination numbers. The information is not being used for any other purpose, except to enter those who’ve reported their vaccinations into the drawings for prizes. UW’s privacy protocols are being followed.

Students can still upload documentation to the Student Health Service patient portal, simply take a photo of your vaccination document and upload the picture here: http://patientportal.uwyo.edu, using your regular UW user ID and password. This is the same portal where students report their mandatory vaccination for measles, mumps and rubella.

Additionally, students can report their vaccinations by emailing photos of their vaccination documents to Student Health at studenthealth@uwyo.edu.