Ohio State students who complete daily health checks and fulfill COVID-19 testing requirements may win priority course scheduling, a Chipotle gift card or even a MacBook in return. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Ohio State students who complete daily health checks and fulfill COVID-19 testing requirements may win priority course scheduling, Chipotle gift cards or even MacBook computers in return.
Ohio State’s testing incentive program randomly selects 250 students per week to win a variety of prizes, and students who consistently meet testing requirements are eligible for larger prizes, university spokesperson Dave Isaacs said. More than 1,200 students have received a reward since the program began at the beginning of this semester.
“One of the most important tools in fighting the spread of COVID-19 on a college campus is an effective testing strategy,” Dr. Gladys Gibbs, director of Student Health Services, said in an email. “There is little doubt that our incentive strategy to reward students for consistently complying with the testing is an important component in keeping our campus and community safe and healthy.”
Since selection is completely random, Isaacs said the best way for a student to increase their chances of winning something is to complete their COVID-19 testing each week. Winners are notified via email if they have been selected.
Students may be selected to win a prize from one of four categories: gift cards, tech products, special tours and campus opportunities, and preferred and priority opportunities, according to Ohio State’s testing incentive website.
Isaacs said more than 1,000 local and national gift cards have been given to students.
Zach Horvath, a second-year in finance, said he won a $25 Chipotle gift card in mid-February. He gets tested once a week as an off-campus student, but he didn’t know about the program, so the surprise of a gift card perked him up.
“When I first saw it, I was just totally ecstatic about it, because you know me, I’m just a big Chipotle guy,” Horvath said. “It really made my day.”
Horvath said he thinks students at Ohio State generally comply with testing requirements, but knowing about the rewards program may encourage students to keep up with the requirements — especially if the rewards are as coveted as free burritos.
Roosevelt Coffeehouse, The Book Loft and the North Market are some locations for the 25 local gift cards given away each week, Isaacs said. Students may also win one of the 225 virtual gift cards offered each week for national corporations such as Amazon, Target and GrubHub.
Every three weeks, eligible students have the opportunity to win more expensive tech products — including AirPods, Apple Watches and speakers, Isaacs said. Students who complete weekly testing for three weeks in a row will be placed in a pool to win tech products.
According to Ohio State’s testing incentive website, students may also receive priority course scheduling for fall semester or win Ohio Union Activities Board event tickets and lunches with senior leaders at the university.
As a “grand prize,” any student who has not missed a COVID-19 test or daily health check throughout the semester will be entered to win one of 20 MacBook computers, Isaacs said.
COVID-19 testing is mandatory for students living on and off campus, but the testing incentive program was created as an extra motivation for students, Isaacs said.
“We want to encourage students to do the testing, and the vast majority of students do the right thing and do participate,” Isaacs said. “To be eligible for some pretty nice prizes is just an extra incentive to encourage students to test.”
