Treasure Valley Community College. (The Enterprise/File)
ONTARIO – Treasure Valley Community College will now offer enrolled students $100 in exchange for showing a filled-out vaccination card, officials said Wednesday.
The gift is meant as an incentive to encourage students to get vaccinated, said Dr. Dana Young, college president.
“As a college, we are trying to do our part to keep our community safe and healthy and help to flatten the curve in Malheur County,” Young said. “We also hope this encourages students to get vaccinated and allows us to continue in-person classes throughout fall term.”
TVCC has offered a full spread of in-person classes since last fall, when most other community colleges in Oregon were fully virtual.
Students who are fully vaccinated – meaning they have received two doses of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccine or one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine – can present their vaccine cards for verification at the Vendor Fair Sept. 27 on campus by the fountain.
Gift cards will be given out as available, but since they are being ordered on demand, there is a possibility that the college will run out. In that case, students can pick up their gift cards later or receive them by mail.
“The offer is open to anyone that has enrolled in classes during this time period, whether it is a curriculum class or a continuing education class,” Young said. “It doesn’t matter when you were fully vaccinated – last spring, earlier this summer, or you just finished getting the shot – if you’re fully vaccinated you get the $100.”
Additional dates for vaccine card verification will be announced to TVCC students using their institutional emails.
The last day students will be able to have their vaccination cards verified is Nov. 1.
The initiative is being funded by federal money apportioned to TVCC as part of a Covid relief effort.
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