Towson University: TU Announces Grand Prize Winners In Vaccine Drawing

Press release from Towson University:

Cody Boteler

August 1, 2021

Learn more about vaccine lottery winners, community vaccine requirements, vaccination
opportunity

Fittingly, the two grand prize winners of Towson University’s randomly selected COVID-19
vaccination verification raffle are people dedicated to health professions.

The student winner, Kyle Prendergast, is a nursing student from Catonsville who will
receive a $5,000 scholarship from the TU Foundation. Cynthia Stack, the faculty and
staff winner, is a medical assistant in the TU Health Center and will receive free
parking for a year.

Prendergast is enrolled in TU’s RN to BSN program, which helps working nurses to advance their careers. He says he started taking contracts
as a travel nurse to help pay for the cost of his degree, and that the scholarship
will allow for him to travel less.

“I have that much less to worry about. It means so much, honestly,” he says.

And Slack says the prize is a budgetary relief that could lead to a getting a personal
treat.

“Oh, I am so excited,” she says. “I never win anything. I’m finally a big winner!”

Feeling at home on campus

As part of University System of Maryland requirements, all Towson University students,
faculty and staff on campus this fall must be fully vaccinated, including any vaccine-specific
waiting period following a vaccination, against COVID-19 by Aug. 9.

Visit towson.edu/vaxverify to upload records.

Towson University has reached 92% of faculty and staff being vaccinated and 73% of
students vaccinated. As of July 29, Towson University has a 0% positivity rate. 

Getting vaccinated, Slack said, led to this return to normalcy.

“It means everything to me. It means being able to see people back on campus,” Slack
says.

And for Prendergast, getting vaccinated was a choice to help others, not just himself.

“I would have gotten vaccinated even if it wasn’t required for my job,” he says. “I
got it to protect my parents. I was more worried about them than myself.”

More chances to win

To promote COVID-19 vaccinations among students, TU will have five days of random
drawings for $1,000 scholarships for any student who has verified receiving at least
one dose.

Students who are verified as being fully vaccinated are automatically entered in the
drawing. Students who have received at least one dose can complete a waiver to verify that they're in the process of getting vaccinated to be eligible for the
drawing. 

All campus community members have an opportunity to get a shot on campus as well.
TU is partnering with University of Maryland St. Joseph Medical Center on Monday, Aug. 2, for a free,
walk-in vaccination clinic for students, faculty and staff. 

Dining thanks to getting vaccinated

The university also began randomly drawing two names each week for a prize of $100
in dining points for one faculty/staff member and one student. 

Brian Hendricks, a staff member from the Office of Technology Services, and an undergraduate
student were recipients of the first $100 prizes. In week two, Kai Bailey, an adjunct
faculty member in the College of Liberal Arts, and an undergraduate student won. 

The third week's winners included a staff member in the Office of Public Safety and an undergraduate student. In week four, winners were an undergraduate student
at Towson University in Northeastern Maryland (TUNE) and a faculty member in Fisher College of Science and Mathematics (FCSM).

The week five winners were an undergraduate studying pre-elementary education, and
a staff member in the Office of Public Safety. The week six winners included an undergraduate
interdisciplinary studies student studying animal behavior, and a staff member in the Office of Technology Services. 

This press release was produced by Towson University. The views expressed here are the author’s own.