University of Alabama introduces raffle for vaccinated students

Keely Brewer | @keelykbrewer, Editor-in-Chief
August 16, 2021

The University of Alabama introduced a new vaccine incentive on Aug. 16, one week after doubling its Bama Cash incentive. Now, students who report their vaccination to the University will be entered in a raffle.

Raffle prizes include three all-access campus parking passes, 10 $1,000 on-campus housing scholarships, six pairs of away game football tickets and lunch with Myron Pope, VP for student life.

Students must report on the UA Health Info website by Aug. 28 at 5 p.m. to be eligible for the raffle or Bama Cash incentive. Prizes will be awarded between Aug. 23 and Aug. 30.

Employees who are also taking classes are not eligible for any vaccine incentives. Students selected for raffle prizes will participate in Zoom trivia to win their prize.

The University initially decided against introducing lottery-based prizes because of the state’s constitutional ban on lotteries. Under Alabama law, individuals must pay for a ticket to participate in a raffle.

The six sets of two football tickets are divided between the Miami, University of Florida and Mississippi State games. The lunch with Pope is only available to newly vaccinated students, meaning those who report their vaccination after the raffle was announced.

All students enrolled for the fall semester who report at least one dose of a COVID-19 vaccination will receive $40 in Bama Cash, regardless of whether they reported their vaccination before the incentive was announced.

“The goal is just to try to get people vaccinated at the end of the day,” Pope said. “Trying to find things that are appealing will hopefully help them to move in that direction.”

Students can check the status of their Bama Cash reward through the eAccounts app, Apple Wallet, Google Pay or the Action Card website.

Some raffle prizes are offered during designated time periods. The Health Info website outlines the timeline of the raffle as follows:

Week of August 16-20 Contest: