Mask incentive program at Jackson State University rewards students for being ‘JSU Safe’


(JACKSON, Miss.) — Jackson State University is giving students the chance to win gift cards ranging from $25-$100 during the university’s JSU Safe ‘Thank You for Masking Up’ initiative that started March 16.
The incentive program is the brainchild of Dr. Brandi Newkirk Turner, associate provost, and rewards students for adhering to the COVID-19 guidelines. “JSU students have done an incredible job of masking up and social distancing on campus. The mask incentive program was designed to continue to promote and reward the proper use of masks on campus,” Newkirk-Turner said. Volunteer administrators, faculty and staff will “stomp the yard,” including campus facilities, to observe students properly wearing their masks. Randomly selected students will receive a raffle ticket requesting their contact info. They are then expected to deposit the ticket in the raffle bin, which will be located at the security station on the first floor of Administration Tower. Every Friday from through May 7 at 3 p.m. the drawing will be held by JSU President Thomas K. Hudson. In his absence, Dr. Alisa Mosley, provost and senior vice president of Academic Affairs, or Newkirk-Turner will draw the winning name. The winner will then receive an email from a staff member in the Office of the President or another designated office. Winners will also be announced via eblast. Winners can pick up their gift cards from Academic Affairs on the seventh floor of Administration Tower. Newkirk-Turner says she hopes the excitement of a weekly raffle will add an element of fun to the university’s steps to protect the campus community. She also acknowledges the administrators, professors, and staff who willingly donated the gift cards in a display of appreciation for students’ efforts to mitigate the spread of COVID-19.