Governor visits campus for vaccine discussion

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“Among all adults, young adults have the lowest vaccination rate. Every new generation is a lot smarter than the previous. We have to change this for the county and this city,” said Governor Tony Evers to the student body on the University Center lawn on Sept. 27. 

Evers came to join the campus for a home-cooked homecoming meal and talk about the UW- System vaccination 70 for 70 campaign. The governor spread a message to all the young adults on campus with the hope of encouraging them to get vaccinated to help the campus reach a vaccination goal of 70%, which the campus has now reached as of Oct. 14. 

The governor made it increasingly important that students on the UW-River Falls campus and other UW-system schools getting vaccinated was the key to continue in-person instruction. “Frankly, it’s in your hands now. We all have to get the shot and to all who are vaccinated, thank you for doing that…” said Evers, “At the end of the day you must know some friends on campus who have not been vaccinated, please reach out to them.”

Evers made sure to bring up that if any Wisconsin resident had gotten their shot between Aug 20th and Labor day they are eligible for the $100 incentive from the state. “This is really important. All the reasons money wise to do it, all reasons scientific wise to do it.” Although the deadline for $100 from the Governor is over, he also mentioned the 70 for 70 campaign, in which students can be eligible for a variety of scholarships from the UW-system. 

“Well, they just have to look at the science. I could tell you all sorts of reasons why things are what they are,” Evers said when asked what advice he would give to students who are hesitant on getting vaccinated, “It’s just clear that you know that you might get a little sick, a little sore, I got a little sick, but the downsides are so small compared to the upsides.” 

Evers pointed out that young adults do not see the consequences of COVID, such as friends dying, that older generations. Due to this, he believes less are likely to feel motivated to get vaccinated, “ I don’t think there are a lot of young people who are anti-vaxxers and fierce about it. I just think that it’s not part of their life.” 

The governor was joined by previous governor and UW- System President Tommy Thompson who shared a similar message with students at the Homecoming kickoff event. Thompson was also there to encourage students to get vaccinated to ensure that all UW-System schools can stay functioning in-person for the entirety of the school year ahead.