As Bradley University’s COVID-19 vaccination rate continues to tick up, it's getting a boost from a motivated group of nursing students.
Junior nursing major Hannah Marshall started the Bradley Pride for Vaccination Campaign to encourage students to receive the COVID-19 vaccine and protect each other on the Hilltop while also raising funds to support the Bradley Nursing Student Association (BNSA).
“We were discussing ways to raise money for those affected by COVID-19 and I came up with the idea of Rosie the Riveter...and then I imagined Kaboom, which is our mascot, doing the pose with the Band-Aid on,” said Marshall.
That design was then spread across campus through T-shirts, buttons, pins, and more with the help of Anna Margarites, an entrepreneurship student minoring in graphic design, in an effort to raise awareness about the vaccine.
Belinda Daly, advisor of the BNSA association, noted that whenever a fundraising item is purchased, those proceeds are donated back into BNSA, which is then used to help nursing students who are struggling financially.
“We can help them purchase their books. We can help purchase the NCLEX prep program, so it's on an as-needed basis,” said Daly.
Since the launch of the campaign in late September, both Marshall and Daly believe there has been an increase in vaccinations on campus. Marshall noted that prior to the campaign launch, the vaccination rate hovered around a high 70% mark. As of this week, 90.5% of faculty and 87% of students are considered fully vaccinated.
However, Marshall said there is still some vaccine hesitancy on campus.
“A lot of people tend to get misinformation and that kind of deters them from wanting to get vaccinated, so I think having this campaign definitely helps educate those people,” said Marshall. “As long as you do your research, you’ll understand that it's a good thing and it's helping bring us back to normal.”
Combatting the “COVID fatigue” that many people continue to experience is also an issue that has proven to be challenging throughout this campaign, according to Daly.
“I think people are tired, and we're just trying to bring awareness that yes we’re tired, but we’re going to do our part to end it,” Daly said.
Marshall said making people aware about the campaign and the vaccine is a crucial step that members of the community can take part in to help.
“It’s to protect each other. We’re all here together. It's important for us to keep each other safe.”
