In the latest effort by educational institutions to check the spread of the coronavirus, the University of California (UC) at Davis is paying students to stay on campus for spring break.
In partnership with Healthy Davis Together, a joint project between the City of Davis and UC Davis to prevent the spread of COVID, the university is offering a $75 Spring Break Grant to those who stay in town during the spring break holiday.
The school’s spring break is scheduled for March 22 to 26. Students have until March 10 to apply for the grants.
@ucdavis asks everyone in the university community to avoid all nonessential travel during spring break, March 20-24.@HealthyDavis is offering Spring Break Grants of $75 apiece to be used for “staycations”@Chancellor_May 👏 https://t.co/Sre9anji9X
— Ron Pragides (@mrp) March 10, 2021
To qualify, an applicant must be a registered UC Davis student living full-time in the city. They must stay in town for spring break and take a COVID test during this period.
The school will award these grants to the first 750 applicants that meet all criteria. Students can redeem these grants at selected Davis businesses to purchase supplies.
“The more, the better, and the more effective it will be in preventing the spread of COVID,” Sheri Atkinson, university associate vice chancellor for student life told The Washington Post.
Colleges Cancel Spring Break
UC Davis is not the only college taking extraordinary measures to stem the tide of the coronavirus during spring break.
In October last year, Boston College announced it would be canceling spring break, providing only a midweek day off instead.
“The university expects that students will not be engaging in traditional ‘spring break’ travel and activities this semester. Students who engage in such travel and return to campus place the campus community at the risk of a major spread of the virus,” Associate Vice President for Student Engagement and Formation Tom Mogan wrote.
Other universities that have canceled or adjusted the midterm break this year include San Diego State University, Northeastern University, Yale University, and all Connecticut state universities.