Slippery Rock president will get tattoo if more students get covid vaccine

William Behre, president of Slippery Rock University, is issuing a call to arms — at least for himself — to encourage more students to get the covid-19 vaccine.

Behre vowed to receive a permanent Slippery Rock University-themed tattoo on his upper arm during an on-campus event if the student vaccination rate reaches a 75% threshold by Dec. 3.

The “Rock the Shot, Ink the President” campaign will include various prize drawings for students based on rising campus vaccination rates.

Verified student vaccination rate is about 52%, Behre said.

This semester, there have been about 110 symptomatic covid cases among the university’s 8,000 students, he added, “so we’re staying pretty low.”

The tattoo design will be selected after a contest in which students, faculty and staff can submit designs. Behre will select finalists to be voted on by SRU students and alumni.

“It’s going to (be) on my body forever, so I should at least have a say in the design, right?” he said. “Schools across the country are offering all kinds of incentive programs to get students vaccinated, but how many presidents are putting their arms on the line?”

A shot at free tuition

If the rate reaches 65% by Nov. 1, the school will hold a drawing to award five students with assigned parking spots in a lot of the student’s choosing for the spring semester.

Should the student vaccination rate reach 70% by Nov. 17, one student will win free tuition for the spring semester.

All undergraduate students who submit proof of the final recommended dose of a covid-19 vaccine to the university’s Student Health Portal will be entered into the prize drawings. Those who have previously uploaded proof of vaccination are eligible already.

The university partners with a nearby Giant Eagle pharmacy for on-demand vaccines, Behre said. The pharmacy is within walking distance of campus and also is serviced by a shuttle bus.

Behre said he first had the tattoo idea while talking to the football team prior to the season.

“Their motto is ‘Relentless,’ and I thought if they all got vaccinated, I could get a tattoo of ‘Relentless,’ ” he said. “Then I thought, we have so many teams, I’d end up with my whole arm covered in tattoos. So, I thought, why not make it a school-wide thing?”

He and staff members did a quiet survey among a small group of students to see if the idea would fly.

“I’m 56 years old, and something that sounds cool to a 56-year-old might sound stupid to a 20-year-old,” he said.

“While I have to admit that getting a tattoo hasn’t exactly been a lifelong desire of mine, it would be a memorable – and permanent – way of making clear just how important I think it is for our students at Slippery Rock University to get fully vaccinated,” Behre said. “If getting a tattoo needle in my arm will inspire others to get the vaccine needle in theirs, then it would be well worth it.

“We’ve shared all the serious stuff and if that hasn’t been convincing, then let’s have some fun with it,” he said. “I think it’s just the eternal optimism of young people that they think nothing bad will ever happen to them.

“With Rock the Shot, Ink the President, I think we can have some fun and raise awareness while helping to protect those on our campus and in the surrounding communities by increasing our student vaccination rate,” he said.