Ziggy Points seeks to repeat first year’s success

Campus activities can be very rewarding, as the Ziggy Points program has shown. The student incentive program returns for 2014-15 with a fall schedule of 54 events offered by 35 campus partners.

The program is designed to increase students’ engagement in campus activities by awarding them points for attending designated events. Points accumulate throughout the academic year and can be redeemed for rewards every five events. Students who have attended at least 15 qualifying events are eligible for grand prize drawings including a free, all-access parking permit.

The program begins its second year after a successful inaugural year with over 10,000 participants across 90 events. Data from the first year showed a significant positive relationship between attending campus events and overall GPA after controlling for various demographic factors and high school GPA. Furthermore, students who attended 10 or more events had a 30 percent higher retention rate than peers who attended only one event.  

Ziggy Points has been well received by the student body, and program coordinators expect interest to increase in the second year. Senior Anthony DeChellis said, “Ziggy Points has encouraged and challenged me to get involved with everything Bowling Green State University has to offer. Ziggy Points is a wonderful way to get involved and stay connected with BGSU!"

Participation was equally distributed across class year, but first-year students represented over 40 percent of the top point-earners. Many first-year students reported the program helped them find their place on campus and encouraged them to attend events they hadn’t considered before.

Sarah Budin, a first-year student, commented, “At first I went to a hockey game just to get points, but I realized I loved watching hockey and now try to attend all the home games.”

The program was spearheaded by the Division of Student Affairs, but is a University-wide collaborative venture. Information Technology Services provides technical support, including the creation of a data-management application that integrates with MyBGSU to provide personalized Ziggy Points updates and notifications. The BGSU Bookstore administers the reward distribution process and donated prizes to support the program. Promotional assistance has come from Marketing and Communications, and various campus departments and academic colleges have sponsored events.

Ziggy Points will kick off the fall semester with 10 events during the first week of class. Offerings range from educational events including Student Money Management financial management sessions and a visit to the Learning Commons to social events such as Casino Night and the Multicultural Cookout.

If your department is interested in sponsoring a future Ziggy Points event, email ziggypoints@bgsu.edu.