Students who plan to live on campus next year have the opportunity to be entered into the Total Racer Experience by completing the fall 2018-19 housing application and paying the deposit by April 15.

According to the Murray State website, there will be 10 winners total, one from each housing facility, including Campus Courts. The prize is $50 in dining flex, a parking permit upgrade, free textbook rentals and a Racer gift pack.

Every student who registers by April 15 will get a free Murray State t-shirt, whether they win the contest or not.

The contest was announced on March 5, and so far 250 housing applications have been submitted. Anyone who has applied for housing before the announcement has also been entered into the contest.

Shawn Touney, director of communication in the branding, marketing and communications office, from Decatur, Illinois, said the contest started as an idea within the office.

He said that after determining if this contest was logically possible, they reached out to the bookstore, the parking office and the housing office.

“Each of those areas have been nothing but supportive with the concept,” Touney said. “It is a little out of the box, it is a little innovative but it is fun and exciting.”

The contest offers an incentive for students who will be living on campus in the fall.

“For us, it was a fun way to incentivize students who make that decision.” Touney said.  

There are many benefits that students receive from living on campus, such as taking an active role in the Murray State community and establishing friendships with people within your residential college. Convenience is another benefit because students don’t have to hunt for a parking spot each day for class and can walk to get food from the different options on campus.

“If there is an event at the Curris Center or Lovett Auditorium, how nice is it to have a short walk instead of having to get in the car and drive?” Touney said.

He said there is also a safety component to living on campus because the Murray State Police is staffed 24/7 and is close to the residential facilities.

The contest has been promoted on many platforms. A promotional video is available on the website, yard signs can be seen in various places on campus and posters can be found in many campus buildings. Different social media accounts have also been talking about the contest, and ads have been placed in the paper in hopes to make students aware and excited.

Madison Carmichael, junior from Dover, Tennessee, said she loves the idea of the contest.

“I think it is great that the prizes are relevant to students needs,” Carmichael said. “Flex dollars, parking permits and textbooks are some of the things people are always talking about, so being able to have the chance get those by simply filling out your housing application is pretty neat.”