Census 2020: How Colleges Count
February 7, 2020, @ 2:13 PM
April 1, 2020 is Census Day in the United States, and for the first time colleges are involved and expected to count the students living on campus. In an effort to prepare for this event, LVAIC hosted a program on Wednesday, February 5 at Moravian College titled “How Colleges Count,” to highlight the rules and process for the census, as well as changes in the ways colleges provide information to the United States government.
Presented and facilitated by Carole Reese, Vice President for Planning & Research at Moravian College, and Melissa Starace, Assistant to the President for Board and Community Relations at Lafayette College, this session provided an overview of the importance of participating in the census for college and university students, faculty, and staff. Every 10 years, the government relies on the census to distribute $675 billion in federal funds based on response to the census. Each person counted in the census represents $2,093 in funding that supports infrastructure, healthcare services, community programs, and much more. In 2010, Northampton County lost more than $225 million due to under counting. The census also informs government representation and electoral votes.
Individuals living in off-campus housing will receive a postcard with the census questionnaire, asking for completion on paper, online, over the phone, or with a door-to-door interview of non-responders. Individuals completing the census must count all individuals living under that address as of April 1, 2020 (Census Day).
For individuals living on campus, colleges and universities are expected to provide directory information while remaining in compliance with FERPA regulations. Registrars, Housing, and Community Engagement departments across the LVAIC community must work closely with the census representatives to understand all the nuances around providing this information in a clear, secure way. Meanwhile, campus communications professionals must determine the best way to inform student, faculty, staff, and parents of these procedures.
Following this presentation, attendees were invited to begin participating in a workshop session to generate ideas regarding how best to engage students, faculty, and staff. This discussion also highlighted paths to communications plans that inform participants of the importance of the census while offering clarifications around any concerns.
Those interested in receiving this presentation who were unable to attend the program on February 5 are encouraged to contact the presenters or reach out to LVAIC directly at info@lvaic.org to have this presentation offered again. The link to the full recording of the session is available here. The link to the full slide show presentation is available here.
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