What Can Colleges and Universities Do?
Off-campus, adult, renter and highly mobile students are at risk of being uncounted for a variety of reasons. Survey research data and response rates have shown that those who know more about how census data are used and about the process are more likely to participate.
Engage Students
- Students must learn why the census is so important and how the process works.
- Engage students and let them lead! It gives them a chance to practice civic skills and they know the best ways to communicate with peers.
- Develop educational exercises and resources for use in classes. Create a module with resources that can be accessed by all faculty and students.
- Encourage students to start their own Complete Count Committee on campus.
- Because of high levels of distrust in government institutions, we must prepare students as liaisons to their own hard-to-count communities.
- The 2020 Census is also an employment opportunity for students:
- www.2020census.gov/jobs
- Develop campus systems and awareness-raising for these groups.
Campus Administration Ideas
- Include a reminder and link to complete the census online in your campus registration system in Spring 2020 when students will be registering for Fall 2020 courses or completing Spring 2020 graduation check-in.
- Send a university-wide educational email early in Spring 2020 semester and again on Census Day.
- Join a state-wide campus competition for completion percentage.
- Sponsor residence hall completion competitions.
- Place full-page and online ads in student papers.
- Sponsor a campus poster competition.
- Organize social media campaigns, including chats, Facebook profile frames & social media filters.
- Sponsor a student video competition.
Off Campus Ideas
- Door Hangers
- Email/Letter to landlords
- Complex office posters
- Coffee sleeve stickers
- Food delivery inserts
- Off Campus Living Website