IC News

Mandated by the Constitution and conducted once every 10 years, the U.S. Census counts every person living in the United States. The 2020 Census is taking place right now, and though the current conditions in the country may be unusual, participation in the count remains as important as ever. The census impacts government representation at the state and federal level, as well as access to state and federal funding and the provision of social services. 

The census considers college students to be residents of the cities and towns where they normally live while attending school. That means, even if students have temporarily relocated due to COVID-19, they should fill out the census as if they were still at school, including all students who will be graduating in May 2020. 

Doreen Hettich-Atkins, director of strategic planning and administration in the Division of Student Affairs and Campus Life at Ithaca College, is working with Cornell’s Office of Community Relations to promote this year’s census to students.  

“College students are an integral part of the life of Ithaca,” said Hettich-Atkins. “We need all of them to be counted to allow the community to take advantage of all of the federal and state resources it can to best support this vibrant college town.” Cornell and IC are promoting the census on social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram to better engage current students.  

Ithaca College faculty and staff are also reminded to make sure to participate in the census. 

The main purpose of the census is to figure out how many seats each state receives in the U.S. House of Representatives. However, census data also determines how some $675 billion in federal funding is driven out to states and communities, and includes: 

• Forecasting future transportation needs 
• Planning for hospitals, nursing homes, clinics, and other health services 
• Directing funds for services for people in poverty 
• Drawing school district boundaries 
• Planning future government strategies 

Students should use the residence criteria that states they should be counted where they lived and slept most of the time as of April 1, 2020. For students who attend college in Ithaca, this means they should still count Ithaca as their residence even if they have returned home early because of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Students who were living in residence halls on campus don’t need to do anything. On-campus students will be counted through the “group quarters” enumeration process created by the Census Bureau. 

For students living off campus, responding is especially important, and they should respond using the off-campus address where they live or had been living in Ithaca, including any roommates or other people living at that address, by visiting my2020Census.gov. 

For more information about how the census is counting college students, you can view this short video. Census information is also available on a website hosted by the IC Library and put together by the college’s Census Education Committee, Census 2020: What You Need To Know.