Purdue News

February 25, 2000 Purdue announces campaign to boost census response WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – Purdue University is launching a campaign to encourage its students to make sure they are counted in the 2000 census to be taken this March. "We are especially concerned that our students understand that they should be counted as residents of this community rather than their hometowns," said Sandra K. Monroe, interim assistant vice president for Purdue's Office of the Vice President for Student Services. "When the census forms arrive at apartments, residence halls, cooperatives, fraternities and sororities in mid-March, we hope every student living there will fill in the information that's being requested." To promote student participation, the federal government has scheduled a recreational vehicle to be parked at the west side of Purdue's Stewart Center from 3 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 1, as part of the "Census 2000 Road Tour: How America Knows What America Needs." The bus will be equipped with exhibits and displays and will have give-aways for those who stop by. Visitors can learn how to fill out their census forms and how the census data are used. Lacey Clinkenbeard, a junior representing the Purdue Off-Campus Student Coalition, has been working to help Purdue promote the effort. "I know how busy and preoccupied students can get," the political science and psychology major said. "But it is important that we fill out our census forms and return them, so we can be counted and considered for all of the services we use by living in Tippecanoe County for most of the year." Allen Grady, assistant director of development for West Lafayette, noted that census numbers are used to: • Decide how many seats in the U.S. House of Representatives go to each state so that everyone is fairly represented in Congress, as well as determining voting districts at the state and local level. • Determine how communities throughout the United States get their fair share of billions in federal funds annually. • Make sure that various populations are identified in federal, state and local programs so they have the opportunity to be served fully. Grady emphasized that information gathered during the census is held in the strictest confidence, and no personal information is disclosed to anyone for any reason for 72 years. Only general population statistics are published for reporting purposes. The national goal is to have at least a 5 percent greater mail-back campaign than in 1990, when census data was last gathered. Since the 1960s, participation has steadily declined, with a 60 percent response rate in 1990. When citizens don't participate, it costs about $70 to send a census taker to nonresponding households. Over the next decade, Tippecanoe County stands to lose $3,600 in federal funding for each person not accounted for. "The Census 2000 offers Purdue students an opportunity to engage in a meaningful civic activity that benefits our family, community and nation," Monroe said. "So, I strongly encourage Tippecanoe County citizens to join the effort and encourage students to make a difference by reminding them to fill out and return their census forms." Citizens can track progress by logging onto the Census Web for daily reports and updates about each community's mailback response between March 27 and April 11. Sources: Sandy Monroe, (765) 494-5779, skmonroe@purdue.edu Allen Grady, (765) 775-5160, gag@mail.city.westlafayette.in.us Writer: Jesica Webb, (765) 494-2079, jwebb@purdue.edu Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu To the Purdue News and Photos Page