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How Higher Education Can Support a Fair and Accurate Count

Learn why the census is important, how it is used by the government, and the potential impact on higher education. Discover what colleges can do to support a fair and accurate count.

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How Higher Education Can Support a Fair and Accurate Count

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  1. How Higher Education Can Support a Fair and Accurate Count

  2. Presenters • Sherrie Taylor - Northern Illinois University Center for Governmental Studies Research Associate and Liaison to the State Data Center • Bob Franco – Director of Office for Institutional Effectiveness at Kapi’olani Community College, University of Hawai’I and Cultural Anthropologist • Natalie Furlett – Executive Director of Campus Compact for Illinois

  3. Agenda • Why is the Census Important? • How does the government use Census Data? • Research • Issues – What’s at Stake in 2020 • The Census Undercount • Native Hawaiians & Pacific Islanders (NHPI) in Education Case • What can Higher Education Do? • Finding Local Partners • Campus Compact Resources

  4. Why is the Census Important? • Constitutional requirement. • Reapportionment of congressional seats based on population to ensure equal representation. • Funding allocation. Census data used to allocate government funding for state and federal social welfare programs. • 12 federal programs that use census-derived formulas for funding represent 70% of all federal grants to states in 2015 (source: NCSL 2017). • Census data used for planning purposes, such as understanding demographic trends (e.g. aging population or student growth) to anticipate future needs.

  5. State Data Center Network

  6. State Data Center Network

  7. Why Should You Care? This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

  8. Higher Education Participation

  9. How College Students get Counted On Campus Counts • Group Quarters – Working with Data Officers Off Campus Counts • Educating Students • Educating Parents Counted where your residence is established, so April 1 all students are counted at their dorms/apartments

  10. Examples

  11. What’s at Stake? • The distribution of political power at federal, state, and local levels. • Specifically apportioning seats in the U.S. House of Representatives. • After 2010 Census 18 state +/- seats. • The distribution of federal funds • 132 federal programs use census data to allocate funds • Funds that go to states and localities for Medicaid, food and housing assistance, education, highway construction, and other. • Federal, state, and local governments rely on census data for planning and programs including transportation, education, health care and housing. Potential Infrastructure funding. • Private businesses and other organizations use census data for planning where to invest and locate.

  12. 2020 – Fuzzy Vision: Issues and Concerns • Addition of question asking if respondents are U.S. citizens may result in undercounts of non-citizens and in communities of color. • Traditionally “hard to count” communities have increased in size over the decade: Non-English Speakers, limited literacy, homeless and others with unstable living arrangements, distrustful of government, displaced by natural disasters, • First High Tech Internet-Reliant Census: Variations in access to broadband by ethnicity, income, education, and age. • Privacy and Confidentiality: Data Use and Security

  13. Citizenship not asked since 1950

  14. Empowering Pacific Islander Communities

  15. Empowering Pacific Islander Communities (EPIC) Advances social justice by engaging Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander communities through culturally relevant advocacy, research, and development.

  16. Overview of the Report Goals • Promotes a better understanding of the Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) community • Makes critical data from a variety of government, academic sources more accessible to key stakeholders • Includes disaggregated data on over 20 NHPI ethnic groups

  17. Key Findings • NHPI were impacted by the recession and are still facing economic challenges. • NHPI youth face challenges accessing higher education. • NHPI are disproportionately impacted by disease and yet lack access to quality, culturally appropriate health care.

  18. Kapi'olaniCommunity College Engagement What Kapi'olani CC is doing and will do: • Work with communities with which we have built trust • Participating on Hawai’i Census Count Committee with Spokesman, Director,University of Hawai‘i Office of Communications • SSL Outreach Coordinator recruiting for SSL student leader to apply for jobs with Hawai’i Census Count • Using Constitution Day, September 17, 2019 • Developing Census Tool Kit/Knowledge Hub

  19. Our Campus and Community Census Initiative Goal:Support Full Participation of Hard-To-Count Communities

  20. Predicts low census mail return rate and is highly correlated (negatively) with census and survey participation. • LRS is based on a single mode of self-response – mail LOW RESPONSE SCORE (LRS) INMARIN COUNTY Canal and San Rafael Marin City Source: “2016 Planning Database Low Response Score by Census Tract Marin County.” 2016. census.ca.gov. Source: California Interactive Map: Hard-to-Count Index by Census Tract and Block Group.” 2019. census.ca.gov.

  21. Dominican campus involvement • As the only University in Marin County we have an obligation to educate the community about important issues • Our expertise is greatly needed—we can really be helpful to our community • Opportunity for students, faculty, and staff to engage with the community and learn about vital issues that impact the County • Promote student development of leadership and civic skills

  22. Higher Educations Role in Census 2020 Three fold approach • Working with Students on and off campus • Partner in the Community – Be a Trusted Partner with Community • Civic Education and K-12

  23. Accuracy and Clarity from 2020 Census • Campus Roles: Faculty, Student Affairs, Students, Directors of Service-Learning and Civic Engagement Programs, Staff, Campus Media, develop materials in multiple languages. • Community collaborations: State and county census directors • Community partners: Non-profits, K-12 schools, awareness and sensitivity to community concerns and fears. • Public Media (HPR, February 13, 11 am)

  24. Higher Educations Role in Census 2020 • Issue: People don’t know why it’s so important • - Develop educational exercises and resources for use in classes • Issue: Distrust • - Prepare students as liaisons to their own hard-to-count communities • Issue: Staffing • - Get career centers equipped to help students access Census jobs www.2020census.gov/jobs • Issue: People want training • - Develop resources on how the Census works • Issue: Off-campus students • - Develop campus systems and awareness-raising for these groups

  25. Campus Compact and Census 2020 https://illinoiscampuscompact.org/whatwedo/census-2020/

  26. Questions? Sherrie Taylor taylor@niu.edu Bob Franco bfranco@hawaii.edu Natalie Furlett nfurlett@compact.org

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