Dear students:
While I know you have plenty to do as you start the most unique spring term any of us have experienced, I’d like to remind you about one small but very important civically minded thing you can and must do; complete the U.S. 2020 Census! I just completed mine and it was so easy.
If you lived off campus winter term and have already completed the Census, or if you lived in the residence halls winter term, in which case you’ve already been counted as someone living in “group quarters, thank you and no need to read on. If you haven’t completed the Census and haven’t been counted in a group quarters situation, I’m here to remind you it’s mandatory that everyone of us do so, and being counted it is important to you and your fellow students as well as the whole campus community.
The U.S. Census required to take place by the U.S. Constitution once every 10 years. The Census is extremely important to our Duck community and beyond. The data impacts funding for safety, the Federal Pell Grant program, student wellness programs, food and housing security programs, and much more. It also determines Oregon’s population and thus how many people represent the state in the U.S. House of Representatives and in state and local government.
What you may not know is even if you are not living at your campus address for the spring term, the U.S. Census Bureau wants all college students to fill it out where you would have been living before COVID-19. See this video for more information.
If you want to know more about why counting college students matters and why COVID-19 might impact the college student count negatively, read this article. It’s important to me that all UO students are counted.
Thank you,
R. Kevin Marbury
Vice President for Student Life
