Census Day is April 1, 2020
"The Constitution requires that every person living in the United States is counted every 10 years. We all count."
Why complete the Census?
The 2020 Census helps ensure that your academic community receives its fair share of political representation and government funding. Census data directly affects how billions of dollars per year in federal funding are allocated to local, state, and tribal governments. Data about how are communities are changing are crucial to many planning decisions -- in education, transportation, public safety, emergency preparedness and disaster recovery, neighborhood improvements, public health, and much more. Census data also informs important research done by college faculty, students, librarians, and community leaders. Your participation is vital to ensure a complete and accurate count for your community in 2020.
What questions will the Census ask me?
The 2020 Census will have one of the shortest Census questionnaires in the history of the United States, dating back to the nation's first Census in 1790. It asks only a few simple questions about each of the people living in your household, including name, age, date of birth, sex, race, Hispanic origin, relationship to others in the household, whether you sometimes live or stay somewhere else, and four questions about the household in general. The Census form will take only about 10 minutes to complete.
Should my parents include me on their Census questionnaire?
If you're living with your parents during the school year, then they should include you on their Census questionnaire. However, if you're living on campus or in a rental in the community, your parents should not include you. The Census Bureau conducts counts of people where they live and sleep most of the year. Parents should leave students off their forms, even if they will return to live at home after they leave college. Otherwise, they may be counted twice.
Will the Census share my information with anyone?
No. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share an individual's Census questionnaire responses with anyone, including the FBI, the CIA, Welfare, Immigration, other government agencies, or law enforcement entities. All Census Bureau employees have taken an oath to protect confidentiality and know that they are subject to a federal prison sentence of up to five years, a fine of up to $250,000, or both, for disclosing any information that could identify a respondent or household.
How should I be counted if I am...
Living on Campus?
You do not need to do anything. Our campus will provide this information directly to the U.S. Census Bureau.
Living off-campus?
We recommend that students who live off-campus, such as those who rent apartments or rooms in local homes, should complete the Census questionnaire online as soon as your household receives the Census questionnaire. Please note that Census workers will likely visit households that do not return questionnaires.
Not a U.S. Citizen?
The Census is a count of every person residing in the United States: in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, the Commonwealth of Northern Mariana Islands, and American Samoa. This includes people of all ages, races, ethnic groups, both citizens and non-citizens. So even if you are not a U.S. citizen but you live and sleep in the U.S. most of the year, you should be counted in the Census.
An international student?
As the above point explains, the Census is a count of everyone residing in the United States. The Census Bureau is mandated by the Constitution to count every person who lives in the country, regardless of immigration or citizenship status. So, even if the U.S. is not your country of citizenship, if you live and sleep in the U.S. most of the year, you should be included in the Census.
For additional information related to U.S. Census questionnaires, please contact:
Pamela Caraccioli
Deputy to the President for External Partnerships and Economic Development
SUNY Oswego
Email: pamela.caraccioli@oswego.edu
Phone: 315.312.2212
For information related to U.S. Census employment, please contact:
Jacqueline Wallace
Career Coach for Education, Public and Human Services
SUNY Oswego
Phone: jacqueline.wallace@oswego.edu
Phone: 315.312.2255