College Towns Worry Students Will Not Be Counted in US Census

The coronavirus health crisis has had an unexpected effect on an event that happens once every 10 years in the United States: the U.S. census¹.

For example, Betsy Landin was listed by her parents on the 2020 census as living at her family's home in Phoenix², Arizona. But experts say she should have been counted in the city of Tempe where she goes to school.

"We really didn't have any instruction or guidance at school about how to fill out the census," Landin said.

The same thing happened to Betzabel Ayala. She was counted in Phoenix because she was living at home after the coronavirus shutdown of colleges around the country.

Where to count students for census

The question of where to count off-campus college students in any census can be difficult. Parents often think their college-age children should be counted with them.

Hundreds of thousands of U.S. college students are being counted for the 2020 census at their parents' homes or other places. These students normally live in non-university housing and are supposed to be counted where they go to school.

Ames, Iowa is home to Iowa State University. The city has a population of 67,000 people. Officials are worried that if the 2020 census misses the more than 15,000 students who live off-campus, it could put the city's population count below 50,000.

Undercounting

Some people say the coming undercount could harm college towns across the country. In some places with major universities, students make up as much as three-fourths of the population.

Most people received information from the 2020 census in March. That is also when restrictions³ in much of the U.S. went into effect to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Many schools switched to online classes, causing many students to leave. The Census Bureau says college students should be counted where they would have been on April 1 if not for the health crisis.

The Census Bureau sought the help of college administrators⁴ in getting lists of students who do not live on campus or have left town. But many universities did not want to take part because of privacy concerns. In addition, off-campus students at many schools are not required to provide information about where they live.

A lot of what is provided by the schools is also missing important information, such as birthdates. That is from a report last month by the office inspecting the U.S. Census Bureau.

The undercount problem, however, involves only students living off campus in non-university housing. The Census Bureau uses records supplied by colleges to count students living in dormitories or university apartments.

But, off-campus students make up about 4 million of the 19 million college students in the U.S. That number comes from Dudley Poston, a demographer⁵ at Texas A&M University.

State College, Pennsylvania is home to Penn State University. Twenty-five percent of students living in one neighborhood there answered the 2020 census either online, by mail or by phone. Douglas Shontz, a city spokesman, said the current percentage is much lower than the 60 percent who answered the 2010 census.

With less than a month left until the census ends, the city has placed signs all over downtown State College. The city also spent $5,000 mailing out postcard reminders⁶ about the census to students who returned for the fall semester to off-campus apartments or fraternity and sorority houses.

"We are kind of begging at this point for students to do the right thing," Shontz said.

Steve Patterson is the mayor of Athens, Ohio. He said if Ohio University's graduating class of 3,500 students was not counted last spring, the city could lose $49 million in federal funding over 10 years.

Across the country, students' answers to census questionnaires will affect how $1.5 trillion in federal money is spent and how many congressional seats each state gets.

Words in This Story

campus – n. the grounds and buildings of a university or college

dormitory –n. a building on a school campus where students can live

demographer –n. a person who studies changes in population in human populations

questionnaire –n. a document that asks people to provide answers to questions that are used to collect facts and opinions

fraternity –n. an organization of male students on a U.S. college campus

sorority –n. an organization of female students on a U.S. college campus

1 census   

n.(官方的)人口调查，人口普查

参考例句：

• A census of population is taken every ten years.人口普查每10年进行一次。
• The census is taken one time every four years in our country.我国每四年一次人口普查。

2 phoenix   

n.凤凰，长生(不死)鸟；引申为重生

参考例句：

• The airline rose like a phoenix from the ashes.这家航空公司又起死回生了。
• The phoenix worship of China is fetish worship not totem adoration.中国凤崇拜是灵物崇拜而非图腾崇拜。

3 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

4 administrators   

n.管理者( administrator的名词复数 )；有管理（或行政）才能的人；（由遗嘱检验法庭指定的）遗产管理人；奉派暂管主教教区的牧师

参考例句：

• He had administrators under him but took the crucial decisions himself. 他手下有管理人员，但重要的决策仍由他自己来做。 来自辞典例句
• Administrators have their own methods of social intercourse. 办行政的人有他们的社交方式。 来自汉英文学 - 围城

5 demographer   

n.人口统计学家

参考例句：

• Professor Antonio Golini is a demographer at the University of Rome. 罗马大学安东尼奥教授是位人口统计学家。 来自互联网
• Demographer William Frey says immigrants with young families will help keep the United States competitive. 人口统计学家佛瑞表示这些年轻的家庭会帮助美国保持竞争力。 来自互联网

6 reminders   

n.令人回忆起…的东西( reminder的名词复数 )；提醒…的东西；（告知该做某事的）通知单；提示信

参考例句：

• The film evokes chilling reminders of the war. 这部电影使人们回忆起战争的可怕场景。
• The strike has delayed the mailing of tax reminders. 罢工耽搁了催税单的投寄。