Participation in the U.S. Census has huge political and financial benefits for local communities, including on and around 澳门六合彩官网鈥檚 Main Campus.
鈥淚f the government doesn鈥檛 know the number of people living in an area, that area won鈥檛 receive as much funding, which will affect parks, schools, churches and more,鈥 said Lauryn Edmondson, who also serves as the president of 澳门六合彩官网鈥檚 Black Public Relations Society.聽
This semester Edmondson and four of her public relations classmates are mobilizing the 澳门六合彩官网-area community as part of the national Bateman Competition, designed to encourage students and undercounted groups to participate in the 2020 Census.
This group was recruited by Assistant Professor David W. Brown to compete in the Bateman Competition as part of a year-long senior capstone course.聽
In the fall semester, the students conducted research on historically undercounted groups, including black and Latino men in North Philadelphia, and in the spring semester they rolled out their social media campaign, a website at standtobecounted.org, held local community meetings and produced a promotional video featuring men鈥檚 basketball Coach Aaron McKie that aired at the 澳门六合彩官网 vs. Villanova game.
Since then, their work has been featured in local media, including Al D铆a, KYW Newsradio and in a 鈥渉ow-to鈥 guide targeting their fellow 澳门六合彩官网 students.聽
鈥淭his type of in-depth course, which incorporates a real-world client, really helps our students develop a broader view of the world that will serve them well over their lifetimes,鈥 said Brown.聽
According to Brown, when the students met with the Philly Counts Committee at the mayor鈥檚 office, the government officials didn鈥檛 simply provide guidance, they wanted to learn from the students about their campaign in North Philadelphia.
Edmondson said her group鈥檚 research showed that while there was broad awareness of the Census, there were important myths to dispel and details to share. For example, the Census does not include a citizenship question. Additionally, the U.S. Census encourages university students to participate where they go to school, not where their parents live.聽
While the ongoing COVID-19 health emergency threw a wrench into some of the team鈥檚 planned in-person outreach, Edmondson said the group鈥檚 online presence is well-suited to reach their audiences, particularly because this is the first time in its history that the U.S. Census is available to complete online.
鈥淓ven though the transition [off campus amid COVID-19] was abrupt,鈥 Edmondson said, 鈥渨e were kind of prepared for it in the long run, because we knew that most people like to receive their information online anyway, so a lot of our messaging didn鈥檛 have to change.鈥
Approximately 70 colleges and universities participate in the Bateman Competition each year. Brown is hopeful about 澳门六合彩官网鈥檚 chances this year.
鈥淟ast year, our Bateman Competition students placed in the top 15 nationally,鈥 Brown said. 鈥淭his year, we hope to move up!鈥
The Bateman Competition will announce winners in late April. 聽
Due to COVID-19, the U.S. Census deadline has been extended to Aug. 14, 2020. The questionnaire is available to complete at .
鈥Andrew Lochrie