The U.S. Census Portrait of America Road Tour made a stop Thursday at OU.
The census sets up the road tour to raise awareness for citizens to fill out the constitutionally mandated form, but a new social media feature was added this year where students were able to take their pictures and send audio and video messages to other states through its Web site.
Tham Vo, trip director, said she estimated 300 students came out to the event on the Asp Avenue side of the Oklahoma Memorial Union.
“We want to emphasize that the census is important to fill out,” Vo said.
Vo said students living on campus and in greek houses have intentionally not received a census.
“We are working with Student Life and Resident Life to make sure that we make sure everyone is counted,” Vo said.
Students living in Traditions Square received an e-mail Wednesday about when their copies of the census would be delivered.
“Monday, several members of the Traditions staff will be delivering the census forms to your apartments,” said Ryan Fair, resident director of Traditions Square-East.
Vo said greek houses will be counted on one census form that will be delivered to the houses some time next week.
“We won’t have 40 census forms for one address,” Vo said.
Census workers at the event said they want to encourage seniors to fill out their forms as well.
“I remember when I was in college and I was about to graduate, the census didn’t mean anything to me either,” said Connie Yellowman, census partnership specialist. “Now that I look back on it, I realize that even though I was leaving, someone was going to take my place as a freshman. So seniors should fill this out even though they will be moving away.”
Funding in the Norman area could be greatly affected if no seniors fill out their census forms, Yellowman said.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau Web site, the census is now being used as a count to distribute government resources such as funding for government projects. The census also will do its traditional job by counting how many people are in what parts of the U.S. so congressional districts may be redrawn accordingly to population.
Students said they felt the event was an interesting way to get students involved.
“I think it helps get students involved in something that they often wouldn’t care about,” said Trevor Engles, multidisciplinary studies junior.
Engles said he enjoyed the new social media feature that came with the tour.
“It’s nice to know that other people can see that we are just like them,” Engles said.
The Portrait of America feature is a new part of the U.S. census road tour.
“My husband and I feel like the census is just a part of our civic duty just like voting, and I think this event and even the Portrait of America feature allows students to feel like the census is something that matters in their lives and this is something they should care about,” said Carrie Miller-DeBoer, zoology graduate student.
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mc19 2 years, 1 month ago
Sooner12, They'll be slipped under your door, not in your mailbox.
sooner12 2 years, 1 month ago
Here's what I am aware of. I'm aware that I have not seen a Census form in my mail in the residence halls yet.