Dear colleagues,

I hope you are doing well during these difficult times. 

The UCR Counts! committee, the Census 2020 outreach team for UCR, is asking for your support. May you please assist us in asking students to fill out the 2020 Census? 

The Census is a once-every 10-year count of EVERYONE residing in the United States and its territories, regardless of legal status. The questionnaire is used to determine political representation (redistricting), federal and state funding for your community (Pell grants/loans/infrastructure), and it provides valuable statistical information for planning and policies. The Census is safe and secure, your information will not be shared with any other person or entity (neighbor, landlord, employer), including another government agency such as ICE, DOJ, etc.

The 2020 Census is well underway but UCR is currently at risk of an undercount given its low response rate (UCR Census tract 465.01 sits at about ~36% self-responses). The COVID-19 pandemic has led to many of our students and community members returning back home to their families, which has dampened our outreach and engagement. We also fear that our community is being counted in their new homes, which can be detrimental for the next 10 years of UCR students.

We kindly ask that you support us ensuring that UCR is completely counted! Some ways in which you can help are by sharing this Census video for college students created by the U.S. Census Bureau (Only 2 minutes 30 seconds), sharing resources such as the ucrcounts.ucr.edu and the 2020census.gov website, along with the marketing materials shared on our @UCRCounts Instagram. We also welcome your own creative way to Get Out the Count!

For any questions, concerns, or resources, please feel free to reach out to ecald016@ucr.edu

Thank you for your time and solidarity. Be safe and well Highlanders! 

Sincerely,

UCR Counts! Committee