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2020 Census & Student Privacy

The U.S. Census count is critical for determining representation and the allocations of federally funded programs, including those in higher education. Historically, certain groups of people have been disproportionately undercounted by the Census. The U.S. Census Bureau identifies all college students as a hard-to-count population because they are highly mobile, may live off-campus as renters, and often difficult to persuade to participate.

Lessons Learned from the 2020 Census Count

The shift to distance learning due to the COVID-19 outbreak forced students living both on- and off-campus to return home, complicating the U.S Census Bureau's 2020 enumeration operations. As a result of the pandemic, the Bureau suspended field operations and modified their efforts to ensure college students displaced from their dorms or off-campus housing because of the coronavirus were counted as living at school, an important consideration for federal benefits for the regions around campuses. The shift also altered the methods institutions historically utilized to respond to the Bureau, moving from methods that allow student self-response to campus officials reporting information on behalf of the student using administrative records.

In anticipation of the forthcoming 2030 Census, the Bureau recently reached out to partner with AACRAO to solicit feedback on the process or processes that institutions used to provide information for the 2020 Census count. The association hosted a listening session with Bureau representatives, conducted a member survey, and will gather a working group to inform and improve the Census Bureau's data collection process and minimize any undue burdens for stakeholders.

Executive Director Updates

AACRAO Takes the Lead for Higher Education to Ensure that the Census Does Not Overstep FERPA Regulations for Off-Campus Student Count | 06/18/2020

Mike Reilly discusses some concerns about what information institutions will be asked to provide as directory information.

  • Michael V. Reilly

    • AACRAO Guidance: The Census, Directory Information, and FERPA | 06/03/2020

    Mike Reilly discusses how institutions can work to provide the U.S. Census Bureau the relevant information needed to complete an accurate count.

  • Michael V. Reilly

    • U.S. Census Operation Update Webinar | 05/28/2020

    Mike Reilly discusses AACRAO's webinar with the U.S. Census Bureau, which provides updates on their modified data collection timeline, procedures, and field operations in light of the pandemic.

    2020 Census and FERPA FAQs

    Sample of Census Bureau responses to questions related to "Group Quarters Operations"
    • If a student has opted out of directory information, should that student's name appear on the roster?

      No, if a student has opted out of directory information, then that student’s name should not appear on the roster. The Census Bureau will request the room number for that student so that a package can still be prepared for that student.

    • What about international students?

      College students who are foreign citizens living in the United States while attending college in the United States (living either on-campus or off-campus)—Counted at the on-campus or off-campus U.S. residence where they live and sleep most of the time. If they are living in college/university student housing (such as dormitories or residence halls) on Census Day, they are counted at the college/university student housing. Therefore, these student should be included in the group quarters enumeration process.

      The goal of the U.S. Census Bureau is to conduct an enumeration of every person residing in the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Island Areas (the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, American Samoa, and the U.S. Virgin Islands). The U.S. Constitution requires that the Census Bureau not just attempt to offer information or a service to the population (as is the case with other federal government programs like voter registration, Social Security enrollment, and the use of national parks), but that the Census Bureau actually reach and count every person living in the United States and its territories—of all ages, residence statuses, and locations—whether or not they desire to participate, and regardless of whether they are difficult to find, reach, and count.

    • How does this pertain to commuter campuses, i.e., campuses that do NOT have on-campus housing?

      These campuses have no obligation for the 2020 Census if they do not have student living in on campus or off campus housing. The students will be counted at their residence.

    • How will you determine which residence is correct for a student that is reported on campus and in their home state?

      The 2020 Census residence criteria are used to determine the correct residence for various residence situations such as described above. This is why it is important that the Census Bureau receive complete data to be able to perform critical matching. The more complete the information, e.g. legal first and last names or complete DOB (month, day, and year), the more confident Census can be that two records that are linked together are the same person.

    • If using e-response and race/ethnicity and gender information is not included, will the information be considered complete for upload?

      The information will be considered complete if you provide complete “directory information.” Information required to help with non-duplication include Name, DOB or Age, Address of usual home elsewhere (where they live while not at campus housing). The more complete the information, e.g. legal first and last names or complete DOB (month, day, and year), the more confident Census can be that two records that are linked together are the same person.

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    Census Bureau Suspends Field Operations, Modifies Operations to Ensure College Students are Counted

    Mar 19, 2020, 13:49 PM
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    Summary : Additionally, bureau representatives issue follow up FAQ document from AACRAO webinar discussing how institutions can assist in the collection and distribution of student information.
    Url :

    The U.S. Census Bureau on Wednesday suspended its field operations for two weeks as the agency searches for ways to protect its workers from exposure to the coronavirus, The New York Times reported. The immediate impact of the suspension, beyond a delay in a scheduled count of the nation's homeless and a break in training census-takers, is still not clear. 

    The Census Bureau said in a statement Sunday that the deadline for ending the 2020 census at the end of July could be adjusted as needed. The 2020 census started last week with its website going live and the start of mailings notifying people to start answering the questionnaire. As of Sunday, 5 million people had already responded to the census, according to the bureau. This is the first decennial census in which most people are being asked to respond to the questions online, although they can answer the questions by telephone or by mailing back a paper form.

    Prior to the suspension of all field operations, the Census Bureau postponed sending out census takers to count college students in off-campus housing, reported The Washington Post. On Sunday, agency officials said they were taking new steps to ensure that college students displaced from their dorms or off-campus housing because of the coronavirus would be counted as living at school, an important consideration for federal benefits for the regions around campuses.

    "We are adjusting operations to make sure college students are counted," the bureau said in a statement. "In general, students in colleges and universities temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 virus will still be counted as part of this process."

    More than half of colleges and universities had planned to provide information about their on-campus students to the Census Bureau using administrative records. For schools that had planned to distribute paper forms to students living on campus, the agency is now contacting them to see if they want to change their preference.

    Generally, students in colleges that are temporarily closed because of the outbreak will still be counted under the same processes as before.

    "Per the Census Bureau's residence criteria, in most cases students living away from home at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic," the agency stated. 

    Since the 2020 Census is designed to offer multiple ways to respond. The Census Bureau is encouraging administrators of group housing to choose a way to count their residents that requires less in-person contact.

    Last month, officials from the Census Bureau and the Student Privacy Office of the Department of Education joined AACRAO to discuss how colleges and universities could assist in the collection and distribution of information related to students on their campuses, and what FERPA implications need to be considered. The discussion answered numerous questions from colleges and universities and prompted others. The Census Bureau and the Education Department provided additional responses in a follow up FAQ document.

    Related Links

    U.S. Census Bureau Press Release

    https://www.census.gov/newsroom/press-releases/2020/modifying-2020-operations-for-counting-college-students.html

    The New York Times

    https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/18/us/virus-census-homeless.html

    The Washington Post

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/virus-outbreak-delays-census-counting-off-campus-students/2020/03/16/d095e772-6791-11ea-b199-3a9799c54512_story.html

     
    Michelle Mott
    Categories :
    • Advocacy
    • Compliance and Reporting
    • FERPA
    Tags :
    • census
    • covid-19
    • Federal relations
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