Counting on Purdue students for census

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Purdue University will be one of the targets for census workers in Tippecanoe County.

Students have the potential to bring millions of dollars into the county if all census forms are completed. 

Assistant Dean of Students Harry Brown said right now there are many events and campaigns still in the planning stages. 

"For every person not counted, the local community loses $4,000 a year, that's money that comes from federal and state grants to help support services the students will benefit from," said Brown.  

Brown said the University has a history of being under represented in the census. He said the inaccurate count is partly because of student diversity.

Out of state students often feel they do not need to fill out the census. Evan Mazur, from New York, is one such student. 

"Well I'm from out of state, I'm not really sure if it's necessary for me to actually fill it out but I know they come after you if you don't."

Mazur is just one of many Purdue students with out-of-state resident status. That is why the University is planning on reaching students through campus organizations, residence halls, and other marketing campaigns.

"Hopefully we will have a help center near campus in the village area, they can go to get assistance. If they have questions about the census form or need assistance filling it out," said Brown.

The university is still waiting on confirmation from the regional census office to find out when the help center will be available to students. Brown said it's important for students to fill out the census because they're benefiting from local services while they're here.

"The students live here, they are consuming services here depending on the infrastructure. So we really need to be counted here and have the funds through federal grant money to support the needs of the population as it really exists here," said Brown.