Preparing for the Census

The 2020 census is coming, and Smith hopes its students will be counted.

Hannah Durrant, director of residence life, notes that data from the census determines how many representatives each state has in the U.S. House of Representatives. 

“Census data also determines how hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding will be distributed to states and to local communities,” she says, “through programs like Medicaid, Head Start and SNAP. So the census matters!”

To encourage student participation, Durrant is working with Smith’s Student Government Association, house presidents and other student leaders to increase awareness and encourage participation.

Smith students are invited to an information session to be held Tuesday, March 3, at 5 p.m. in Room 205 of the Campus Center. Susan Hagen, partnership specialist at the New York Regional Census Center, will be on hand to answer questions, and Durrant will provide specific information about how the census process will work at Smith.

Smith’s SGA also plans to participate in a Five College Census Day later this spring.