Everyone Counts | Eastern NC Now

Publisher's note: The author of this post, Grady Dillon, is a contributor to ECU News Services.


    East Carolina University senior Anna Willis wants to make sure every student is counted in the 2020 census.

    "As college-aged students are one of the most undercounted populations in Pitt County, I hope to educate the student population on the importance of filling out the census," Willis said. "The most important effort I have made sure to note through our census tables on campus has been to make sure the students fill the form out themselves."

    Willis, from Edinboro, Pennsylvania, is majoring in community and regional planning with an emphasis in housing and neighborhood. She is also earning a minor in criminal justice and is the president of the Student Planners' Action Network (SPAN), an organization that has worked to make students aware of the census.

    Ensuring an accurate student count is important because the census will influence community funding and congressional representation, said Alex Dennis, the assistant director for the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement at ECU. The funding is used for things like federal Pell Grants, community health centers, and local infrastructure like roads and even transportation services.

    "Our response to the 2020 census will help make sure communities across the nation are accurately funded and represented for the next decade, including Pirate Nation," Dennis said.

    Dennis said that students living on campus have already been counted by Campus Living. He said students who live off campus will need to respond to the census by phone, online or by mail.

    "The off-campus students should be counted at their off-campus address, even if they spend time somewhere else during school breaks or currently during the COVID-19 pandemic," Dennis said. "This should be coordinated with any roommates as only one submission is necessary per address or dwelling."

    Dennis said that Campus Living and the Center for Leadership and Civic Engagement have worked via social media to reach out to students and local apartment complexes to promote completion of the census and to try to provide resources.

    Students have until Dec. 31 to submit information for the census, but Willis encourages students to have everything turned in by August.

    Before the pandemic, Willis said that SPAN engaged students through tabling events, photo booths and interactive games. But the pandemic has made it more difficult to reach students, she said.

    "We were just in the beginning stages of finally creating a social media platform for SPAN before the pandemic occurred," Willis said. "It's been a challenge given that our social media platform is extremely small and limited because of how small our department is in general."

    Willis had attended meetings and workshops with Pitt County's Complete Count Committee to learn more about how to promote the census within the community.

    "The county's Complete Count Committee is a group of over 45 people all from different organizations throughout Pitt County to create awareness in their own communities to localize and promote the census based on targeted outreach efforts," Willis said.

    Willis said her interest in the census came from serving as an intern with the Pitt County Planning Department, which solidified her passion for the field of planning.

    "I have been exposed to all different aspects of planning, from environmental to housing, GIS and more; all of which have helped me see what I like and what I do not like as much," Willis said.

    Willis also serves as the assistant site supervisor of the Police Athletic League, a youth outreach program through the Greenville Police Department.

    "During the summer, PAL is an affordable, everyday camp, and during the school year it is an after-school program that keeps the kids occupied and focuses on ensuring their homework is done before they go home," Willis said.

    After she graduates, Willis wants to pursue a master's in public administration and eventually work in housing and redevelopment, specifically to provide more opportunities for lower income communities.