HIGHER ED TODAY 
  
  
  
  
 The Census 2020 count may be  
 the most important and challenging  
 population survey that our country,  
 state and city have ever undertaken.  
 New York has historically been undercounted, 
  but this decennial tally  
 is taking place under particularly  
 challenging circumstances. 
 Undercounting can deprive us of  
 our rightful representation in Congress  
 along with millions of dollars  
 in federal support for public education. 
   Census  data  impacts  funding  
 for the federal Pell Grant program,  
 adult education grants and a host  
 of other services that are vital to  
 CUNY and other institutions of  
 higher education. The importance of  
 achieving a fair and complete count  
 of every New Yorker has prompted  
 the state and city governments to  
 commit  significant  resources  and  
 coordinate stakeholders. On Martin  
 Luther King Jr. Day, Gov. Andrew  
 M. Cuomo announced the creation  
 of  the  Census  Council,  co-chaired  
 by Martin Luther King III, Lucy Liu  
 and Lin-Manuel Miranda, to act as  
 the  state’s  coordinating arm  in the  
 effort. 
 The law is that every person  
 should be counted, regardless of citizenship  
 or immigration status. But  
 the  current  climate  of  fear  within  
 immigrant communities poses a  
 challenge to that goal; it is a concern  
 that hits close to home for New  
 York and especially for us at CUNY.  
 More than a third of our students  
 were born outside the country. They  
 and their families live in communities  
 that our own faculty experts tell  
 us are designated “hard to count,”  
 which include highly mobile people, 
  non-native English speakers,  
 undocumented immigrants, people  
 of color, low-income people and students. 
 Fortunately, CUNY students,  
 who reflect the full range of New  
 York  City’s  diversity,  are  uniquely  
 positioned to help achieve a fair and  
 accurate census count. A team of 220  
 students, two thirds of whom speak  
 a language other than English,  
 were being trained this month, even  
 before the spring semester started  
 this  week,  to  be  deployed  as  part  
 of  CUNY  Census  Corps.  They  will  
 work  in  paid  part-time  positions  
 from January to end of May, getting  
 out the count at CUNY colleges and  
 venturing into the hardest-to-count  
 neighborhoods to ensure that the  
 people who  live  in  those  communities  
 are acknowledged and counted. 
 Participation in this missioncritical  
 task will enable CUNY students  
 to develop their leadership,  
 problem solving, teamwork and  
 communication skills. Equally important, 
   they  will  learn  firsthand  
 the vital importance of civic engagement  
 — a core value of public higher  
 education. 
 Our efforts are being guided  
 by  CUNY  data  resources,  including  
 a mapping tool created by our  
 Center for Urban Research at the  
 CUNY Graduate Center that is being  
 widely used in census outreach  
 efforts across the country. 
 CUNY  is also proud  to be working  
 closely  with  NYC  Census  2020  
 to administer and oversee the contracts  
 that  have  been  awarded  to  
 more than 150 community-based organizations  
 that will be at the frontlines  
 of  this  year’s  census-related  
 education and organizing. 
 The key to a complete census  
 count is a determined, full-scale  
 and efficient partnership among  
 the leaders of New York State and  
 City and their institutions. CUNY  
 is proud to be an important part of  
 this  partnership.  We  are  working  
 closely with all our government and  
 civic partners to carry out this very  
 consequential endeavor. 
  
  
  
         
  
  
 TIMESLEDGER   |   QNS.COM   |   JAN. 31-FEB. 6, 2020 11  
 	 
 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
				
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