July 27, 2020 | Kymberley Chu | UC Davis
I did the American Census a few months ago. This was the first census I did. As an international student on the F-1 Visa, I am not eligible for FAFSA and most forms of federal aid. Instead, I rely on merit scholarships, on-campus employment, and financial support from my parents to pay for tuition. Nevertheless, I still did the census because it would help in terms of diversifying representation and providing data for my campus’s basic needs resources I can still utilize (e.g.
visiting the food pantry).
There were some preconceptions about it and reasons as to why international students should do the census. Firstly, the census does not ask for your citizenship status. Unlike voting, all residents (regardless of their legal status) are urged to complete the census because it provides demographic information for federal, state allocation of funds towards public services we use.These funds play a role in how we utilize public transportation, mental health services, food bank/pantry services, and more programs we have at the University of California campuses. In fact, they play an important role in funding the services we use in the long term despite our temporary stay. The more funding allocated, the more roads are fixed, the more accessible basic needs services become.
In addition, the census does not disclose demographic information to anyone else. International students on the F1/J1 visas do not need to worry about getting permission from their international student advisors or worry about the threat of deportation. Instead, it is a chance for non-American foreigners who attend the University of California system to exercise their democratic rights here if they wish. Marginalized students from different countries and racial, ethnic, religious backgrounds can use the census as an opportunity to solidify their public representation. This is crucial for both representation data and federal allocation of funds towards the services we can still use as we study in the United States. The census promotes more inclusivity as all who currently live in the United States are urged to do it rather than
exclusively limiting it to American citizens who can vote. Specifically, the census does count foreign students who live on/off-campus who attend college in the United States by asking for their American residency address. International students receive both paper questionnaires and Census IDs in the mail. We can complete the census through a bunch of flexible options: online, mail, or by phone. Although the census may take some time to complete, all information is kept confidential.
Although many international students are on F1 visas and do not have access to FAFSA, we can voice out our concerns by completing the census. Overall, the census provides the data for how much federal and state funds are allocated to the public services we use on a daily basis.
