A University of Wisconsin Oshkosh public relations team invites students and community members to drop by the “Count the Kisses” event to learn and ask questions about participation in the 2020 U.S. census from noon to 4 p.m. March 9 on the first floor of Sage Hall on the UW Oshkosh campus.
The event is an opportunity for participants to explore how the census impacts funding for community and university programs, including mental health services. “Count the Kisses” also will feature a therapy dog from the Fox Valley Humane Association and attendees will be encouraged to take part in raffle drawings and pose in a photobooth.
Four public relations students, known as the UWO Bateman team, are participating in a nationwide competition. They recently launched a campaign called “20/20 Oshkosh: Count Osh In” to bring awareness about the census.
The campaign’s goal is to make sure those on and off campus in Oshkosh know how to count themselves in the census and are educated on the many benefits of an accurate count.
“Census data is used partially to determine how much funding is distributed to schools and universities and other related support programs,” said Jeffrey Nau, associate planner/GIS specialist for the city of Oshkosh.
“An accurate count of college students is crucial to ensure the state, county and city receives its fair share of approximately $675 billion in federal funding,” Nau said. “The data is used to analyze population make-up and trends to determine if building a new office, restaurant, factory, etc., will be an economically viable fit in the community.”
About Bateman
The University of Wisconsin Oshkosh Bateman team consists of four dedicated public relations students working to raise awareness among college students and renters about the 2020 U.S. census. Organized by the Public Relations Student Society of America, Bateman is a national competition that challenges student teams to create a full public relations campaign for a national nonprofit client. This year’s Bateman client is the U.S. Census Bureau. Through this campaign, Bateman is working to raise awareness about the census within the Oshkosh community. For more information, visit countoshin.com.
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