Census 2000 Update.

• Author: Rogers, Carol O.
• Position: Brief Article

The 22nd Decennial Census is winding down. Millions of questionnaires have been sent to households throughout Indiana; enumerators have gone to special places (aka group quarters and shelters) to count people in dormitories, nursing homes, prisons and jails and at soup kitchens and shelters and campgrounds. People are calling in to talk shows upset that they got a form or upset that they didn't. The general tenor of the calls coming in to Indiana's ICAUSE (Indiana Census Awareness project) has been positive - most people were seeking assistance or wondering where their forms were. Since the beginning of March, an orchestrated sequence of events has occurred:

* Letter to all households from the Bureau Director telling people to expect the questionnaire (yes, the addresses had an extra digit at the front, but the Post Office used the bar code info on the envelope, which was correct)

* The Census Road Tour came through Indiana spreading word of the Census. First Lady Judy O'Bannon was a prominent speaker at many of these stops

* Public service announcements for radio and TV by First Lady Mrs. O'Bannon, Bobby Knight, and Purdue quarterback Drew Breeze began running in late March

* School children brought home Teach Census Week assignments, geared to helping the child learn about the census AND to encourage parents to fill out the form and return it

* Congregations received special bulletin inserts and perhaps specific comments from their congregational leadership encouraging response to the Census

* Media articles and television and radio broadcasts have been filled with news about the census

* Many communities in Indiana have gone all out in making their residents aware of the census, plastering posters all over town, holding rallies and contests and many other creative activities to support the census

* Governor O'Bannon asked all State employees to support the census. Many StateAgencies, including the Department of Health, the Department of Revenue, and the Attorney General's Office, the Department of Administration and Family and Social Services went all out communicating the importance of the census to their employees and clients throughout the state. Many state legislators sent letters to people in their districts that included information about the census.

* The Purdue Extension Services offices in each county assisted by distributing posters and spreading the word.

* Special Indiana specific posters were printed and distributed...