BENTON HARBOR — The 2020 Census is approaching, and students at Lake Michigan College are using creative expression to show how important it is to be counted.

In January, LMC received a $2,500 grant from the Berrien Community Foundation to partner in its Be Counted Berrien campaign. The college is raising awareness about why it is important for every student to respond when they receive their census invitations later this month.

LMC’s Be Counted campaign began with a student poster contest. Twenty submissions were reviewed by a committee of seven staff and faculty. Two winners were chosen, and each received $100.

Graphic design major Jordyn Elsner created a poster titled “Counted in or Counted Out.” It features a diverse array of illustrated faces.

“I wanted to make it known that the census is relevant to students of all genders, races and backgrounds. By not being counted, you are essentially being counted out,” Elsner said.

Katherine Gaytan also studies graphic design. She created a bright red poster with raised hands titled “Join the Count and Raise the Numbers.”

“This piece of art is meant to inspire observers to be a part of the important count that is the census. Together we can raise the numbers and have the largest count,” Gayton said.

In addition to the posters, LMC will host informational events and promote the census throughout its campuses and on social media.

LMC is collaborating with the Berrien Cass County League of Women Voters to host a census information session from 6 to 8 p.m. March 19 at Berrien RESA.

LMC is also hosting an information session from 8 to 11 a.m. March 17 at its Niles Campus at Bertrand Crossing.

Public colleges and universities have an incentive to boost participation because census data affect the amount of federally funded Pell Grants that underserved students are eligible to receive. Last year LMC students, including first generation and those from low-income households, received $4.2 million in Pell Grant funding that they will not have to pay back.

The census also affects federal funding for roads, infrastructure, Medicaid, nutrition programs and small business development.

“Even if an individual does not directly benefit from federal aid, we would all be impacted by an undercount. Berrien County alone could lose $444 million dollars during a 10-year period,” said LMC political science professor, Dr. Tiffany Bohm.

While the stakes are high, so are the barriers to participation. The majority of college students have never participated in the decennial census. Young people change addresses often, and there is a spread of misinformation on social media about how students are counted and about how data are used, said LMC officials

The irony is that the hard-to-reach populations are often the folks that stand to suffer the most from undercounting, according to Bohm.

“Census data are used to determine federal and state government representation, electoral college votes and school district boundaries. The funds that are at risk support programs for infrastructure, nutrition, childcare, health, education, housing and transportation. It shapes the money for the next 10 years based on federal funding,” Bohm said.

The census is a national count done once each decade of each person living in the U.S. An accurate count is critical, so regions receive their fair share of federal funds over the next 10 years for roads, school lunches, education, housing, transportation, healthcare and more. The population also determines how many lawmakers represent each county in Lansing and Washington D.C.

The Census form has nine questions: name, gender, age, birthday, race, ethnicity, phone number, relationship to head-of-household, and owner or renter. Parents or guardians should only include children in college who live with them full time during the school year.

Each household will receive an invitation by mail in late March. The Census can be completed online, by phone or using a paper form. If you don’t have access to a computer, check BeCountedBerrien.org for locations or go to your local library.

For more information, visit BeCountedBerrien.org.