Bobcats, Get on the Map began as an entry into the Bateman Case Study Competition by a team of five Ohio University students, but the students involved have since become invested in their goal of raising awareness for the U.S. Census.
“I think that a lot of people just aren't familiar with (the census) enough to really want to get excited or even know what it is,” Vivian Moussa, managing director of the group, said. “But as soon as we start explaining it and how it directly impacts them, I think the interest rises.”
The students in Bobcats, Get on the Map are members of the Hugh M. Culbertson chapter of the Public Relations Student Society of America, or PRSSA, at Ohio University, a pre-professional organization for students studying public relations, journalism or communications, Moussa said. The group includes Managing Director Vivian Moussa, Social Media and Public Relations Coordinator Alec Charron, Data Analyst Hardika Singh, who used to write for The Post, Event Coordinator Casey George and Creative Director Alyssa Gormley.
The national PRSSA organization runs the Bateman Case Study Competition, which the group was started for. Every year, PRSSA partners with an organization for the competition, and teams at PRSSA chapters across the country develop a comprehensive public relations campaign. This year’s partner is the U.S. Census Bureau.
Groups choose one or two target populations for their marketing plan from a list, and Bobcats, Get on the Map chose college students and off-campus renters.
“We have been trying to host events and use digital media, so mainly social media and our website, to promote the census and really connect it to the Athens community to make the OU students want to care about it,” Moussa said.
The group’s website features information about the importance and history of the U.S. Census, as well as events and how to take it.
Bobcats, Get on the Map has also hosted a variety of events, including a trivia night, a panel discussion and open mic performances. The group also hosted a Twitter chat, George said.
The group’s final event will be a Create-A-Thon on March 19 from 5 to 8 p.m. in the CoLab at Alden Library. Attendees will create digital and physical media to promote the 2020 census, and the CoLab will donate supplies from its Makerspace for the event, George said.
Though college students nationwide and in Athens are notorious for not taking the census, Moussa and George said students have seemed more interested after learning about it.
“When we did the Donkey open mic night, Hardika read her poem, and then (Vivian) read her poem,” George said. “And after they both read the poems, people started to spark up a bit, and actually kind of be like, ‘Okay, I'm listening.’”
Bobcats, Get on the Map’s campaign began on February 10, and when the campaign ends on March 20 at 11:59 p.m., the group must delete its website and social media so PRSSA can accurately judge the group’s effectiveness without further audience engagement.
Though the campaign will end before the census is taken on April 1, the students involved still believe that completing the census is important. The census collects population data for several purposes, including distribution of funding and seats in the U.S. House of Representatives.
“Athens is the poorest county in Ohio, and ... the census is something that takes 10 minutes,” Gormley said. “If just even one person does it, it can make such a big difference.”
Bobcats, Get on the Map has been developing and implementing a plan to inform students about the census since November, Moussa said.
Once the campaign period ends, Bobcats, Get on the Map has until April 3 to submit a final report, Moussa said. The analysis will showcase everything the group has accomplished and will include screenshots of the group’s website and social media.
Groups participating in the Bateman Case Study Competition can win one of three grand prizes or an honorable mention. For the past two years, Ohio University has won honorable mentions, but this year, Bobcats, Get on the Map is determined to place higher.
