Professors Offer Expert Commentary On The Census

The following professors can provide expert commentary on the significance of the 2000 U.S. census from sociological, legal and business perspectives. The professors are quotable, articulate and well-versed on census issues. Clara Rodriguez, Professor of Sociology Rodriguez just completed a book titled, Changing Race: Latinos, the Census and the History of Ethnicity in the United States, which examines how racial and ethnic identities are molded by politics and culture, rather than skin color, and how this relates to the census. Rodriguez is an expert on New York City’s Hispanic population, Puerto Rican communities, and gender and labor issues in Hispanic communities. William Seltzer, Professor of Sociology Seltzer is an expert in international and national census methods, the interaction between politics and statistics, and issues of data confidentiality. He can discuss the abuse of census figures in the past and recently presented a paper that shows the U.S. Census Bureau was deeply involved in the roundup and internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II. He is a contributing writer for the New Encyclopedia of the Census. Mary Powers, Professor of Sociology Powers is a contributing writer for the New Encyclopedia of the Census. She is an expert on issues related to social demography, population and development policy, migration and social inequalities. Powers also is well-versed on education and income level issues as they relate to the census. Robert Wharton, Professor and Area Chair of Management at the Graduate School of Business Administration Wharton is a statistician who can explain the implications of the census on the business world. He can discuss the cost to communities that are undercounted, how market researchers and advertisers use the census for their campaigns and how the count will impact local private industries. Terry Smith, Associate Professor of Law Smith, an attorney, can discuss how census figures can affect issues such as redistricting. He can explain potential legal conflicts over the data and the legal ramifications of some of the more controversial aspects of the census.