As the 2010 census approaches, many Dartmouth students may be unaware that they will have to file responses as Hanover residents, rather than as members of their families, Laura Waldon, a partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, said in an interview with The Dartmouth. In either February or March, officials from the Census Bureau, a branch of the U.S. Department of Commerce, will begin working with campus officials to determine how best to distribute forms and survey students, Waldon said. Students living off-campus should receive census forms by mail in mid to late March, while those living in on-campus housing will receive paperwork on April 1 or shortly thereafter, Waldon said.
"A lot of [students] assume they are counted at their permanent address, but they are counted where they are living and sleeping most of the time," Waldon said.
Various Census Bureau regional offices have implemented educational outreach programs to inform students about the importance of the census, Waldon said.
Students living off-campus must work with roommates to complete information about all individuals living within the household, according to Waldon. Students living on-campus will complete the census forms, which are bar-coded in accordance with their residence halls, as individuals, she said.
Confusion about census procedure is not confined to Dartmouth students.
"With two college-age sons home for the holidays, I'm reminded about younger folks' view of the world," U.S. Census Bureau director Robert Groves wrote in his blog on the Census Bureau's web site. "One son was surprised that the Census Bureau would mail a questionnaire to his off-campus housing. The notion that he and his roommates would have to collaborate to fill out a single 2010 Census form was a shock." The population of communities located near colleges and universities swells for the nine months of the year when most students are attending classes, Waldon said.
Having students complete census forms at their university residence ensures that the government provides adequate funding for things like hospitals and road repairs in these communities, he said.
International students studying in the U.S. are reported in the U.S. Census, regardless of citizenship or residency status, according to the Census Bureau's web site. Students studying abroad on April 1, 2010 are not included in the count, the web site says.
Employees of the Census Bureau are required by law to maintain confidentiality in order to promote accurate reporting, so students should not hesitate to truthfully report their living arrangements, Waldon said.
Any information obtained as a result of census questionnaires cannot be shared with government entities including the Federal Bureau of Investigation, U.S Department of Labor or the Bureau of Immigration Services, she said.
Data gathered on April 1, or "Census Day," is used to determine the number of seats each state will hold in the U.S. House of Representatives, as well as how to allocate $400 billion of federal funding, Waldon said.
The goal of the census is to obtain an accurate account of all individuals living within the country at the time of reporting, according to the 2010 census web site.
The form should take only 10 minutes to complete and consists of several questions about each person living in a household, including name, age, date of birth, sex, race and relationship to others in the household, the web site says.
"Census data affect and inform college tuition grant and loan programs, decisions about funding for critical services, important research done by college faculty, and your voice in Congress," according to a student flyer released by the Census Bureau.
The U.S. Census Bureau has plans to hire over a thousand temporary employees at its Portsmouth, N.H. office to assist with the execution of the census throughout the state, The Boston Globe reported on Jan. 10.
