MSU, city of East Lansing urge students to be counted in Census
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Michigan State University is working closely with its 47,000 students and the city of East Lansing to make sure they are counted in the 2010 U.S. Census, ensuring an accurate count of the community and paving the way for necessary services such as public transportation and federal funds for education grants.
(Media-Newswire.com) - EAST LANSING, Mich. — Michigan State University is working closely with its 47,000 students and the city of East Lansing to make sure they are counted in the 2010 U.S. Census, ensuring an accurate count of the community and paving the way for necessary services such as public transportation and federal funds for education grants.
According to federal law, college students must complete the census in the location where they live the majority of the year and where they will reside on April 1, said Erin Carter, MSU’s community liaison.
“The census requires students be considered residents of the place they live while attending school, not at their parents’ addresses,” she said. “Numerous essential services are impacted by the census count, and it is vital that students stand up and be counted.”
An accurate headcount is important because it impacts how more than $400 billion dollars of federal funding each year is spent on infrastructure and services, Carter added. Locally, those services include roads and transportation funding, school funding and education grants, social services and hospital funding.
Forms for the census will begin arriving in students’ off-campus homes this week; both domestic and international students should fill it out using their local addresses. Students who live on campus will be counted through a group quarters process and should not expect to receive a census form in the mail.
MSU’s student outreach efforts include a letter from MSU President Lou Anna K. Simon to students’ parents, flyers/posters on- and off-campus, 3,200 table tents placed in East Lansing restaurants and bars, and census banners across the city. A Web site has been created at www.cityofeastlansing.com/2010Census, which answers all census-related questions.
In addition, four questionnaire assistance centers are being set up campus: the Union, Library, International Center and Spartan Village. The centers, which will be open March 19 to April 19, will be staffed by census representatives.
The U.S. Census Road Show features a celebration in downtown East Lansing from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. March 24 in the Ann Street Plaza. A DJ will perform, and free food will be provided.
Census data is kept confidential and cannot be shared with federal agencies, local entities or others. Residents are encouraged to have their forms postmarked by April 1, which is Census Day.
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Michigan State University has been advancing knowledge and transforming lives through innovative teaching, research and outreach for more than 150 years. MSU is known internationally as a major public university with global reach and extraordinary impact. Its 17 degree-granting colleges attract scholars worldwide who are interested in combining education with practical problem solving.
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