Students to receive Census survey soon

In the coming months, students living on and off campus will receive forms from the United States Census Bureau for the 2010 Census.

The Census, which is required by law every 10 years, includes questions regarding primary residence, age and ethnicity. Students will receive a shortened form of seven questions, which is expected to take less than five minutes.

All students, regardless of citizenship and permanent home residence, will receive an official 2010 census form at Middlebury.

“The key factor of the Census is: where did you live on April 1, 2010?” Middlebury College Senior Residence Director Lee Zerrilla wrote in an e-mail.

“All students who live on campus, regardless of where their parents live, regardless of their nationality and regardless of citizenship should be filling out the Census.”

Residents who do not complete and return the form will be visited by Census workers to be counted in person. However, Zerrilla explained that the College has been working in conjunction with the Census Bureau for several months to employ the most effective methods for reaching the wide range of students at Middlebury.

“The Census Bureau did an excellent job in reaching out to us early, and we’ve been collaborating to find the best ways possible for the Bureau to gain the information needed about our residential population,” he said.

While the College does not receive reimbursement for the added strain the Census puts on staff, correct Census data does indirectly benefit the College. Various types of funding and Congressional representation are based on the Census’ decennial findings.

Furthermore, the Census hires additional temporary workers throughout the country to assist administrators throughout the country in the distribution and collection of materials.

This year, the Census Bureau is attempting to increase awareness of the upcoming Census, including spending $2.5 million on a Super Bowl ad. Critics claim it was another example of government waste, while the Census Bureau maintains that the ad, in conjunction with the bureau’s $340 million ad campaign, will save money in the long run.

U.S. Census Bureau spokesman Stephen Buckner claims that if just one percent of the 100 million people expected to watch the Super Bowl opt now to mail back their Census forms that otherwise would not, $30 million in taxpayer dollars will be saved by not requiring workers to go door-to-door to collect the forms in person.