Joanna Orban
Staff Writer
The United States census takes place every ten years, as most everyone knows. However, the last time it took place, most ISU students were still living in their hometowns with their parents. They didn’t have to worry about what to fill out, or even how to do it. With Census Day coming up on April 1, students still have time to learn how to fill out the 2020 census.
Article 1, Section 2 of the Constitution has mandated a population count every ten years since 1790. 2020 marks the twenty-fourth time a census has been conducted. Census results are kept completely private and are used by the government to decide the flow of government funding in states and communities.
In the case of institutions like ISU, the amount of funds received for pell grants and student loans are also influenced by this count. This information is also used to decide how many seats in Congress each state should have.
The data collected is very important. According to the 2020 Census Website, “The 2020 Census will determine congressional representation, inform hundreds of billions in federal funding, and provide data that will impact communities for the next decade.”
For college students and their parents, filling out the census seems like an ambiguous task. Should students fill it out in their hometown or in Pocatello, where they spend most of the year?
According to Lee Ann Hancock, Director of Divisional Marketing and Communications for Kasiska Division of Health Sciences and the ISU College of Pharmacy, students should fill out the census form in Pocatello. “A lot of students think they need to fill it out as living in their hometown but they should fill it out as living in Pocatello,” said Hancock.
This is because the students spend most of their year in Pocatello. According to Pocatello Public Information Officer, Logan McDougall the census goes beyond students and their academics. “Beyond programs that affect their academic life, the Census helps the community where they are getting their education by helping determine funding for programs that help schools, build roads, provide health care, and much more,” said McDougall.
The census process is easier and more streamlined now then it ever has been in the past. According to Hancock, there are eleven questions on the form and it should only take about ten minutes to fill out. In the middle of March, households all across the United States will begin receiving official mail from the Census Bureau. Details on how to fill it out will be inside. People can choose to respond to the census in one of three different ways, over the phone, online, or by sending the forms through the mail. April 1 is Census Day.
Meaning, students will need to fill out the census with where they’ll be living that day. For the vast majority of students that is Pocatello.
According to the census website, “The 2020 Census will provide a snapshot of our nation—who we are, where we live, and so much more.” This massive task started in the middle of January with counting beginning in the remote villages of Alaska and will continue through July until every home has been counted. The census may seem like a thing of the past, but filling it out, and filling it out accurately can have many benefits for communities and college students who live in those communities. “Simply put, the more people who are counted in Bannock County, the more federal funding we will receive to improve our community,” said McDougall.
Information regarding the census was taken from 2020census.gov.
