Where will you be living on April 1? That’s what the U.S. Census Bureau wants to know to determine how more than $400 billion of federal funding is spent each year.
The 2010 U.S Census is coming to a mailbox near you, and University of Lynchburg is a “Be Counted” site.
College students are supposed to list their college addresses, that is, their actual physical location. International students should fill out the census as well, as non-citizens are included in the count. Students will receive forms in their student mailboxes.
The Office of Community Involvement office is helping students, staff, and faculty obtain and fill out census questionnaires. Someone from the Census Bureau will be in the Office of Community Involvement office, first floor Hundley Hall, on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from noon to 5 p.m., from March 15 to April 15.
It’s important to fill in the 10-question form and promptly mail it back. Census information affects the numbers of seats a state occupies in the U.S. House of Representatives. Census data also determines where money for hospitals, job training centers, schools, senior centers, transportation, and emergency services goes.
People from many walks of life use census data to advocate for causes, rescue disaster victims, prevent diseases, research markets, locate pools of skilled workers, and more.
Participation isn’t just important-it’s mandatory. Nationwide, however, it’s estimated that only about 72 percent of citizens were counted in the 2000 census.
For more information, contact Chris Gibbons, director of Office of Community Involvement, at 544-8640 or gibbons.c@lynchburg.edu.
