Contact: Kenneth Billings
STARKVILLE, Miss.--Mississippi State and the City of Starkville are working together to encourage university students living on and off campus to take part in the 2010 Census.
In various public presentations, both university President Mark E. Keenum and Starkville Mayor Parker Wiseman have stressed the importance to student participation.
"Census data is a key factor in determining how the federal government allocates $400 billion each year, some which lands right here at Mississippi State," Keenum said. "That includes grants and loan programs, research initiatives and other university services."
Wiseman, a Starkville native and MSU alumnus, said population numbers "are key to economic development and the attraction of new businesses," which, in turn, positively impact funding of critical public service departments.
"When trying to sell our community, prospective businesses look at Starkville's population numbers when determining if this is an area where they would like to locate," Wiseman said. "The data collected affects funding for medical care and public safety."
Keenum said students residing on campus will be contacted by a census representative or university housing resident assistant, who will provide the necessary information required for completing the headcount process.
Wiseman said students living off campus should be watching their mail for the 10-question forms to arrive. Census workers will visit households of those who do not return forms, he added.
Census representatives also will be in the Colvard Student Union, beginning Monday [April 5] to answer questions and provide replacement forms should those sent through the mail become lost.
Information shared with the Census Bureau is completely confidential. By law, the Census Bureau cannot share respondents' answers with anyone, including other federal agencies and law enforcement entities.
All Census Bureau employees take oaths of nondisclosure and are sworn for life to protect the confidentiality of the data. The penalty for unlawful disclosure is a fine of up to $250,000 or imprisonment of up to five years, or both.
For more information about the 2010 Census, visit www.2010census.gov.
For more information about Mississippi State University, see http://www.msstate.edu/.