Every ten years, we’re all remembered: it may be by a single numeric value, but we’re remembered nonetheless.

Even while college students are miles away from home, they can still take part.
Contributing to the Census and voting in elections are considered by many to be two civic activities all citizens should partake in.

The major question for college students is where will they be counted: their parents’ homes, or their college campus?

College students should actually be counted at the school or the current city in which they live, according to Leslie Hopp, assistant account executive at Weber Shandwick.
International students who are studying at SMU are also supposed to contribute to the Census.

According to Hopp, SMU students only need 10 minutes to fill out the form.

With everyone taking this time to fill out the Census, there could be significant effects in various areas, such as college tuition grant and loan programs, funding for community services (like public transportation) and the states’ representation in Congress.

According to the census Web site, “each question helps determine how more than $400 billion will be allocated to communities across the country.”

Forms should be mailed to students’ local residences in March—some came as early as Monday of this week.

Citizens have through May to complete it.

For students living in residences off-campus, they simply fill out the form and mail it back.
Students living in the dorms, or other forms of group housing, will be counted by official census takers—with assistance from facility administrators, such as their resident assistants.

According to Rani Gaw, assistant to the associate director of Resident Life and Student Housing, RLSH is still deciding what the exact process will be for the counting.
She would not comment any further.

More information about the Census is available at 2010.census.gov.