Numbers game

Stand up and be counted

by Mary Beth Polley

More than $4 billion is at stake in the race to get college students to fill out census forms before leaving for summer break. When the population is counted, each resident is worth $1118 in government funding annually for 10 years. An estimated 400,000 students reside in Massachusetts, more than a quarter of them in the Boston area -- so that means billions of dollars in public funding.

Without an accurate and complete count, Massachusetts won't get the federal money it needs for a range of programs including higher education, public transportation, and police and fire departments, according to Brian McNiff, spokesman for Secretary of State William F. Galvin, who is the liaison to the federal Census Bureau.

But the census data center is no longer accepting forms. And with the spring term almost over, federal officials are afraid that when census takers come knocking, students will no longer be there to answer the door.

This is the first time students have been required to fill out the forms themselves. Previously, state and federal officials relied on a list of names provided by each school. A recent Supreme Court ruling, however, prevents any form of statistical sampling as a way to count the country's population. That decision means that students must be counted individually in the state where they resided on April 1, not necessarily the state they call home.

Students living off campus should call (800) 471-9424 if they've misplaced or thrown away the census form. Students living on campus should contact their residential-life office. The Census Bureau began sending census takers into local communities on April 27 and will continue to do so through the end of May.