Mount Pleasant looks to include students in Census count

The city of Mount Pleasant is taking steps to ensure students at Central Michigan University are counted in the 2010 United States Census as residents of the city.

The decennial Census, a head count of every person in the country mandated by the U.S. Constitution, will take place next spring.

Mount Pleasant officials hope that the city’s population will remain above 25,000. As of the 2000 census, the population was just over that mark at 25,946.

Census forms are mailed to all households in March and final statistics must be presented to the president by the end of the year.

“What we’re encouraging is that students fill out those forms when they come out,” said Jeff Gray, city director of Planning and Community Development. “We’re hoping to do some sort of promotion effort for the students.”

Graduating students are asked by the U.S. Census Bureau to declare their residence as where they will be living on April 1, regardless of whether or not they are in Mount Pleasant for at least six months, said Kim Hunter, media team leader for the Detroit Regional U.S. Census Center. However, it is not a requirement.

The city has organized a committee to oversee such an effort, which would utilize social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, said Nate Lockwood, director of the city’s Partners Empowering All Kids program. He has also had discussions with several CMU officials, including former University President Michael Rao and Dean of Students Bruce Roscoe.

CMU hopes to implement programs in the residence halls regarding the census and is also planning a campus-wide event early next year to spread awareness, Lockwood said.

“The tricky one is the students living off-campus,” he said. “The main message we want to get out is that if you live here for more than six months, you are a resident of Mount Pleasant.”

Lockwood said a population dip below 25,000 would also result in fewer grants for the city.

“That 25,000 is important and helps with roads and infrastructure,” he said.

The census form will consist of mostly basic information questions, including number of people in a household and race.

All information is kept confidential, Gray said.

“This time we’re just going to do 10 questions,” said Hunter, “It will use the American Community Survey instead of the longer form that was used before.”

All residents are expected to have the form filled out by mid-April. Those who do not are usually called or visited by a Census worker around that time, Hunter said.