Census visits OU, Hocking

The U.S. Census Bureau is on a mission to inform area college students that they are indeed residents of Athens County and need to be counted as such.

The bureau swung through both Ohio University and Hocking College on Tuesday to deliver that message as part of its Portrait of America Road Tour. The tour is designed to promote awareness about the Census and the importance of participation to all community members.

Those who stopped by the road tour exhibit at Baker Center had the opportunity to view sample Census forms and pick up gifts such as bags, key chains, stickers, cups and even applications for part-time employment with the bureau this spring.

"The reason we came here is that, first of all, we are hiring for the main push in the spring," said John Willse, a Census Bureau spokesperson. "For students, this is a good opportunity for them because the jobs will be part-time and they can pretty much name their own hours."

After Census forms are mailed out on March 15, the bureau hires workers to go door to door to the homes of people who didn't complete or return their forms, Willse explained. Census Day is April 1.

He said he doesn't have a specific figure on how many people the Census planned to hire in Athens County, but estimated that each local Census office, of which there are 18 throughout Ohio, will hire between 1,000 to 1,200 people. The part-time positions last six to eight weeks, beginning in March, he said. Applications will be accepted through February.

"One of the reasons for being here is some recruitment, but it's also informational, to create awareness about the Census," he said.

Willse said that it's a common concern that people don't want to share too much information with the government. The 10-question form, Willse said, is not invasive, but rather asks only basic information. This information includes the number of people residing in a household, a contact telephone number, names, ages and ethnicities.

"They don't ask for Social Security numbers," Willse said. "They don't ask for any other privileged information, like financial situations."

Some people have a misconception that this is the government prying into their private lives, he said. But information given in the Census is protected under the law from being given out to other government agencies or private concerns.

"The only numbers that go to any other government agency are how many people, and some of the demographic breakdowns, but nothing private "“ no names," he said.

Undocumented people living in the U.S. tend to be more concerned that this information will be turned over to immigration agencies, Willse said.

"That can't happen," he asserted. "If I had any private or privileged information, and I turned that over to someone, I could be fined and imprisoned. All the employees are under oath and fingerprinted."

He said it was a hard sell to convince people that the information is private and protected.

There are many advantages for the area when it gets an accurate count, Willse said. The two main things an area stands to gain are power and money, he continued.

"The power [is] congressional representation," he said. "The count of the population dictates how many congressional representatives [a state] is going to have."

After the last Census, Ohio lost one U.S. congressional district seat, and predictions for this time around indicate the state will lose at least one more and maybe two.

One example of the local effect of the Census is that the city of Nelsonville needs to keep its population above 5,000 in order to remain a city. Also, if the population of the city of Athens increases enough, the city could add additional members to its City Council, receive more funding for projects, and even receive additional liquor licenses for bars and restaurants, according to the bureau. (This last isn't necessarily something the city would want, since some residents and officials feel that the city already has enough liquor establishments.)

On the money side, information from the Census affects how more than $400 billion per year in federal funding is distributed to state and local governments.

"The Census count also guides local planning decisions, including where to provide additional social services, establish child care and senior centers, build new roads, hospitals, schools and job training and community centers," a release from Athens County Job & Family Services states. "The Census numbers are also used by businesses considering opening new stores, restaurants or offices in Athens County."

Willse said that no matter who a person is, one way or another he or she is affected by the Census.

"If they have children going to school, the dollars that come back for education are very important," he said. "If people are concerned about their safety infrastructure, dollars come back to help in that area too."

The bureau tries to get community organizations to urge fellow community members to participate in the Census, Willse said. "Their voices "“ we call them the trusted voices "“ carry a little bit more weight," he added.

Willse reiterated his point that college students, who spend the majority of their year in Athens County, need to be counted as county residents.

"They are part of the cost to the community," Willse said. "We have to convince them and we have to convince mom and dad that junior is away. You can't count him."

The bureau, he said, protects against double counting with quality-control checks. Many communities form what's called a complete count committee to ensure that type of quality control, he said.

The road tour began on Jan. 4 and is scheduled to keep on chugging until April 15, Willse said. The tour headed to Marietta on Wednesday.