Tufts counts. All students, both citizens and non-citizens, should fill out and return a 2010 Census questionnaire when it is delivered to their mailboxes this month for residential addresses or in April or May for on-campus housing.
While taking five minutes to answer 10 simple questions may seem like an insignificant task, the results of the census will have a huge impact on funding and representation for our host communities of Medford and Somerville and will also affect funding for student grant and loan programs. Filling out and returning the 2010 Census is one of the easiest and most important ways for Tufts students to help out their community and ensure that they are represented in the government.
Census data, collected every 10 years, is used in determining the distribution of more than $400 billion of federal funding. Many important public services on the local level, such as transportation and public safety, receive funding based on population data from the census. For example, in the Medford/Somerville community, census data will be considered in allocating funds for the proposed Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Green Line extension. It is also important that every resident be counted in the census, because census population data is used to determine congressional representation and to redraw electoral districts.
Tufts students live, work and vote in the Medford/Somerville community and enjoy many public services that it offers. We drive on the roads and highways, take the T, get medical care in the hospitals and count on the security provided by the local police departments. Especially in the Boston area, where there are hundreds of thousands of student residents, it is important that college campuses be counted as part of the demographic. We are part of the community, and we should do our part to ensure that Medford and Somerville receive appropriate representation and funding to maintain the environment that Tufts students and community members currently enjoy.
The census is conducted based on where people live during most of the year, and where they are as of April 1. Thus, students living on or off campus fill out a census questionnaire at Tufts and should not be counted at their parents' homes. Non-citizens and international students should also participate in the census, since they are residing in the United States during their time at Tufts.
When you receive a census form in the mail, take a minute to fill it out and send it back. Campuses have historically been underrepresented in the census. Tufts students should break the trend and take this opportunity to improve their representation in the community.
