ROCK SPRINGS — The Rock Springs Chamber of Commerce has organized a census committee that is being led by Kayla Mannikko, the Development Director from YWCA and a Chamber Board Member. Local businesses and organizations are coming together in hopes of successfully counting all community members in Sweetwater County.
Census statistics are used to determine how $675 billion dollars in federal funds and grants are distributed annually for critical public services like hospitals, schools, roads, bridges and emergency response. For students this is money which includes everything from financial aid programs (Pell Grants) to improvements for campus buildings, labs and classrooms. This makes completing your census questionnaire incredibly important.
Where do you get counted if you go to school part of the year and live at a different address during the summer, or are visiting home on April 1, 2020?
Here is the lowdown:
- College students will be counted in the communities where they live and go to school the majority of the year.
- College students who live away from home should count themselves at the on/off-campus residence where they live and sleep most of the time, even if they happen to be visiting home on April 1, 2020.
- Students living in residence halls are part of “group quarters,” and campuses will have a designated “residence administrator” for the Census count who will submit the questionnaire directly to the Census Bureau.
The Census is easy, it’s important and it’s safe — help shape your future! It only takes 10 minutes to complete a form that will have a significant effect on the next 10 years of your life.
