U.S. bureau members make presentation to local seniors
By Audrey Levine, Staff Writer
In just a little more than a month, the country is requesting that every individual stand up and be counted.
And to help make the process of the Census 2010 a little bit easier, the Manville Senior Center hosted a presentation Tuesday by members of the U.S. Census Bureau, who discussed how the process will work.
Lisa Carra, director of the Senior Center, said the state’s Office on Aging was contacted about hosting these sessions to inform senior citizens about the census process, and she was glad to have the program come to Manville.
”I think the seniors definitely got something out of it,” she said. “They know the census makes a difference in government, and it was informative. Many people didn’t know the census was coming up.”
Among the ways the census can make a difference in government includes the possibility for money through about $435 billion in federal funds that will be distributed to municipalities and states after the process is complete.
”The money goes for roads, schools, hospitals and other means,” said Arvind Swamy, partnership specialist with the U.S. Census Bureau, who led Tuesday’s presentation and does others in the New York and New Jersey region.
The census, Mr. Swamy said, is designed to count everyone who is alive in the United States on April 1.
Mr. Swamy said the census questionnaire will be sent by mail to people around the country around March 19, with the request that it be returned by April 1, Census Day. In preparation, he said, specialists with the Census Bureau are visiting senior centers, schools and other organizations to discuss the census and how it works.
”Because it’s only done every 10 years, people forget about it or don’t know how it works,” he said. “Then, once they understand, they ask, ‘How does it affect me?’”
Mr. Swamy said there is a hope that such presentations will help the country get a higher response from residents so as to make sure everyone is counted.
”We are trying to motivate the community,” he said.
LaToya Esannason, partnership assistant with the Census Bureau, said they also are doing talks at school for children in kindergarten through 12th grade.
”We have a coloring book for the young kids, (and) in high school they have geography and statistics classes where they can apply the information,” she said. “In the middle schools, we try to keep their attention because the kids can be our interpreters, and become our advocates (to their parents).”
Mayor Lillian Zuza said she is trying to get the word out to all residents in the borough that they should participate in the census, and is planning to place informational brochures in Borough Hall, as well as put news about the census on the town’s Web site.
”We are trying to get the word out to all the towns that they need to comply with this,” she said, adding that she might also look into a way to partner with the Parent-Teacher Associations at the schools to continue informing parents about the census. “This could bring a lot of money to the borough, which is what we need.”
In speaking at the Manville Senior Center, Mr. Swamy explained that there are many different advantages to having everyone participate in the census, and he passed out a form with 50 examples of uses, including reapportioning seats in the House of Representatives, drawing legislative districts, designing public safety strategies, distributing medical research, planning urban land use and spotting economic trends, in addition to the distribution of federal funds.
”The census is the count of the United States population every 10 years,” he said. “It is in the Constitution to do this.”
Aside from the advantages, Mr. Swamy explained to residents that there are three important things they should know about the census, namely that it is easy, safe and important. This year’s census, unlike ones in the past, will have only short-form, mainly multiple-choice, questions asking about all the residents in each household.
”We are looking at the basic questions to provide accurate information,” he said. “We are hoping this helps get a higher response.”
In the past, there were long-form questions as well, and many people either did not want to take the time to answer them, or did not how to answer them, Mr. Swamy said. In place of this part of the census, the bureau now sends out an American Communications Survey to select homes every month that asks for more elaborate information, he said.
The census’ short-form questions, Mr. Swamy said, allow the government to create categories of people in apartments, senior housing, group quarters and other living arrangements, while also looking at all other categories of people to generate statistics.
”This way it really counts everyone,” he said.
From there, Mr. Swamy said, the confidentiality of information given in the census is taken very seriously, and all employees must take an oath not to reveal the information gathered, under threat of a $250,000 fine and/or five years in prison.
”We take the issue of confidentiality very seriously,” he said. “We don’t reveal any information from the census for 72 years, or unless you request it yourself.”
Finally, Mr. Swamy said, the gathered information is important for distributions of funds and other governmental work.
Although the census information is being collected by April, it will be compiled and given as a report to President Barack Obama by Dec. 31, Mr. Swamy said.
Those who do not return the forms by April 1 will receive a letter in the mail reminding them to do so as soon as possible, Mr. Swamy said. From there, he said, workers with the bureau will be knocking on doors to get the final surveys.
The bureau is hiring part-time workers for this job, Mr. Swamy said.
Basically, the goal is to make sure people are informed about the census, and are prepared for their participation in it, Mr. Swamy said.
”By law, we have to do this census,” he said. “We rely on the public for their civic engagement.”