Marshall University is making an active effort to ensure students fill out the 2020 U.S. census. Student Government Association President Stephanie Rogner said filling out the census is more important than ever for students to have a larger response than in 2010. 

“In 2010, the two blocks surrounding Marshall University had the lowest (census) response rate in the state of West Virginia,” Rogner said. “This could be due to the fact that students have a misconception that they cannot be accounted for because Huntington, West Virginia is not their permanent address.” 

Rogner said the Marshall SGA also has been utilizing its resources to get information about the census out to students. 

“Student government has taken a different approach than originally planned,” she said. “We have been utilizing our social media accounts to provide helpful links to direct students to the census application.” 

Rogner said because it determines federal funding for the university, she wants students to understand they need to fill out the census for Huntington, even if it is not their permanent address.

 “Census affects federal funding that impacts students such as the Pell Grant and Health Care Services,” Rogner said. 

According to the Marshall census website, the participation from students will determine the funding for the next decade, with each person counted representing thousands of dollars in federal funding. 

The website also lists multiple areas on campus that are directly impacted by 2020 census participation including: campus improvements, health and social services, safety, community mental health services, student wellness programs and more. 

The Census Bureau is also still actively looking for new part-time hires. For more information and to review job descriptions, those interested can visit 2020census.gov/jobs. 

For direct information about Marshall and the census or to fill out the 2020 census, people can visit marshall.edu/census. 

Kyra Biscarner can be contacted at [email protected].