BY CRAIG FREILICH

North Country This Week

When the colleges in Canton and Potsdam announced they were closing for the time being and sending students home, the question was raised, what place should students use as their home address for purposes of the 2020 Census?

The Census asks people to use the address where they are on April 1, but ordinarily college students would use their college towns in their Census responses since they spend more than half of their time at school.

But since most are not finishing the school year in their college towns, how does that affect their Census status?

“They will be counted where they go to school even if they aren’t actually on campus on April 1 due to COVID-19 related closures,” said Kathleen Stein of the St. Lawrence County League of Women Voters, which is helping to get the word out to county residents about the importance of the Census.

She is still concerned that “the impulse will be for parents to count the kids at home, I’m sure,” she said. But she pointed to an update from the U.S. Census Bureau that addresses the question.

“Per the Census Bureau’s residence criteria, in most cases students living away from home at school should be counted at school, even if they are temporarily elsewhere due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” the update issued March 15 said.

“College students living in on-campus housing are counted through their university as part of our Group Quarters Operation, which counts all students living in university owned housing. In addition to college dormitories, the Group Quarters Operation also includes places like nursing homes, group homes, halfway houses and prisons,” the announcement said.

“Even if they are home on census day, April 1, they should be counted according to the residence criteria which states they should be counted where they live and sleep most of the time. We are asking schools to contact their students and remind them to respond.

“We will continue to monitor the situation, take appropriate steps in consultation with public health authorities and provide ongoing updates,” the announcement said.