The decision of whether or not to fill out the 2010 U.S. Census is not the question, as the all-important once-a-decade survey allocates various funds to states and cities. The real issue is where a student will say they’re from. Almost every outcome from the census relies on an area’s population. Loomis said more than $400 billion in federal funds are annually available through the census and are filtered to states and communities based on population. The funds could be used to offset any number of city services, including the Capital Area Transportation Authority and allocation of Pell Grants for university students.

Loomis and other city officials are doing their job by encouraging the best thing for the city. Putting “East Lansing” as the place of residence for a student could be a good thing for the city itself, but it ultimately is up to the individual. There are several reasons to fill out the census as a resident of East Lansing, but to do so just because city leaders said so isn’t a good enough reason. It seems as if a lot of the things the city does has something to do with acquiring money — and urging students to complete the census likely isn’t an exception .

Filling out the 10-question census as an East Lansing resident will give the city more money. Pell Grant and student loan allotments are made based on the populations of states and then filtered into the communities of the public universities. The more residents East Lansing has, the more money it will receive for the next 10 years, possibly leveling the ever-rising tuition costs.

But how many years of the next decade do students plan to be here?

Most students graduating this year presumably are leaving East Lansing after May. It is highly unlikely seniors will want money, based on their census answers, to come to East Lansing for a whole decade after they leave. Even underclassmen at MSU likely will leave the area within four or five years, putting them in a similar situation. All students — especially those from out of state — should think deeply whether they want census benefits to benefit their hometown or college town.

Students should keep in mind that by filling in their hometown on the census, they could be benefitting parks in that area, or even helping to fund their little sibling’s education.

Fill out the census. But make sure you think about where you want to put money and keep East Lansing’s true intentions in mind.