2020 census coming

This year, 2020, is a federal census year. Everyone in the nation will be counted, based on where they are living on April 1.

The census takes place every 10 years, as mandated in the U.S. Constitution. An accurate count is crucial for states when it comes to funding and representation in Congress. That is why Colorado State University and Larimer County are working hard to encourage students to report their Fort Collins address as their residence. The census report is based on your address as of April 1, 2020, so even students living on campus need to report the residence hall as their address.

Nik Olsen, assistant director for administrative communications for CSU, explained that what many people don’t realize is that participating in the census is important because so many things are determined by how the population is distributed. He said that everything from funding for transportation to where fire stations are located is dependent on the census numbers.

First time to respond

Many CSU students may not even realize the census is happening this year and for many, it is probably the first time they themselves are completing the questionnaire. When students don’t report or report incorrectly, without realizing it, they are negatively impacting the Fort Collins community. For example, the Campus West area had one of the least accurate counts in the nation in the 1990 census. This is an area that the state of Colorado and City of Fort Collins will target to receive a more accurate count this year.

Federal and state funding for education, including Pell grants, is just one of the items affected by the census count. This is why it is key for students as well as faculty and staff to accurately report where they live as the census does affect us all on campus.

With all the development that has taken place in Larimer County over the past three decades – the number of housing units has more than doubled, from 78,000 in 1990 to 152,000 in 2018, according to the state demographer – how do census takers know where to put their counting efforts? Olsen explained that the city of Fort Collins uses aerial photographs from 2010 and current shots to compare where new buildings and developments have gone up.

A great way to encourage students to complete the census is by simply educating them, Olsen said. Watch for more communication from the administration this month.

As Olsen explained, this is a great way to give back and support the community where we reside. We all benefit from what the numbers provide, so, it is key that we all do our part when the time comes.

For questions on the census or how to respond go to 2020census.gov; to see how the state of Colorado uses the numbers the census provides, go to demography.dola.colorado.gov.

Campus Trivia with Russ Schumacher

Tom Hickey has only been with CSU Police Department since April 2019, but he was curious about which building on campus was the first dormitory, so he looked it up. On the Morgan Library history site, he found that Spruce Hall was constructed in 1881 to attract more out-of-town students to Colorado Agricultural College. The oldest existing

building on campus has a colorful history – the school’s first female professor actually served as Matron of the Hall, for example – and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

In his role as assistant emergency coordinator, Hickey works with large-scale events on campus as well as with building proctors to update their building safety plans. Before joining the Ram Family, he spent 32 years in law enforcement in Michigan, retiring from the Ann Arbor force in 2017. He “retired” to Fort Collins, but came to CSU because “I actually like to work.”

For having his answer selected at random from all the correct answers submitted, Hickey received a special collection of swag celebrating CSU’s 150th anniversary, and a $20 gift certificate to the CSU Bookstore. (He received his major award at the Colorado Emergency Management conference in Loveland, where State Climatologist Russ Schumacher, the winningest Ram ever to appear on Jeopardy!, gave a presentation on severe weather before autographing a sesquicentennial bandana.) This month’s question is a two-part visual clue: Q. Where on campus is this plaque located today? Where was it originally located?

Email your answer to csulife@colostate. edu with March Trivia in the subject line. Entry deadline is March 23.

CSU LIFE Health tips for traveling over spring break

ACT Human Rights Film Festival marks five years of film and social justice

By Carol Busch

On April 3, the ACT Human Rights Film Festival will open on the CSU campus, celebrating its fifth annual run as Colorado’s only film festival wholly dedicated to the intersection of art and social justice.

The nine-day festival, produced by the Department of Communication Studies, will feature more than 20 feature-length and short films curated from over 200 titles released and submitted over the past year. Filmmakers and film subjects from around the world will join ACT for conversations and to share deeper insights into their films. Festivities get underway at 6 p.m. in the lobby of the Lory Student Center Theatre with the festival’s opening night reception.

“The quality and diversity of films to choose from this year is extraordinary,” says Beth Seymour, ACT managing director. “Filmmakers are sensitively capturing intimate stories of resilience that inspire us. We received a record number of brave and compassionate films submitted this year from artists around the world.”

2020 film selection

Films selected for the 2020 festival cover a broad range of topics, including access to medical care, incarceration, peace and justice, identity and the intersection of political and ecological upheaval. ACT will release the complete festival lineup on March 10 when individual ticket sales go live.

March 10 is also the date for the annual ACT kickoff party at Odell Brewing, starting at 7 p.m., with giveaways of tickets and passes and a special ale brewed just for the festival. RSVP at advancing.colostate.edu/ events/actkop.

ACT is also sponsoring its inaugural Through the Student Lens: Colorado State University Film Festival, showcasing CSU student and alumni film submissions, Thursday, March 26.

Presenting sponsors for the 2020 festival include CSU’s College of Liberal Arts, the City of Fort Collins Fort Fund, The Lyric, and Colorado Creative Industries (CCI), which awarded ACT its first-ever Colorado Creates grant.

Take a pass to ACT

Festival passes are available for purchase through the festival’s website for a limited time. Patrons can choose from either an “All Festival” pass that is good for one admission into every festival screening, or a fiveday pass that is good for all screenings the week of April 3-7 or April 7-11. Learn more about pass and ticket sales at actfilmfest.colostate.edu. Not only is it cold and flu season, with the start of Spring Break a couple of weeks away, but new cases of the novel COVID-19 coronavirus are being diagnosed around the world every day, and travelers are understandably concerned. The CSU Health and Safety website – safety.colostate.edu/coronavirus -- provides the latest updates on how the University is responding to the outbreak, as well as links to state and local health departments and the federal Center for Disease Control and Prevention with real-time updates on the spread of the disease. Check it out before you head out for break.

If you do travel, know that an airplane is one of the most likely places to pick up any kind of illness. The air in the plane holds less moisture and oxygen, so passengers’ immune systems won’t work at optimal levels because mucus membranes get dried out in the throat and nose and can’t protect the body from the 99% of diseases that they typically protect every day.

Luckily, there are some things people can do before and during a plane ride to help prevent getting sick: By Rachel Rasmussen

Get plenty of sleep before the flight

Getting seven to eight solid hours of rest the night before a flight can help ensure your immune system is performing at its maximal levels. Eat healthy snacks

Eating fruits, vegetables and lean protein before and during a flight allows your body to have all the vitamins and nutrients it needs to keep you healthy. Bring sanitizing wipes

Use sanitizing wipes on every surface you come into contact with on your flight. This includes the arm rests, tray tables, seatbelt, tv screen and seat back pocket. Although it may be best to avoid the seat back pocket altogether because people treat them as trash cans and put anything and everything in them. Bring hand sanitizer

If you can’t wash your hands before eating or touching your face in an airport or on an airplane, the second best thing is to use hand sanitizer since you don’t know all the surfaces your hands may have come in contact with. Just make sure the bottles are 3.4 oz or less. Bring your own water bottle

Bring an empty water bottle with you through security then fill it up before getting on the plane. This way, you can stay hydrated without spending a ridiculous amount of money buying a plastic water bottle. Drinking enough water will also help keep your mucus membranes from drying out. Try to sit in a window seat

Window seats hold a significantly smaller amount of germs than aisle seats since aisle seats are the ones that everyone walks by multiple times before, during and after flying. Skip the alcohol and coŠee

Alcohol and coffee make you more dehydrated in a shorter period of time making it more difficult for your immune system to do its job. Alcohol in a less oxygenated space also makes your liver work harder and takes away the energy your immune system needs. Flex your calves

Sitting for a prolonged period of time in a plane can raise the risk of deep vein thrombosis because of the lack of blood flow that can develop. To keep your blood flowing, you can flex your calves by performing movements, like tapping your feet, to work your shins, thighs and hip joints. The bottom line

College campuses aren’t the only or easiest ways a person can get sick during the year. The environments of airplanes contain the perfect ingredients to get people sick if they aren’t careful. But if you keep yourself hydrated and healthy and you sanitize airplane surfaces, it will be easier for you to enjoy your destination and return to campus without a cough.

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THE RELATIONSHIP between brewing and fort collins – and colorado state º– runs long and deep, at least since prohibition was FInally repealed in town in 1969,

On March 13, the CSU Alumni Association is sponsoring its annual Beer Pairing event, featuring 20 local breweries and cideries providing samples of their wares alongside tasty snacks from Lory Student Center Catering. For tickets and more information, go to advancing.colostate.edu/ FTCBEERPAIRING2020