Advertisements urging students and residents to “Claim Ames” in Census 2000 have been widely circulated in Ames for more than a month, and so far, the response has pleased census officials.

As of Tuesday morning, 58 percent of the census forms distributed in Ames have been returned. For census purposes, Ames is divided into 14 sections, in addition to university housing, which is listed as a “special place.”

Of the 20,698 housing units in the 14 tracts, 12,081 census forms have been completed and returned, Ames public relations officer Clare Bills said.

“The number they are reporting does not include dorms and greek houses,” said Assistant City Manager Bob Kindred.

Students who live in residence halls or greek houses were slated to receive their census forms on April 1, but shortages in the number of forms have delayed distribution for some students, Bills said.

Sophia Preston, Special Place Operations supervisor, said it is essential for students to return their forms in the next couple weeks, before Dead Week and finals begin.

“We know the first two weeks in April are most important for targeting schools,” Preston said.

Starting April 29, the local census bureau will send census workers door-to-door three times to collect forms from residents who have failed to complete and return their census form, Kindred said.

Because the spring semester ends May 5, many students who do not fill out their census will leave for the summer without being counted, Kindred said.

The timing of the census “makes getting an accurate count in a university city a challenge,” he said.

“I believe a lot depends on how conscientious students are in completing the form before the semester is over,” Kindred said.

Preston said students are by law required to claim residency in Ames since they live here most of the year.

“[Students] should get those census forms filled out and returned as soon as possible,” she said.