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Dear GW Families,
We hope you and your family are staying safe and healthy! As mentioned in the previous newsletter, we continue to plan for in-person instruction and a residential academic experience this fall, and we are regularly discussing various fall operating scenarios. Additional information can be found in yesterday's "Back to Campus Initiative" message from Provost Blake and EVP and CFO Diaz sent to the university community.
Also, the Buff & Blue Family HandBook is now available! This handbook serves as a guide to GW systems, processes, jargon, resources and more! Encourage your student to take a look at the student version, as well!
Please note: At the end of the week your student will receive an email from GWorld with instructions on how to upload their GWorld Card photo (student ID).
Here's what you can expect in this edition of the Next Stop, GW Newsletter:
- Welcome message from the RHA President
- Peek into living on-campus
- Dining and food options at GW
- Spotlight: The Store, GW's student-run food pantry
- Transition Talks: Family Educational Rights to Privacy (FERPA) Act
After this edition, the Next Stop, GW newsletter will arrive to your inbox bi-weekly.
Be Well,
The Orientation Team
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| Good Afternoon,
Greetings class of 2024 Families! My name is Manvitha Kapireddy and I'm the President of the Residence Hall Association (RHA) for the 2020-21 academic year. I'm excited to welcome both you and your student to our community. I also wanted to share a little bit about me, why I chose GW, tips for getting acclimated in a new setting, and some information about RHA.
I am a rising senior majoring in political science and economics. I chose GW because I wanted to be in the center of American political life. As a political science major, I value the historical and political significance of D.C. that students from other colleges don't get to fully experience. I love being able to take morning walks along the National Mall, hear Supreme Court oral arguments, and attend discussions with senators, journalists, and writers.
What is RHA? The Residence Hall Association (RHA) is the second-largest student organization on campus. Our mission is to make every residence hall a home. We do this through programming and advocacy. Our focus is to create community among our on-campus residential student population through programming and activities. In the past, we've hosted events around Halloween, Black History Month, and during midterms. Our advocacy initiatives aim to fulfill residents' needs by bringing to the residence halls things like whiteboards in common rooms or cooking classes in common kitchens.
Tips for incoming students: Get involved on campus! Whether it's through RHA or through one of the many other student orgs at GW, getting involved allows you to meet new people, hear different perspectives, and find something you're passionate about. I met two of my best friends through RHA, and being a part of a student org has allowed me to grow as a leader in ways I didn't think were possible.
Follow us on social media - Instagram, Facebook, or send us an email (gwrha@gwu.edu).
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The Campus Living and Residential Education team is excited to welcome your student to their home away from home! From the day that your student arrives on campus, we will strive to create an environment in which they will learn outside the classroom and find a sense of belonging and community. Our residence hall environments are focused on your student’s intellectual and personal development. We maintain community expectations about noise, guests, and other behaviors that affect the living environment. In that effort, our focus is always on helping students understand the impact of their actions as they consider their peers, and how to make decisions that are more consistent with their own values.
Meet our Team in the Halls
Our live-in team consists of undergraduate Resident Advisors (RAs), full-time Community Directors (CDs), Area Coordinators (ACs), Faculty in Residence (FiR) and Faculty Guides (FG) and are here to help support your student throughout their years living on-campus. In our residence halls, your student will form new connections with other students, learn about themselves and others, have opportunities to hone leadership skills, and immerse themselves in a scholastic environment. Our team is committed to helping your student connect with fellow students, GW, and Washington, D.C.
Our halls are grouped into seven (7) configurations. Each configuration has at least one office within a residence hall, along with full time Area Coordinators (ACs) and Community Directors (CDs) who live in the halls, amongst the students to support the residential experience. Living in the halls means our staff get to know the residents and are there when they need them. Both our ACs and CDs have a Master’s degree in higher education with a specific concentration on college experiences, and are able to best create a lively and enthusiastic community in your student’s residence hall. Each configuration also has a RHA Hall Council, made up of student representatives of the hall.
Another unique residential experience for your student will be their interactions with live-in Faculty Guides (FG) or Faculty-in-Residence (FiR). These faculty members often host events, independently or in collaboration with Resident Advisors (RA), to strengthen the sense of community in their hall. The relationships between faculty and students are an important aspect of the college experience, as they can have a positive influence on your student’s success in the classroom and beyond.
What is an RA?
Resident Advisors (RAs) are upperclass student leaders living in each residence hall. Their goals are to help your student form new connections, host events that are fun and inspiring, inform your student about what’s new and interesting on campus, and ultimately serve as a go-to person for questions about all-things GW. Our RAs go through a rigorous selection process, and receive ongoing training throughout the summer and academic year.
While your student is living in our residence halls, we will be there every step of the way. Our main office is located in Amsterdam Hall (2350 H Street NW), and our team is here to assist with everything, from administrative questions, billing, connecting to campus resources, mediating roommate concerns, and more.
We can’t wait to welcome you and your student to campus this fall!
Raise High,
Stewart Robinette, Assistant Dean for Students, Campus Living and Residential Education
Seth Weinshel, Assistant Dean for Students, Campus Living and Residential Education
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We are thrilled for you and your student to join the GW community and for your student to get to experience all of the amazing opportunities the next few years have in store.
At GW our open dining plan gives your student access to eat at a variety of dining partners, easily accessible on campus or closeby in the surrounding neighborhoods. Our dining partner network includes more than 105 food and grocery locations, with options ranging from table service to delivery, and dining partners ranging from food trucks to regional cuisines and grocery stores, your student will have easy access to food that meets varied tastes and needs.
Included in our dining partner network is SAGE Dining Services, our dining partner on the Mount Vernon Campus (MVC). SAGE manages Pelham Commons and Higher Grounds Cafe on the MVC. Pelham Commons is our all-you-care-to eat dining hall that offers daily lunch and dinner, and weekly Sunday brunch. Higher Grounds Cafe offers freshly brewed coffee, pastries, bagels, grab and go items and more. In addition, located in Higher Grounds Cafe is the Mount Vernon Campus Convenience Store, offering students a wide range of hygiene products, basic over-the-counter medicines, frozen meals, pantry staples and more.
The GW Dining Plan values represent the average amount of Dining Cash needed by students for the academic year. Dining plan funds are known as Dining Cash, and Dining Cash can be used at over 105+ dining partners. Dining funds roll over from semester-to-semester and year-to-year. Having a remaining balance does not decrease the amount of the Dining plan that will be deposited next semester.
The GW Dining plan is a declining-balance account. Purchases are made with a swipe of a GWorld Card using Dining Cash. Students can either manage their account online or through the dining-dedicated GET App, which can also be used to find dining locations, order food delivery from select dining partners, check account balances, and add Dining or Colonial Cash funds. The freedom and flexibility of our open dining plan empowers students to be responsible for individually managing their funds. We encourage your student to download the GW Dining Budgeting App, located within the GW Mobile App, to easily budget and manage dining funds for the entire semester. GW Dining also offers programming throughout the year, like Meal Deals, Supermarket Sundays, cookbooks, community kitchens fully stocked with pots and pans in all first year residence halls, monthly pop up shops and direct shuttle service from the Mount Vernon Campus to the Georgetown Safeway. We aim to ensure your student is well equipped to navigate dining at GW with ease, enjoyment, and great success.
Follow GW Dining on our social media pages, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter to stay up-to-date on new vendors, events on campus, dining tips and more. We encourage families to consult the GW Dining webpage to find all information regarding dining. If at any point you or your student has any questions about dining please email dining@gwu.edu.
Best,
Karen Zinn
Associate Vice President, Business Services
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The Store is a student-run food pantry at GW that is managed by the Store student organization and the Division for Student Affairs. The Store's mission is to alleviate food insecurity at GW and provide other resources for students to thrive. We understand the adverse effects of not having access to essential items and the impact that this can have on a person's life.
The Store provides dried goods, meats, fresh produce, dairy, vegan options, and more to ensure access to things all students might need. Aside from food, the Store also rents out laptops and iClickers to students per semester and provides laundry and printing cards, gently used business attire, household items, toiletries, and menstrual hygiene products.
The Store recently expanded operations in Spring 2020 to the Mount Vernon campus and hopes to be open to students when campus re-opens. This past academic year, the Store had 875 shoppers including students, both undergraduate and graduate, faculty, and staff.
For more information or to sign-up to either access the Store or volunteer, visit https://studentlife.gwu.edu/store
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| As you have probably noticed as you and your student navigated the admissions cycle, the college experience may be a bit different than you remembered it. There may also be new terminology, acronyms and phrases that you want to educate yourself about regarding your student’s upcoming experience. This section will provide you with that inside knowledge.
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and What It Means
The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) o f1974, as amended, seeks to guarantee both a student’s right of access to records and the confidentiality of student information. Institutions may not disclose information contained in education records without the student’s written consent except under certain conditions.
A student’s record may be released to parents only if one of the following conditions has been met:
What does FERPA mean for you as a college parent/guardian?
It is important to know that once your student is in attendance at a post-secondary institution, FERPA rights transfer to the student regardless of age. All financial and academic records such as grades or academic standing (GPA, academic transcript, academic warning, academic probation, or discipline records) will be given to the student and not to the parent or guardian.
If my student does not sign the Student Consent Form, does this mean that I have no way to find out my student’s grades?
Because FERPA prevents parents/guardians from finding out a student’s grades and academic standing, the best way to find out how your student is doing is to ask them. It is a decision that families should discuss and make together. Perhaps one of the benefits of the FERPA rule is that it provides an additional opportunity for you to communicate with your student about expectations and responsibilities.
If my student signs the Student Consent Form, does this mean that grades will automatically be sent to me?
If your student signs the Student Consent Form, it allows the university to release academic information if that information is requested. This means that a parent/guardian will still need to request a transcript from the Office of the Registrar, they will not be automatically sent.
Are there any exceptions to the restrictions limiting the release of student information?
There is a health and safety exception to FERPA regulations. If a student is considered a threat to themselves or to others, or there is a need to protect the health and safety of the student for some reason, information may be shared with the parent/guardian.
We understand that families may often feel frustrated by FERPA regulations because you’re paying the bill, but try to remember that college students are working toward increased independence and responsibility. Allowing your student to determine who recieves information is a part of that growing independence. Some students handle this responsibility wisely and some may struggle with it. As with many aspects of the college experience, increased communication between families and students will help make the experience a bit easier for everyone.
Please don't hesitate to contact us via email at success@gwu.edu or by phone at 202-994-6710 if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Leah Small
Sr. Program Associate
Office for Student Success
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