STUDENT SERVICES

Office of the Dean of Students

The Office of the Dean of Students provides consultation and information for students, administers the nonacademic student disciplinary system and student grievance procedures, assists students in resolving complex issues, and supports nonacademic program development. Staff members are well informed on University policies and the various student services provided on campus, enabling them to provide referrals and answers to many questions concerning general student life.

GW Housing

Complete information concerning the University's housing is available from GW Housing at living.gwu.edu. A range of community living environments and co-curricular initiatives are designed to promote student growth and development.

Admission to the University does not include a room reservation. The student will receive, with the notification of acceptance, University housing information, directions for completing a housing application and a declaration of intent to attend the University.

Rooms and apartments are available for the academic year, with assignments made by preference or special programs. Students must be registered full time in a degree program for at least 12 credit hours of academic course work during each of the fall and spring semesters. Seniors need not be enrolled for more credits than needed to graduate in their last semester.

Pursuant to an order of the District of Columbia Zoning Commission, all freshman and sophomore students are required to reside in University housing. Exemptions are available for students who are veterans or who are married or have children, have disabilities or religious beliefs inconsistent with residence hall living environments, commute from outside of the Foggy Bottom/West End area, or have established permanent residency within the Foggy Bottom Campus/West End area. Guidelines on applying for an exemption from the University housing requirement are available at the GW Housing website at living.gwu.edu. A map identifying the boundaries of the Foggy Bottom/West End neighborhood is also linked at living.gwu.edu.

Early in the spring semester, eligible returning students submit an application to GW Housing to reserve space in a residence hall for the next academic year. The application must be submitted by the date indicated in correspondence to students and on the website. Students under 18 years of age must receive the permission of their parent or guardian in writing before submitting the application. Housing charges appear on the student's Schedule and Invoice for each semester.

Charges for residence hall space are determined by hall, room size, and amenities. Exact costs for housing will be available on the living.gwu.edu website.

Office of Off-Campus Student Affairs

The Office of Off-Campus Student Affairs aims to educate GW students living in off-campus housing about their rights and responsibilities in the Foggy Bottom, West End, Foxhall, and greater metropolitan Washington communities. OCSA provides students with resources that address transitioning to off-campus living, living options in the District of Columbia/greater metropolitan area, and related information to help students make good decisions when they are off campus. The office works with neighbors in the local community to respond to concerns about student behavior in the local neighborhoods. OCSA strives to improve the Foggy Bottom/West End community by encouraging personal responsibility, neighborhood courtesy, and civic involvement.

GW Dining

All undergraduate students residing in on-campus housing are required to participate in Colonial Cash, a non-refundable declining balance dining program, according to class standing (amounts listed are for the 2011-12 academic year): freshmen: $3,400 ($1,400 required to be spent at Marvin Center, Mount Vernon, and Duques Hall venues); sophomores, $2,500 ($500 required to be spent at Marvin Center, Mount Vernon, and Duques Hall venues); juniors, $2,000; seniors, $1,000. The Colonial Cash program is designed to maximize convenience and flexibility in spending at a variety of dining and retail locations on-campus and in the city. Current information regarding the Colonial Cash dining program is available at www.gworld.gwu.edu.

The Student Health Service is an outpatient clinic staffed by physicians, nurses, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. Students can be evaluated and treated for most medical problems. Psychiatrists are on staff to provide evaluations and referrals as well as crisis intervention. Visits should be arranged by appointment at gwired.gwu.edu/shs; urgent problems may be seen on a walk-in basis if necessary. Additional charges for visits, labwork, and medication may apply. Health education and outreach programs on a variety of topics are provided throughout the year.

When the Student Health Service is closed, students may call the after-hours medical advice line at 202-994-6827 or, for serious emergencies, students may go to the Emergency Room of the University Hospital for treatment. All fees are the responsibility of the student, and students are urged to bring their insurance information with them.

Students must be currently enrolled on campus in the University to receive treatment at the Student Health Service. Bills incurred both in and outside of the Student Health Service (for example, x-ray work, laboratory work, and office visits to private physicians) are the responsibility of the student. Additional information about the Student Health Service can be found at gwired.gwu.edu/shs.

Health and Accident Insurance

The University recommends that all students be covered by health and accident insurance. For information on health insurance offered through the University, see gwired.gwu.edu/shs.

Immunization Requirements

It is the law in the District of Columbia that all students under the age of 26 have a record on file with the Student Health Service documenting immunity to measles, mumps, and rubella (two immunizations with the initial dose given after the first birthday or positive titers), varicella (chickenpox-by immunization, documented history of disease or positive titers), hepatitis B series, meningococcal vaccine (or meningitis waiver), and a current tetanus/diphtheria booster (within 10 years prior to the beginning of the semester). This requirement applies to all students regardless of their program of study or degree status. Students registering for the first time will be able to do so without complete records on file, but any subsequent registration will be blocked if this requirement has not been fulfilled. Immunization forms are sent out by the GW admitting office. Forms can be downloaded from gwired.gwu.edu/shs.

The Student Health Service can give all inoculations on a fee for service basis. Further information is available at gwired.gwu.edu/shs.

University Counseling Center

University Counseling Center services help students address personal, social, career, and study problems that can interfere with their academic progress and success. Services include telephone assessments, brief individual counseling, crisis intervention, group counseling, and workshops on topics relevant to the GW student population. The Center offers consultation and outreach programs for student, faculty, and staff groups. Further information about all services and links to psychoeducational materials can be obtained at gwired.gwu.edu/counsel. Information, referrals, and emergency services are available 24/7 at 202-994-5300.

Career Center

The Career Center promotes effective career planning, teaches job search strategies, and facilitates contacts between GW students, alumni, and prospective employers through its many services. Services include full- and part-time job listings; internship listings; career consulting; workshops (including job search strategies, cover letters and resumes, and effective interviewing); the career resource room; on-campus recruiting; resume critiques; facilitating the federal work-study program; cooperative education programs. Further information on the Career Center is at gwired.gwu.edu/career.

International Services Office

The International Services Office provides services to GW's international students, scholars, faculty, and staff. The office provides advising on a variety of personal issues, including cultural adjustment, living conditions, academic concerns, and finances; provides immigration assistance and information on U.S. government requirements and regulations specific to the international community; conducts orientation programs to assist in living, studying, and working in the United States; and serves as a resource center for the University community on issues of cross-cultural understanding.

Disability Support Services

Disability Support Services (DSS) provides and coordinates accommodations and other services for students with a wide variety of disabilities, as well as those temporarily disabled by injury or illness. Accommodations are available through DSS to facilitate academic access for students with disabilities. To be eligible, a student must provide to DSS documentation that substantiates the need for such services in compliance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act and the ADA. Services provided without charge to the student may include registration assistance, readers, interpreters, scribes, learning specialist services, adaptive materials and equipment, assistance with note taking, laboratory assistance, test accommodations, and referrals. DSS does not provide content tutoring, although it is available on a fee basis from other campus resources. The University does not provide or pay for transportation services or personal attendant care. DSS is located on the 1st floor of the Academic Center and is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays. Additional information is available at www.gwu.edu/~dss.

Multicultural Student Services Center

The Multicultural Student Services Center, which includes the LGBT Resource Center and Religious Life, is the University resource for multicultural, diversity, and religious student program development, communication, and training in the following areas: academic support and retention, cultural education, advocacy and community justice, campus climate, intra- and inter-community communication and leadership, and diversity and cross-cultural communication and training. With a holistic approach to student development, programs and initiatives are designed to strengthen classroom, community, and campus life climate; they are always open to the entire University community. The center specializes in the support and engagement of African American; Asian, South Asian, and Pacific Islander; Latino/Hispanic; Native American; Mixed Race/Bi-Racial; Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual, and Transgender; and Interfaith and Religious Life communities at the undergraduate and graduate student levels, while providing sustained cross-cultural dialogue opportunities and exposure for the entire campus community.

The Multicultural Student Services Center partners with GW student support service providers to help ensure that these communities are well represented in every aspect of University life, well integrated into the fabric of campus life, engaged in utilizing the services of the University, graduating at a rate comparable to their peers, and connected with the GW family for life. The MSSC is a critical player in maintaining a campus community that fosters the understanding and appreciation of cultural, racial, ethnic, sexual, political, and inter-religious difference to ensure that every GW student is well prepared for success in an increasingly diverse world of work.

Significant resources are maintained on multicultural and diversity speakers, and programs, faculty connection, internships, scholarships, leadership development, study abroad programs, job opportunities, community events, and diversity research.

The MSSC oversees the High School/College Internship Program (HI/SCIP), which enrolls highly motivated District of Columbia high school seniors. Participants enroll at GW as nondegree students, taking a maximum of 6 credits per semester in addition to their high school curriculum. Application to the HI/SCIP program is made through the student's high school guidance office, and decisions are made by the GW Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The MSSC also supports the Stephen Joel Trachtenberg Scholars program, another example of the University commitment to D.C. Schools, awarding outstanding students and leaders with full scholarships to GW.

Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service

The Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service integrates civic engagement into GW's educational work by focusing resources to meet community needs beyond the campus, promoting active citizenship in a diverse democracy, and enhancing teaching, learning, and scholarship at GW. The Center works across all schools and departments of GW to support and promote the work of students, faculty, and staff who are partnering in the community to make a demonstrable difference through community service, academic service-learning courses, community-based research, and public service internships. Funding administered by the Center is available to students for academic service-learning projects through the Steven and Diane Robinson Knapp Fellowship for Entrepreneurial Service-Learning; funding for student-led service projects is available through the Public Service Grant Commission. The Center sponsors service events throughout the year, including Alternative Breaks, the annual Freshman Day of Service, and the martin Luther king, Jr., Day of Service. The Center supports faculty who wish to incorporate community service into their scholarship and teaching, and the Center works with students individually and in teams to develop leadership skills, connect academics and service, and enhance public service career and internship opportunities. Additional information about the Center for Civic Engagement and Public Service can be found at serve.gwu.edu.

Center for Student Engagement

The Center for Student Engagement was created with the purpose of fostering affinity, engaging and building communities, connecting to every student individually, enriching the academic experience, and helping each student find a home here at GW. The model of the CSE is based on class years, with focus on providing appropriate programming, services, and resources to each class community at GW. The four CSE teams are First-Year Experience, Second-Year Experience, Third- and Fourth-Year Experience, and Graduate, Distance, and Professional Student Experience. Recognizing that GW is a community of scholars, staff within the CSE brings learning out of the classroom and works to ensure that students are able to pursue their passion and achieve their unique goals and aspirations.

Program Board-The Program Board provides programming and allocates resources for student programming on campus. In addition, the Program Board provides funding and services for activities presented by various campus organizations and encourages student participation in program planning through involvement in committees on the arts, concerts, festivals, films, parties, political affairs, and public relations.

Student Government-All registered undergraduate and graduate students are part of the GW Student Association. This body of elected and appointed individuals is responsible for representing the interests of all students at the University. The Student Association oversees the allocation of funds to student organizations, maintains test and syllabus files, and provides advocacy on a range of issues.

Student involvement in the governance of the University is also possible through participation in various administrative and Faculty Senate committees and specialized bodies, such as the Residence Hall Association, the GW Student Dining Board, and the Marvin Center Governing Board. This involvement has helped develop policies and programs beneficial to students and to the University community as a whole.

Student Organizations-Students are encouraged to become involved with existing student organizations or to initiate their own. There are over 350 registered organizations on campus, covering a broad spectrum of interests, including academic, professional, international, cultural, political, service, sports, hobbies, recreational, and religious organizations as well as a vibrant Greek community.

Religious Life

The University recognizes the contributions that religion makes to personal and community development, encouraging students to participate in religious organizations of their own choice. Local religious leaders and community members also work in conjunction with student religious organizations, providing access to religious services as well as pastoral care and counseling upon request. In addition, the University recognizes the value of interfaith dialogue and provides opportunities for members of diverse religious traditions and those who are atheist, agnostic, or secular humanist to share their experiences and points of view. Additional information is available through the Multicultural Student Services Center.

Major Program Events

Art Exhibits-The work of locally, nationally, and internationally known artists is shown in exhibitions in the Luther W. Brady Art Gallery in the Media and Public Affairs Building. Student art exhibits are presented each semester in the Dimock Gallery in Lisner Auditorium.

Concert Series-The Department of Music presents a series of concerts featuring faculty, guest, and student artists throughout each year. Other concerts are held regularly on campus.

Dance-The Department of Theatre and Dance presents major dance concerts, informal studio performances, experimental events, television appearances, and lecture-demonstrations. Students may audition to participate and have the opportunity to choreograph, perform, and gain experience in the technical aspects of dance productions.

Glee Club, Jazz Band, and Orchestra-The University Singers, University Band, Jazz Band, and Orchestra are available to students as credit courses or as cocurricular activities; major performances are presented to the University community several times a year, including regular winter and spring concerts. Chamber groups and jazz combos are regularly available for participation by all students.

Program Board-The University Program Board, through its various committees and in cooperation with other campus groups, regularly sponsors films, lectures, concerts, social activities, and special events.

Theatre-The Department of Theatre and Dance produces four major plays and musicals during the year on the proscenium/thrust stage in the Dorothy Betts Marvin Theatre. Additional works, including original and experimental plays, are produced in a more intimate studio theatre. Students can participate in all aspects of theatre and may receive credit toward their B.A. or M.F.A. degrees for some of their production work.

Athletics, Recreation, and Intramurals

The Lerner Family Health and Wellness Center offers students many options for physical activities, including courts for basketball and volleyball; courts for racquetball and squash; a jogging track; a swimming pool; and a cardio and free weight room. A broad program of intramural and recreational activities is held in the Lerner Family Health and Wellness Center designed to accommodate various levels of skill, fitness, experience, and interest. The Mount Vernon campus is home to an artificial-turf soccer/lacrosse/field hockey facility, a softball field, and 11 tennis courts.

The University is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC), and the Atlantic 10 Conference. Its intercollegiate varsity teams compete against major universities throughout the region and nation in basketball, baseball, soccer, lacrosse, softball, squash, tennis, golf, cross-country, crew, swimming, water polo, volleyball, and gymnastics. The Charles E. Smith Center is home to these intercollegiate varsity teams, which use the facility for practices as well as intercollegiate games, matches, and meets.