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Student Life

Division for Student Affairs

Next Stop GW #8 - Preview to Fall 2020

August 24, 2020

Upcoming Deadlines

Complete the following by August 31:

  • Online modules in Everfi (2) (AlcoholEdu for College AND Diversity & Inclusion Education)
    • You should have received an email from Everfi directly to your GW email. If you are having trouble accessing the modules, email [email protected].
  • Online Orientation Module (1)
    • Link to access is located on the Schedule page of our website.

Reminders

  • Register for one of the two Chat with the Deans virtual events
  • Convocation is on Wednesday! The pre-recorded video will be available for viewing at 10 a.m. ET on our website followed by a 10:30 a.m. ET debrief with your peers in small groups. More details coming from your Orientation Leader tomorrow.
  • Stay connected with others in your region of the country through the Regional Connections Workspace on Slack. Students and families can utilize these slack channels to learn more about one another and ask questions. Add yourself to channels by clicking the "+" by Channels. If you are new to Slack, you can view our Slack How-To Guide.

  • Enroll or waive the GW Student Health Insurance Plan (SHIP) by September 12. Students who will be studying 100% remotely outside of D.C. or internationally until January 2021 are able to use their home state or home country coverage to waive out of SHIP through a fall only waiver form. You will be required to waive again for spring and will need to provide proof of comparable coverage if you are not returning to campus. For questions please call 202-994-8260 or email [email protected].

A Message from the Senior Associate Dean of Students, Colette Coleman

The start of the academic year represents the start of a new year. Granted August doesn't get the pomp and circumstance that January gets but it represents similar opportunities. You are beginning anew and with that you can set your goals, your hopes and dreams of what you want to accomplish this year. Like you I start anew at the end of each August as I celebrate my birthday at the start of the school year. This year in particular I think we should take some time to set our intention on what we want to accomplish in the year ahead. You might have had other ideas a few months ago and plans have certainly changed but that doesn't mean you can't set a new intention and path ahead. What do you want to discover in the virtual world? What opportunities can you take advantage of? How can you serve? I want to encourage you to ask yourself these questions and take time to find the answers. I hope to connect with you this fall over social media and maybe we can explore a new world together. I'll share my list of hopes and dreams and maybe a reading list or two, lets be open to new connections and new experiences.

Cheers to a new year and raise high!

Dean Coleman

Weeks of Welcome

Weeks of Welcome encompasses six weeks of events to celebrate the start of the semester and showcases the many resources GW has to offer for academic success and student support, as well as opportunities for involvement.

Weeks of Welcome kicks off with GW First Night, an annual celebration to bring the GW community together virtually in celebration of a new academic year. On Saturday, August 29 we'll go on a GW First Night GooseChase, a team-based competitive quest to complete clues and rack up points to win prizes like an iPad, airpods, GW swag and more! First-year and other new students will join a team with members of their Orientation small group. Other years are invited to form a team and join the quest.

Get Involved

Student Organizations

  • Student Organization Directory: Log on to GW Engage to search a directory of all 500+ GW student organizations, learn more about each of them, and connect with or join the organization.
  • Fall Org Fair: The annual Fall Org Fair is going virtual! The Office of Student Life invites you to engage directly with student organization leaders. The fair will be hosted on GW Engage for three days - September 5, 6, & 13 - and five time blocks, each featuring different categories of organizations.
  • Events: Student organizations at GW host some of the most frequently attended events on campus and although we're going virtual for fall 2020, this semester will be no exception. Check out all of the student organization events on GW Engage and on the Student Life website.

Fraternity and Sorority Life

Upcoming events:

  • Get to Know GW Fraternity & Sorority Life (FSL)
    • Saturday, August 29 from 12 - 2 p.m. ET, hosted on Instagram Live (@gwfsl). Curious about joining a fraternity or sorority at GW? Join student leaders from of each of our four fraternity/sorority Councils on Instagram live to learn about the Greek Life experience and what it means to join a brother or sisterhood community at GW! Submit your questions ahead of time using this Google form (all question submissions are anonymous).
    • Check us out at the Fall Virtual Org Fair, Sunday, September 13, 3 - 5 p.m. ET

Service Opportunities

Music, Theatre and Dance

The faculty and staff of the Corcoran Music Program and Theatre & Dance Program welcome you and your involvement this fall! They'll be offering virtual classes, creating new productions and studying music in lessons, ensembles, and in the classroom.

  • To receive updates and timely information about auditions and events, sign-up for the music program listserv and/or the theatre & dance program (TRDA) newsletter. For information about the many ensembles offered, visit our website.
  • Opportunities in the classroom:
    • MUS 1106: Introduction to Music Performance and Experience (satisfies an arts GPAC course). This course explores the very nature of music and performance through a weekly seminar alongside a thirty-minute individual lesson in each student's primary instrument or voice. For more information, contact Professor Douglas Boyce at [email protected].
    • If you are interested in pursuing a major or minor in music, individual performance study courses (private lessons) are still available remotely during the fall semester. Contact Program Head, Robert Baker ([email protected])
    • TRDA 1035: Theatre Production (taught by Professor Carl Gudenius) focuses on the basic elements of theatrical production and the collaborative artist/artisan process in a wonderful introduction to the magic "behind the curtain."
    • Others to check out: TRDA 1170 - Intermediate / Post Modern Dance, TRDA 1000 - Fashion Statements
  • Upcoming events:
    • GW Dance will have auditions for the fall 2020 semester Dance Concert online on Thursday, September 10 from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. ET. If you have questions, please contact Maida Withers (Artistic Director) at [email protected].
    • The first production of the TRDA 20-21 season is ANTIGONE by Sophocles, translated by Elizabeth Wyckoff and directed by Professor Matt Wilson. See how students render text centuries old to be in the moment of now! Virtual Performance Opening October 15.

District Connections

District Connections, also known as GWxDC, exists to connect incoming first-year students to everything that Washington D.C. has to offer. The overall program and the details of each event are intentionally designed to include aspects that promote relationship building, enhance cultural awareness and understanding, foster pride in GW and D.C., and develop important skills such as utilizing public transportation and navigating the city.

With undergraduate courses being fully online for fall 2020, there will be no in-person District Connections events this semester. However, we are working on ways to provide you with the opportunity to engage with the broader D.C. community, even at a distance. Soon, there will be a GWxDC Guide available that will provide information on how to navigate D.C. and ways you can get involved virtually.

Continue checking our website for updates and a link to the GWxDC Guide when it is completed in early September. If you have any other questions in the meantime you can reach us via email at [email protected].

Office Spotlight

Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship

The GW Office of Innovation & Entrepreneurship provides programming around innovation, education, venture creation, and community building to support GW entrepreneurs, innovators, and change-makers and the Mid-Atlantic startup community. Whether you have an idea for a startup or social enterprise, want to join a team, or just want to learn new and exciting skills - we have a program for you!

Check out this short video to learn more.

Capture the Spirit

On Thursday, August 27 at 8:30 p.m. ET, join us for a Virtual New Student Orientation Event to learn the fight song, win prizes, and more! To register for this event, click here.