Communication to Georgetown University Families 2020
December 17, 2020: Hoya Family Newsletter
Hoya Family Newsletter: December 17, 2020
December 14, 2020: Continuation of 10% Tuition Discount for All Undergraduates for Spring 2021
Dear Georgetown University Undergraduate Students,
Thank you for your patience as we prepare for the start of our Spring 2021 semester during the ongoing public health crisis presented by COVID-19.
As a follow-up to our November 16 message, we want to provide updated information on undergraduate tuition for the Spring 2021 semester. All undergraduate students on the Main Campus of the University—all first-years, sophomores, juniors and seniors, in the Georgetown College, the Walsh School of Foreign Service, the McDonough School of Business, the School of Nursing & Health Studies, and the School of Continuing Studies—will receive a 10% discounted rate on university tuition.
The discounted rate applies to undergraduate students studying on campus and remotely, and to those living in campus residences and those living off campus. It is the University’s intent to most fairly and equitably assess tuition and discounting due to the current public health crisis.
We look forward to the Spring semester with great enthusiasm. We hope you have a safe and healthy holiday.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Edward B. Healton, Executive Vice President of Health Sciences
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
December 1, 2020: Hoya Family Newsletter
Hoya Family Newsletter: December 1, 2020
November 10, 2020: Hoya Family Newsletter
Hoya Family Newsletter: November 10, 2020
November 2, 2020: Hoya Family Newsletter
Hoya Family Newsletter: November 2, 2020
October 27, 2020: Hoya Family Newsletter
Hoya Family Newsletter: October 27, 2020
October 20, 2020: Hoya Family Newsletter
Hoya Family Newsletter: October 20, 2020
October 20, 2020: Important Revised Dates for Spring 2021 Planning
Dear Georgetown Parents and Family Members,
Recently you should have received a letter from President DeGioia on the University’s decision to notify the Georgetown community of the Spring 2021 semester plans, no later than November 16, 2020. We understand the impact our Spring plans will have on other aspects of your academic planning, therefore, we have revised a number of important dates as you prepare for the Spring semester.
Course Registration
We are rescheduling course registration from November 2 to November 16 (for graduate students) and November 9 to November 30 (for undergraduate students). This allows additional time for students to plan their Spring semester courses, based on the expected announcement of the University’s plans by November 16. The notice of the schedule of classes will stay the same and will become available in MyAccess on October 26. Details regarding registration times will be forthcoming from the University Registrar.
Students are encouraged to take advantage of the additional time before registration begins to meet with their advisors to plan for a successful Spring semester.
Leave of Absence Notification
Students who elected to take a Leave of Absence during the Fall 2020 semester were earlier informed they had to notify their advising deans of their plans to return in the Spring semester no later than November 1. The University has rescheduled the deadline for notification to Friday, November 20.
Tuition Assessment and Billing
The University has also delayed the issuance of billing statements, originally scheduled for November 17. Graduate students should tentatively expect to receive their Spring tuition bill in early December while undergraduate students should tentatively expect to receive theirs in mid-December.
I wish to thank you for your understanding and patience as we work to make the necessary adjustments to our normal operations to better assist you during this unprecedented time.
Sincerely,
Rohan Williamson, Vice Provost for Education
September 4, 2020: Working Together
Dear Georgetown University Parents,
Thank you for your efforts to ensure a smooth transition to the Fall semester at Georgetown University. We continue to be guided by the priority of health and safety for the members of our community, while providing a uniquely Georgetown learning experience for our students.
COVID-19 continues to present critical challenges we must meet. We appreciate that some Georgetown students had already committed to leases or living arrangements in the Georgetown neighborhood before the University’s decision was made to move to a virtual learning environment as we began the Fall semester.
If you have a student residing in neighborhoods surrounding the University, we write requesting your help, because in fact we are in this together.
Unfortunately, while many students are doing their part to keep everyone healthy, we have experienced a gap between the public health guidance we have given to our students and the choices some students are making. This is especially true among our students living in the local neighborhoods off-campus, with regard to wearing masks and social distancing.
We ask that you reinforce the requirement that your student wear a mask, except when alone or with roommates inside their living unit. In the neighborhoods and on campus, it is also critical for students to maintain at least six feet of distance between themselves and others at all times.
Further, please know that students cannot gather in groups of more than 10. Even if in groups less than 10, where students are not wearing masks or respecting physical distancing, the university will impose strict conduct sanctions. Students violating these policies will face negative sanctions, including possible suspension from the university.
If your student is in off-campus housing, please know that not only the host of a party in the house, but all residents of that house, are held accountable for behavior in the house and will be subject to the same sanctions, including suspension.
We must all take steps necessary to pursue a safe and healthy semester for all students and everyone in our community, and to work towards the earliest possible return to campus for all students. If you have a student living in the area surrounding the University, your help in this effort, by having conversations with your student about these important requirements, is invaluable. Thank you for your partnership.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Geoff Chatas, Senior Vice President and C.O.O.
Todd Olson, Vice President for Student Affairs
July 21, 2020: Fall 2020 Undergraduate Tuition, Housing and Dining Charges
Dear Undergraduate Students and Families,
Earlier this month we shared Georgetown’s plan for Fall 2020. In recognition of the impacts of COVID-19 and our plans for returning students to campus, we have examined our undergraduate student tuition, fees, housing and dining charges.
In order to reduce density on our campus and in our residence halls, we are planning to begin the Fall semester by limiting the number of undergraduates on our campus to approximately 2,000, including the following groups of students:
- Members of the first-year class, the Class of 2024;
- Students whose personal or family situation makes it impossible or unrealistic to pursue their studies at their permanent address;
- A limited number of seniors and other students whose graduation requirements and academic program present the greatest need to have an on-campus presence; and,
- Some student Resident Assistants to support this small residential community.
Our ability to implement this plan is dependent on DC government approval and the course of the pandemic.
To further support the health of our community, we have altered the undergraduate academic calendar to reduce the amount of travel by buses, trains and airplanes during the term. This is an effort to reduce the risk of infection for students, faculty and staff. Except for some early offerings, classes will begin on August 26, the Labor Day and mid-semester holiday will be eliminated, and the last hybrid mode undergraduate class on Main Campus will be on November 20, with the remainder of classes to be held in virtual mode only through December 8. Most undergraduates in Main Campus residence halls will depart their residence halls after their last on-campus class on November 20, and will remain at their home location rather than return to campus after Thanksgiving.
For those students on campus, the University is implementing a number of steps to support their health and safety. These include, among other things, personal daily symptom screening; viral testing; enhanced cleaning of common spaces; extra food service precautions; reconfigured spaces to account for physical distancing; and housing all students in single-occupancy bedrooms.
For the Fall semester, 2020, students who are not invited back to campus will receive a 10 percent reduction in tuition. The University takes this step in recognition that undergraduate students who return to campus will have access to certain services that will be unavailable to off-campus students.
Students invited back to live on campus will be charged the previously announced tuition for Fall 2020. However, in recognition of the impacts of the health precautions on residence life, they will be charged the lower double-occupancy rate instead of the higher single-occupancy rate for their housing. Further, both housing and dining charges will be reduced by 20 percent to account for the shorter length of the semester. Eligibility for financial aid will be reviewed by the Office of Student Financial Services, and any aid offered will be revised where necessary to incorporate these and any future changes in our tuition, housing and dining charges. If, prior to the start of the Fall semester, public health concerns preclude having any undergraduates on campus, all undergraduates will receive the 10 percent discount.
Regardless of whether courses use in-person or virtual instructional modes, all undergraduate students will continue to receive an impactful, quality Georgetown education. Faculty members are planning new and innovative ways to use virtual learning technologies, and we are planning events and access to speakers from around the world that make the most of the online platform. Our staff members in the Office of Students Affairs are working on inventive ways to create virtual events that support clubs and affinity groups. And Georgetown’s vital student services will continue to be available to all students.
We recognize the significant investments students and families make to pursue a Georgetown education. We continue to minimize tuition increases, and we maintain our deep commitment to attracting the most promising students regardless of their financial circumstances. To support that commitment, Georgetown continues to be one of only a few dozen colleges that maintains a “need-blind” admissions and a “meet-full-need” financial aid program for undergraduates, meaning that every student admitted to Georgetown through a rigorous selection process can attend regardless of their ability to pay. Our commitment to these values remains strong, and during this unprecedented and challenging time we will continue to work to aid all students in need of financial assistance.
Due to the dynamic nature of the pandemic, we have not made any decision on tuition beyond the Fall 2020 semester. Please know that University leaders, faculty and staff take your financial burden seriously and work hard each year to reduce direct costs and increase philanthropic support for scholarships. For more information, please refer to our list of answers to frequently asked questions or call the COVID-19 helpline at 202-784-3510, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. ET Monday-Friday.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer
March 16, 2020: Our New Pathway | Georgetown University
Dear Georgetown University Families,
As a university, we are prepared to enter this new era of virtual learning. But we know there will be bumps in the road today, our first day of online instruction, in the coming days, and in the next weeks, but if we work together, we will find ways to thrive in this new environment.
Social isolation is one of the drawbacks of a digital environment. Learning is a group enterprise. So, we have urged students and faculty to maintain those groupings virtually, with a variety of new internet tools. We welcome your efforts to check in with your students and make certain they are connecting with their classmates and faculty in the coming weeks.
We thank you for your patience. Georgetown University welcomes you to this new era of learning with a sense of promise and resounding commitment to continue to create new knowledge, to lead and to assist others both in our digital classrooms and across the globe in this new time, and to actively embody the ideals of cura personalis.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
March 13, 2020: Move-Out Process for Residential Life
Dear Undergraduate Students and Parents:
In the past days, we have seen a rapidly changing environment related to the coronavirus, COVID-19. The World Health Organization designated COVID-19 as a pandemic and the District of Columbia has declared a state of emergency and public health emergency. Additionally, the United States has increased travel restrictions from European countries. And, as President DeGioia announced earlier today, we are continuing the virtual student learning environment through the rest of the spring semester, including finals. This message outlines how the university will support students as they return to their permanent addresses.
Move-out for Undergraduate Students in Residence Halls
We ask that you completely move out of the residence halls, apartments and university townhouses. Accordingly, for all students living on campus, we are instituting a spring move-out process from Friday, March 13, 2020 to Sunday, March 29, 2020. If you are currently not on campus, you should not return until your designated move-out date. In order to reserve a move-out time, ALL residential students must complete the Residential Move-Out Form before coming to campus and no later than Tuesday, March 17, 2020 at 12 p.m. EST.
This move-out process aligns with the university’s efforts to minimize the spread of the coronavirus by reducing the density of social encounters (limiting the number of members of our community on campus and reducing the size of public gatherings), practicing social distancing (ensuring that we provide sufficient distance between ourselves), and seeks to provide students and their families flexibility in making the necessary arrangements.
Please note, any student or visitor returning from a country designated Level 3 by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, including newly designated countries in Europe, should not should not come to campus for move-out before completing at least a 14-day self quarantine in an off-campus residence.
Undergraduate Students Needing to Remain on Campus
All students are being directed to return to their permanent addresses and to stay there until their designated move-out window. However, we recognize that there are a small number of students whose personal or family situations make it impossible or impractical to return to their permanent addresses. Students with a compelling reason to stay on campus must apply to remain on campus. Be aware that, should you be approved, you may need to move to another residential building that would be more suitable for social distancing and will need to practice social distancing in all interactions on campus.
For undergraduate students who are absolutely unable to return to campus by Sunday, March 29, 2020, and pack their items for move-out:
- We will ship one small box of essential items (laptop, medication, course materials) to you. If you need for us to go to your room, collect those items and ship them to you, sign up via this link by Monday, March 16, 2020.
- If you are absolutely unable to come to campus and move out by Sunday, March 29, 2020, please contact us via this link. We will be developing alternative resources at a later date.
- Be assured we will not dispose of your personal belongings.
Summer storage will also be available for anyone who is interested in this paid service. Use the following linkfor more information on storage.
Prorated Rebate for Room and Board
We will not charge undergraduate students for room and board for the portion of the semester when they will not be occupying their residence halls or utilizing their meal plans, following March 16. In the coming weeks, undergraduate students who vacate campus should expect to receive a prorated credit on their student accounts. Since each student and financial aid circumstance is unique, we request students’ patience as the Finance department and Office of Student Financial Services work to process and communicate the impact of prorated reimbursements to students’ aid packages. If you have questions about your financial aid package, please contact the Office of Student Financial Services at (202) 687-4547.
For All Undergraduate Students who Live Off-campus
The university encourages in the strongest terms all students living off campus to return to their permanent addresses. Students should avoid returning to the neighborhood if possible or return only briefly to gather necessary items for the completion of academic work before departing to their permanent addresses. We would remind all off-campus students to be mindful of the terms and conditions of their leases. Services and facilities on campus will be very limited during this time, and students should be aware of this in planning for the weeks ahead.
During this time, be assured that essential services and emergency response will be the university’s priority. The Office of Neighborhood Life is fully operational and will communicate directly with off-campus students regarding move out procedures.
We know that many members of our community have friends and family members who may be impacted by the virus. We encourage anyone who might need support to reach out to university resources, including the Office of Campus Ministry and Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS). We appreciate your patience and understanding as we navigate this time with our community.
Should you have additional questions, please contact the call center at (202) 784-3510, Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
We deeply appreciate your patience and support as we navigate forward though these extraordinary times. For more than 225 years, Georgetown has withstood many challenges. Please know that our mission as a university and strength as a community will guide us through these challenging times.
Sincerely,
Robert M. Groves, Provost
Geoffrey S. Chatas, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer