Election Day, Tuesday, Nov. 3, will be a university holiday. Synchronous course meetings will be canceled and offices will be closed. During the period surrounding Election Day, we anticipate an increased number of people gathering in and around Washington, D.C. If you need to be on and near the Foggy Bottom Campus during this time, please take the following safety precautions:
- Plan for the possibility of increased pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
- Make sure doors close and lock behind you as you arrive and depart.
- Do not allow strangers into GW buildings.
- Carry identification and your GWorld card at all times when on campus.
- If there is a disturbance, seek shelter indoors until normal conditions return. Observe directions from law enforcement personnel.
- GW Police and EMeRG will be on campus and will be available for assistance, if necessary.
Special information for the Foggy Bottom Campus includes the following:
- COVID-19 testing at Marvin Center and university testing at Shenkman Hall will be closed. MFA testing at Shenkman will remain open.
- Access to the Marvin Center and Gelman Library will be restricted to essential personnel and those who have offices in the buildings.
- Special information for the Virginia Science and Technology Campus includes the following:
- COVID-19 testing at VSTC will be open. However, results will not be available until Thursday.
- Exploration Hall will be in use as a Loudoun County polling place.
Although synchronous classes will be canceled and offices will be closed, designated on-site staff will report to work to support health and safety on our campuses. However, designated on-site staff may work with their supervisors to schedule up to two hours of paid time away from work to vote. The Medical Faculty Associates will remain open and clinical operations will proceed as scheduled. All School of Medicine and Health Sciences students who are participating in clinical rotations will be expected to report to their clinical sites as scheduled. All School of Nursing students participating in clinical and lab rotations also will be expected to report to their sites as scheduled.
The university will be monitoring activity in the District and will send email and text alerts to the entire GW community if necessary. The latest safety and security information will be posted on Campus Advisories.
Additional safety and security resources can be found at safety.gwu.edu or download the GW Guardian app for resources at your fingertips. Additional emergency management information from the District of Columbia is also available online.