All undergraduates will have to complete an online housing tutorial, a top official said Tuesday, though GW is still deciding when the requirement will go in place.
The program will teach students “how to be good neighbors” and inform them of the city’s laws, Associate Dean of Students Tim Miller said at a meeting with neighbors and local officials. Students who live on-campus will complete a different module from off-campus students, outlining the University’s “expectations” for when they step off GW’s grounds.
Miller, also the director of the Center for Student Engagement, said the University will distribute the tutorial to all 10,000 undergraduate students, and it will track who opens and completes it.
Students who fail to finish the orientation might have holds placed on their accounts, Miller said, though administrators have not yet finalized consequences or a timeline for the program.
The move comes after Foggy Bottom neighbors rallied the University to do more to control students. Susan Lampton, a longtime resident, said only a small group of students has caused disturbances.
“We just want people to be adults. That’s all we’re asking,” Lampton said.
Renee McPhatter, assistant vice president for government relations, said neighbors can submit audio recordings, photographs or videos to GW as “evidence” of student misconduct off campus.
The Foggy Bottom and West End Advisory Neighborhood Commission hosted the meeting, which was meant to act as an open forum for GW officials, students and permanent residents to air out their concerns about the University’s recently proposed off-campus policies.
Ken Durham, who has lived in the area for decades, complained GW was not doing enough to educate repeat offenders – estimating 10 to 15 people – about noise and trash regulations.
The University rolled back its plans to require all students living off-campus, starting with members of Greek life, to provide their addresses to GW.