Dear GW Law Students,
In the past few months, I have been gratified by the CDC reports showing the success of vaccines in stemming the Covid-19 pandemic but concerned about medical reports of variants threatening that progress. Because the safety of our GW Law community is our top priority, we are closely monitoring and will base all our decisions regarding safety on federal and local health data, as well as on the University’s safety guidelines. This message will update you on our current plans for the Fall 2021 semester.
- We continue to anticipate a fully in-person program for the fall semester. As previously announced, all GWU students, faculty, and staff must comply with the University’s Vaccine Policy in order to return to campus this fall. The vaccine documentation deadline was August 1. The vast majority of you have complied, and we thank you. We will be in touch with those who have not complied soon, so we can help avoid the danger of being deregistered for this coming semester. Students who have not complied should do so as soon as possible and should contact the deanofstudents
law [dot] gwu [dot] edu (Dean of Students Office) if they encounter any problems or delays in doing so. - Effective Saturday, July 31, GW reinstated its indoor mask requirement for all individuals, regardless of vaccination status, in university-owned or -operated facilities. This guidance is consistent with the District of Columbia’s decision to again require that all people, including vaccinated people, wear masks in indoor public settings beginning July 31. There is no requirement to socially distance, and masks may be lowered to eat and drink indoors.
- All students should schedule their first Covid 19 test upon returning to campus and before the start of orientation and classes. Your GWorld card, which gives you access to all the law school buildings, cannot be activated until the Covid 19 test is completed. The test itself takes minutes, and an appointment can be made on the Colonial Health website at https://mychc.gwu.edu by clicking the Appointments button. When you make an appointment, please be sure to use it, as there are many students returning to campus in need of a Covid 19 test. Also, you need not wait until the day you return to campus to make an appointment; appointments for testing are available now.
- The Law School staff returned to campus this morning to prepare for your arrival. Although some members of our staff continued to work onsite throughout the pandemic, this is the first time that our entire staff has been back in the building since the pandemic began. I am certain the staff would be encouraged by all of us acknowledging the extraordinary contributions they made to keep our law school operational during your absence. We owe our staff a great debt of thanks.
- For further information on the University's public health protocols and the COVID-19 vaccine requirement, visit coronavirus.gwu.edu.
Dayna Bowen Matthew
Dean and Harold H. Greene Professor of Law