Around Campus
The university offers many services and activities to members of the university community, ranging from dining and entertainment to financial information. This section describes university services offered to you that will make your employment here more enjoyable.
- How to Get Around
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Parking
If you are interested in applying for parking privileges, you must visit the Parking Office, located at 2211 H Street, N.W. The Parking Office is open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
To apply, you must present the following:
- A completed parking application, including the signature of the appropriate department head.
- A current vehicle registration card for each vehicle you wish to park in university facilities. Vehicles must be registered in the name of the employee or an immediate family member.
Only regular full-time employees are eligible for on-campus parking. However, on-campus parking is not always available. The Parking Office maintains a waiting list if an on-campus assignment is not immediately available. Off-campus parking is sometimes offered to both regular full-time and regular part-time GW employees. Part-time employees are offered any off-campus parking that may be available.
Faculty and staff with parking privileges are assigned to specific locations. GW Police will ticket a car parked without proper authorization. Vehicles may also be immobilized or towed.
The university is not responsible for vehicles that are damaged or stolen while parked on university premises.
Shuttle Services
The GW Police Department runs a free shuttle bus service that travels a regular route around campus to transport GW students, faculty, and staff. The shuttle service operates seven days a week from 7:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. during the academic year. Regular stops at designated locations on and off campus are marked by Colonial Express signs. For security escort services available during the evening and at night, consult the Safety and Security Section of this handbook.
The university also provides shuttle bus services to the GW campuses at Mount Vernon College and the Virginia Campus at Ashburn.
Metrorail and Metrobus
The university is accessible by both Metrorail and Metrobus. Located conveniently on the Blue, Orange, and Silver lines of Metrorail, the campus is served by the Foggy Bottom-GWU Metro Station. Several Metrobus routes also travel through the university area. For a Metro Guide, visit the Metro Office located at 600 5th Street, N.W., or local Metrorail stations.
Physically disabled persons can ride Metrobus and Metrorail for half price. For further information, contact the Metro Handicapped Office at 600 5th Street, N.W or visit the Washington metro website.
Bicycles
Free bicycle parking facilities are located in the following areas on campus:
- Ross Hall 2300 I Street
- Stockton Hall 720 20th Street, rear of the building
- University Student Center 800 21st Street, H Street terrace and garage entrance
- Corcoran Hall 725 21st Street, rear of the building
The university is not responsible for bicycles that may be damaged or stolen while parked in any campus area.
For more information on services available for biking on or to campus, please visit the Office of Transportation & Parking Services website.
- Services
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The university provides a number of services to make working here very convenient.
Bookstore
The University Bookstore is located on the ground floor of the University Student Center (800 21st Street, N.W.). In addition to containing a large collection of textbooks, the bookstore carries a wide variety of university merchandise, including clothing and souvenir items. The store also carries works authored by GW faculty as well as a range of school, office, and personal supplies. As a university employee, you receive a discount on selected items not including textbooks. Visit the bookstore website for details on employee discounts, hours of operation and contact information.
Computer Supplies and Equipment
Colonial Computers is a nonprofit, university-owned and operated computer store serving the university community. As an employee, you may purchase computer products at a discount. Located within the University Bookstore, please visit the bookstore or its website for more information.
Travel
The Office of Auxiliary and Institutional Services administers the travel services program at GW. You must use authorized travel agencies for all official University business. You can find a listing of the authorized agencies, including links to their websites as well as other travel-related information, at the Auxiliary and Institutional Services website.
Housing
Information about local housing can be found on the Off-Campus Housing website. You may also frequently find non-university housing vacancies posted on the bulletin boards around the campus.
University Student Center
The University Student Center (800 21st Street, N.W.) is a multipurpose facility that houses conference rooms, the University Student Center Convenience Store, the GW Bookstore, and Colonial Computers. In addition, the University Student Center has a theater and ballroom used for campus and community events.
Smith Center
The Charles E. Smith Center (600 22nd Street, N.W.) is an athletic and recreation center serving the university community. You must show your identification card to use the Smith Center. Facilities include a jogging track, basketball courts, a swimming pool, squash and racquetball courts, and weight rooms.
Wellness Program
Campus Recreation offers students, faculty and staff of The George Washington University a variety of programs and activities with a goal of keeping them fit and active on their way to a healthy and fun lifestyle. From aerobics classes and wellness programs to sports clubs and intramural sports, Campus Recreation offers something for everyone. Please visit the Health and Wellness Center website for additional information.
- Entertainment
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A wide range of entertainment is available to GW students and staff. Most prominent on campus are performances at Lisner Auditorium (730 21st Street, N.W.) and the Dorothy Betts Marvin Center Theatre (800 21st Street, N.W.). In addition, within walking distance of the campus are a number of theaters and galleries, including the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, National Theatre, Warner Theater, Corcoran Gallery of Art, and the Smithsonian Institution museums.
- Dining
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Dining on Campus
A variety of dining facilities are located on and around the university campus. The GW Dining Services website provides a list of GW dining partners and their locations, including those with options for restricted diets. In addition to this extensive list, other dining options can be found on and nearby the University.
Dining Services and the GWorld Card
The GWorld card, which is your GW identification card, can also be used as a prepaid debit card for all university dining facilities and a number of GW off-campus retail partners. With the GWorld card, you can prepay your account so that there is no bill at the point of service and no need to carry cash for meals on campus. Although locations where the GWorld card is accepted may vary, the places on campus that accept the card include the University Student Center Convenience Store and Itza Pizza in the Mitchell Hall Courtyard Cafe. If you want to establish an account, visit the GWorld Office, which is located on the fifth floor of the University Student Center (800 21st Street, N.W.).
Local Area Dining
A wide variety of restaurants can be found within walking distance of the campus. Some local area restaurants may offer discounts to GW students and employees.
- University Libraries
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The university's library collections are housed in the Melvin Gelman Library (the general library of the university), the Eckles Library on the Mt. Vernon campus, the Virginia Science and Technology Library, the Jacob Burns Law Library, and the Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library. These collections contain more than 1,800,000 volumes, including more than 18,000 serial titles.
The libraries strive to fulfill the curricular and research needs of the students and faculty. The libraries subscribe to an enormous number of electronic research databases, which can be accessed both on and off campus. In addition, library staff assist all members of the university community in using the rich resources of the Washington area and the unusual opportunities they offer for extensive research.
University appropriations supplemented by endowments and gifts provide funding for research materials in social sciences, humanities, sciences, and business. Gifts from many sources have enriched the collections, including a large grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to strengthen the university's humanities collections.
You can obtain information about use of the libraries from the GW libraries website as well as at the library service desks. Individual and class instruction in the use of the libraries and orientation to library facilities are given by librarians upon request as well as through print, media, and computer-assisted instruction.