Project Move-In
Fall 2023 Volunteer Guide Georgetown Scholars Program
TABLE OF CONTENTS
PG.3 Thank You! PG.4 About GSP PG.5 To-Do's (Now) PG.6 To-Do's (Day of) PG.7 Move-In Details PG.8 Campus Map PG.9 Other ResourcesTHANK YOU!
Thank you again for ensuring that students who are unable to travel here with their own loved ones, family, or friends are given a warm friendly welcome from their new Georgetown community.
From a past Project Move-In student participant:
Project Move-In was totally awesome. I couldn’t imagine moving in without Kerry and the Coury family. I remember when I first arrived to baggage claim and saw Matt with an “Angela Williams” sign, frantically looking for me. I instantly felt like I belonged. The children–Maria, Elizabeth, William, and John–were so sweet and made moving into college without my biological family an enjoyable experience. They even helped me make my bed. After the initial move-in, Kerry and the baby, Elizabeth, went out of their way by taking me to Target. Kerry, with a baby strapped to her chest, helped me carry what I bought back to my room. It was very hard to say “goodbye” to the family, but I knew it was a “ see you later.” After Project Move-In, I can say that I truly have a surrogate Georgetown family who extended their home and love to me as I began my journey at Georgetown University. Thank you GSP and the Coury Family.
– Angela WilliamsA video of Project Move-In: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EEqSY6PtEV8
About the Georgetown Scholars Program
GSP students are often the first in their families to attend college. GSP provides its students with the resources and opportunities that will help them to succeed at Georgetown and beyond. Within GSP, students have access to necessity funding, an accomplished alumni network, mentoring programs, campus connections and more. GSP’s innovative program helps Georgetown to be a global leader in enrolling AND retaining first-generation and/or lowincome students and providing them with dedicated support throughout their college experience.
MISSION: The mission of the Georgetown Scholars Program (GSP) is to work towards a more equitable college experience for first-generation and lowincome college students.
There are 650+ GSP students in total on campus, about 150+ of those are new students!
The majority will be among the first generation in their families to attend college.
Thank you for volunteering your time to help support students during this exciting yet stressful time! We know how deep of an impact this initiative has had on those who have participated in Project Move-In.
To-Do'sImmediately
Introduction Student Reminders
Please call the new student assigned to you to introduce yourself as their Project Move-In Volunteer (as a volunteer with GSP), give the student a warm 'Hello!', and confirm the student's arrival details.
Please feel free to shoot them a text! Texts are often answered more than calls these days :)
Tell the student a little about yourself and find out a little about the student.
Please make sure flight/train/bus schedules (Days! Times! Flight numbers! Airlines!) are correct and explain that you'll be checking arrival status online in case of a delay. If the student misses their flight (it happens!), have them call you. If you can accommodate their later arrival time, we'd appreciate you picking the student up at the new arrival time. If you can't, please reach out to the GSP Office at gsphoyas@georgetown.edu so we can arrange another pick-up method.
It has been during these “unexpected circumstances” in the past that the real beauty of Project Move-In has materialized. Amid earthquakes, hurricanes, and delayed flights, volunteers rolled with it and made students truly feel “at home.”
Explain where you'll meet the student at the station or campus and that you'll be available to help the student move in and get settled.
Please exchange cell phone numbers and ask the student to save it in their phone.
Ask the student to call you when they deboard. If you've made one, let them know that you will also bring a sign with their name on it (sample signs are attached to this email). You may want to tell them what you’ll wear that day – Georgetown shirts, for example, or a bright color!
Please ask the student to have their movein and check-in materials (typically sent to them by GU in early August via email) on hand. These materials have information on their Residence Hall, check-in time, etc.
Remind the student to bring their important items (like their ids, cell phone, and charger) on them– i.e. not packed on the day of travel! Those phones have a way of dying when you really need to reach someone! Please remind the student to call you when they arrive or if any problems arise.
To-Do's on the Day Of
Bring something identifiable the day of! You can print a sign with the student’s name or wear GU gear. If possible, please snap a pic with your student the day of and share with us at gsphoyas@georgetown.edu!
Check flight/train/bus status before leaving for the airport/station to ensure it is on time. If you can, send them a text to make sure everything is going alright (moving to a new place is stressful and could really help a nervous student!).
Very thoughtful but not mandatory: Please consider bringing water and a snack (fruit snacks or granola bars are universally good). Especially after a long trip, this would be MUCH appreciated! These little niceties go a LONG way.
If you are meeting the student in the station and you pay for parking in a local lot, please don’t hesitate to ask the GSP Office for reimbursement if costs concern you.
Meet the student at the arranged location. Chat and help them with their bags.
Driving & Parking in Georgetown
If arriving by car, please enter campus via Canal Road. Use 3611 Canal Road NW, Washington DC, 20007, for GPS purposes. Look for the "Hoya Saxa" sign!
Parking on-campus is free for up to two hours in designated areas. If parking on city streets, obey posted parking signs to avoid any tickets!
Your student will receive detailed instructions for arrival via vehicle - ask them to share that information with you! Please keep in mind that during Move-In Day (August 17th and 18th), campus will experience increased traffic. There should be plenty of move-in staff to help with any questions! We recommend you come prepared with some fun tunes, water, and snacks! Please review detailed parking information as it pertains to the different dorms on Residential Living's Fall 2023 New Student Move-In Webpage.
The line to get into the loading area and parking garage can often be a very long wait!
Be wary of the construction on campus—especially for students in Darnall Hall (the dorm won't be accessible from Reservoir Road)!
Once on Campus...
Each student is assigned a move-in time specific to the building they will be living in. They have been asked not to arrive before their time to avoid congestion and traffic backups.
Students can enter campus and follow a move-in route on their assigned move-in date & time if they are arriving in a vehicle. Students will queue in front of their assigned building, where move-in aides will meet you and assist in unloading their personal items into move-in carts.
Extra move-in carts may be available for checkout if needed. Your student should label their boxes with their name and cell phone numbers in case they're separated from them!
Getting Settled
Bedding: If your student requested bedding from GSP, they can pick up their bedding from the Healey Family Student Center (HFSC) Dance Studio B Your student will be emailed the distribution details, so remind them to check their GU emails! We should be your second stop of the day (your student will want a set of free hands to carry their box)!
If your student arrives outside of our designated pick up hours, we’ve instructed them via email to plan accordingly. Unfortunately we cannot make accommodations for early/late arrivals.
How to get to HFSC Dance Studio: HFSC is located next to New South Dormitory and is across the street from Leo O'Donovan Dining Hall. You can walk up the hill next to New South on library walk and make a right when you get to the area where New South meets the Village A Apartments. From within the HFSC, you can go all the way towards the restrooms and take the stairs or elevator up!
Move luggage into the room, meet the roommate, all those fun things!
If you find items in need of repair during the move-in process, please help or encourage your student to submit a FACILITIES WORK ORDER.
I n t e r a c t i v e C a m p u s M a p
Additional Resources for Students Post
Move-In
Useful Resources: Students will have received informational guides from GSP before arriving on campus in a welcome packet email! Encourage your student to review these guides in case your student has questions!
Immediately
If your schedule allows, you may also offer the student a trip to Target. We have let students know that if they make the trip, they are expected to cover the cost of their purchases. The drive to Target alone is so appreciated!
Very thoughtful but not mandatory: please offer to share a meal with the student if your schedule allows. It’s a small touch, but it really brings together the familial and comforting presence of Project Move-In!
Finally, we encourage you to stay in touch with your students and check in with them in October (midterms season) or potentially reach out for a coffee date during Parent's Weekend and around holidays. These students are typically students who are not able to go home around the holidays, so it would be wonderful if you could maintain a relationship with them and be there for them around these times.