Improving Affordability for GW students

Affordability has been one of our highest priorities this year after we heard directly from you about the daily financial burden facing GW students. As a result of student advocacy this academic year, we are proud to announce the major reduction in laundry, printing, and space reservation fees.

LAUNDRY

Beginning in the Fall 2019 semester, on-campus housing students will receive 24 free loads of laundry per semester, where a wash or dry cycle will be considered a single load. Laundry cycles will not roll over from semester to semester, and students will have the opportunity to purchase additional cycles using their GWorld card if needed. Currently, GW charges the highest in laundry costs in comparison to our peer institutions. We are confident that the reduction in laundry cost will be a stepping stone in making the educational experience more equitable for students of all financial backgrounds.

PRINTING

Over the past few years, GW students have responded to the call of improving our sustainability progress by printing less or using double-sided printing. Usage data from 2018 shows that 75% of registered users printed 250 sides or fewer, and 91% printed 550 sides of fewer. As we seek to improve affordability while also encouraging our community to continue sustainable practices, students will receive an appropriate allotment of printing credits beginning in the Fall 2019 semester for any printing job submitted to a WEPA Kiosk on both the Foggy Bottom and Mount Vernon Campus.

SPACE RENTAL

While a majority of campus space is free of charge for student organizations, venues such as City View Room, State Room, SMPA Lobby, Jack Morton Auditorium, and Lisner Auditorium account for 21.2%, or $255,873 dollars of the FY19 SA allocation for student organizations. Moving forward, rental fees for higher demand spaces such as the Lisner Auditorium and City View Room will be re-evaluated to be significantly reduced or eliminated completely.

The three proposed changes above are subject to the Board of Trustees’ approval on May 17, 2019. . We are grateful for the commitment from Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer Mark Diaz and President Thomas LeBlanc to lessen the financial burdens for students as we continue to improve the GW student experience. While the monumental changes in laundry, printing, and space rental costs will undoubtedly impact students for generations to come, we hope that advocacy efforts regarding affordability will continue to be prioritized on all levels of our community.

The 2018-2019 Student Association