Category: General News
Welcome Anna Falcione, New Program Coordinator!
Hi there! Nice to meet you! My name is Anna Falcione (she/her) and I have loved being a part of the UHP since November, and I am delighted to have now officially joined the University Honors Program! I look forward to continuing to get to know you all.
About me: I received my undergraduate degree in Finance & Economics from Grand Canyon University in Arizona, but I am originally from the Maryland-DC area. So, I am happy to be back in the DMV!
You can find me at the front office at the UHP townhouse, so stop by anytime to grab some snacks, candy, or coffee, and come say hi! I’ll be handling the social media accounts and sending out the Honors Newsflash every week. So, if you have any ideas or want to promote something UHP related on our Instagram for example, please do not hesitate to reach out. You can reach me here: annafalcione@gwu.edu. Looking forward to this semester and learning from you all!
Upperclass Honors Housing 2021-2022
We are pleased to announce that for the 2021-2022 Academic Year, the UHP will offer an Upperclass Honors Housing Living & Learning Community. Thank you to all who demonstrated their interest in this opportunity!
The Upperclass Honors Housing LLC will be in Philips Amsterdam Hall. Amsterdam Hall offers Two Bedroom (4-Person) Quads and One bedroom (2-Person) Studios. You can take a tour of each floor-plan by clicking on the above link.
Please note, the Upperclass Honors housing community is an established Living and Learning Community. This means that there will be a strong community development component to living in Upperclass Honors housing. We will have more information on programming soon. (Note: you do not need to apply for Affinity Housing to live in this community.)
As we all know, the COVID-19 pandemic still leaves us in the midst of uncertainty. While this housing plan has been confirmed by GW, we recommend that you stay updated on GW’s response to the pandemic by checking the GW Coronavirus page: https://coronavirus.gwu.edu/
Applying for the Honors housing community requires 3 steps:
- Fill out the Upperclass Honors Housing application by Monday, April 12th at 5PM ET. Through this application, you can request desired roommates, either for 2-person studio or 4-person quad room types. All roommates must be members of the Honors Program, and each roommate must fill this form out separately – no one can be signed up by proxy. UHPers can also sign up for housing individually and then be placed in a studio or quad with other students that applied individually.
- Confirm roommate assignment via email. Applicants will be contacted by an Honors Program Manager by email to confirm roommate assignment. Once assignments are confirmed, the UHP will send all honors roommate information to the Housing Office.
- Complete standard GW Housing application. You will need to fill out the standard GW housing application form and list UHP LLC as part of your application. (Note: that if you fill out the above application form, your placement in the UHP LLC is guaranteed.)
Please reach out to benfaulkner@gwu.edu if you have any questions about the process. Thank you!
Condemnation of Hate and anti-Asian/AAPI Racism
Dear UHPers,
The UHP condemns in the strongest terms the attack on all victims of the March 16 shooting – including Delaina Ashley Yaun, Xiaojie Tan and Daoyou Feng, and other members of the Asian community who have been killed or harmed as a result of racism and hate. The recent surge in violence against the Asian and AAPI community is deeply disturbing and we want to remind everyone that there is no place for violence and hate in our program and community of scholars.
The UHP extends our sympathy and support during this time of pain and loss. We understand that many in our community may be seeking spaces to process, share, and receive support. Please know that our university resources remain available to you during this time, including the Office for Diversity, Equity and Community Engagement, Counseling and Psychological Services, Advocacy & Support, Student Affairs, Human Resources, and Faculty Affairs.
In solidarity,
The University Honors Program
Note on bias reporting: if you ever witness or are a target of an incident of hate or bias (involving any GW community members – students, faculty, or staff), please don’t hesitate to fill out this bias incident report form to make the university aware. If the incident occurred in a UHP space, please include that in your report. Reports can be submitted anonymously, though reports with names will enable easier support/communication from the office.
Upperclass Honors Housing – Tentative for Next Year
In years past, upperclass Honors students have had the opportunity to live in an Honors Living & Learning Community after their first year. We are exploring this possibility for the upcoming Academic Year and would like to gauge interest.
If you are interested in living in an Honors LLC next year, please fill out this form. Please note that plans for on-campus housing are TENTATIVE; however, knowing the level of interest from the UHP cohort will help in the planning process.
While we’re unsure where the LLC would be located on campus, it would likely not be in District House. Here is a snapshot of what an Honors LLC in 2021-2022 could entail:
- Early roommate selection/preference, depending on the space available.
- Programming geared towards honors community development and the transition to on-campus life.
- The chance to build and maintain friendships throughout the honors cohort.
- Due to limitations of on-campus space, this option would unfortunately not be available to rising Seniors.
- We would strongly encourage current First-Years / rising Sophomores to consider this option.
We appreciate your interest! Let us know if you have any questions.
Peer Advisor Program: Request for Student Input
In continuation of the work outlined in our Diversity & Inclusion initiatives statement, the University Honors Program has organized another task force to focus on the Peer Advisor Program. In this this task force, members will discuss ways to center diversity & inclusion in the Peer Advisor Program, as well as create measurable goals to implement for next year in order to make the Peer Advisor Program as impactful as it can be.
This admissions task force will consist of 1 faculty member (Professor Mark Ralkowski), 3 staff members (Brianna Crayton, Ben Faulkner, Joshua Mays), and is looking for a couple of students. This group will meet on Friday, March 26th from 10:30AM-12PM ET. If you are a student interested in joining this task force, please fill out the form below by Friday, March 12th 5PM ET. Student task force members will be selected on a first-come, first-serve basis but students not selected will have the opportunity to provide feedback. If you have any questions, please contact the uhp@gwu.edu for more information. Thank you!
*New for 2021* UHP Graduation Audit Form
Calling ALL Spring & Summer 2021 grads!
To help us make sure we’re on the same page regarding your progress through the University Honors Program requirements, please fill out the following UHP Graduation Audit Request Form. This will allow us to confirm the following:
- Your anticipated graduation term (please be sure you’ve also applied to graduate through G-Web.)
- Your anticipated degree, major, and minors
- Your mailing address where we will send you your honors graduation cords (we can’t send them to you unless you fill this form!)
- Your completed UHP courses and any remaining DegreeMap petitions/issues that need to be resolved
Please complete this by March 15, 2021. This is the same day your Application to Graduate from GW is due. Reach out to uhp@gwu.edu if you have any questions!
Apply to be a Peer Advisor – 2021-2022
Peer Advisors are an integral part of UHP advising. They provide mentorship to incoming first-year students and advise on the UHP student experience, honors classes, housing, and all other facets of life at GW. They also are key to fostering an inclusive environment for all within the UHP. If you have a knack for mentorship, a passion for creating inclusive spaces, and want to lend a helping hand, this could be the position for you!
To apply, please access the forms below:
Please note that the Peer Advisor Leader (PAL) application is available to returning Peer Advisors. This is an exciting opportunity to lead Peer Advisors in the mentoring process. The PAL application will be included in the returning Honors Peer Advisor application form.
The application deadline is Monday, February 8th, 11:59PM. Please contact benfaulkner@gwu.edu with questions regarding the application. Thanks!
Fall 2020 End of Semester Guide
Hard to believe, but here we are! As we wrap up the semester, here are some of the many resources available to help you finish strong.
Academic & Pre-Professional Resources
We at GW/UHP want you to succeed at your highest levels. Check out these tools to help you get there.
- Study Tips during COVID-19
- Skills for Virtual Learning
- Academic Commons: Peer Coaching, Research Librarians, Writing Center, and more.
- Faculty Office Hours
- Office of Student Success
- Career Services
Academic pro tip: when in doubt, refer to the syllabus. That is your treasure map for success in any course. If you have questions about the syllabus, contact your professor or TA.
Advising
You’re not on a desert island. Let us help.
- Honors Advisors
- School Advisors
- Peer Advisors
- Faculty Advisors
Advising pro tip: our advising calendars are more open during the end of the semester. If you didn’t get a chance to talk with us during registration week, stop on by! We are also continuing our 15-minute appointment option going forward, in case you have a quicker question.
Health & Wellness
Remember to put your oxygen mask on first.
- GW Health Center
- Counseling and Psychological Services
- Well-Being Initiatives
- CARE Referral
- COVID-19 updates
Health & wellness pro tip: when in doubt, reach out!
Registration Support
General “add/drop” registration is open until the start of the spring 2021 semester. Continue to monitor closed classes and waitlists. You can use RTF-EZs for classes without an active waitlist.
- Schedule of Classes
- UHP Course Descriptions
- GW Coursicle (schedule building tool)
Scheduling pro tip: it’s normal to make changes to your schedule between now and the start of the semester. Remember, it’s a process! Continue checking the Schedule of Classes and GWeb for course enrollment changes. Waitlists are open until Friday, January 15th.
UHP Study Tips
- Make a study plan – stick to it as much as you can, revise as you need to.
- Give yourself long, uninterrupted chunks of time to get into “flow.”
- Minimize distractions – turn off phones, computers, TVs, video games, messenger apps, Apple Watches, gigapets (whaddup, 90s babies).
- Communicate proactively to friends and family when you’ll be unreachable.
- If you need accountability from your peers, organize Zoom study sessions.
- Or if you’re “Zoomed out,” disconnect completely.
Study pro tip: environment is key! With recent coffee-shop/cafe/library closures, it can be challenging to study only at home or in only one place. Try to change up your work/study space as much as you can.
As always, let us know how we can help!
Microsoft Teams – The Newest Realm of the Digital Townhouse!
The Digital Townhouse Project is going to look a little different this year– and we’re not sure exactly the extent of that yet– but one thing we do know? We’re adding a platform for you all to build community amongst each other, outside of established events and such: MICROSOFT TEAMS!
Microsoft Teams is similar to Slack or Discord, with several different channels in which you can hold conversation. Right now, we’ve got channels for announcements, hanging out, random thoughts and memes, and more! Delightfully enough, you can also do group video chats through this software, so you can start a meeting in any of our “social channels” and folks can come and drop in to meet you there.
Also, we’ve got some expectations and guidelines that you should read through before participating in the space. We want this to be a safe and welcoming space, and that requires some rules!
I really hope this will be a space for you all to develop community, continue developing communities you’ve already established, and make new friends. You can join the UHP Team right here.
Also: you can use it in your web browser, but also download it for your desktop or your smartphone! Download links are below.
Download on the Apple App Store
Hope to see you all there!