Welcome Day of Service
First Year and Transfer Students
About
Be a part of the GW tradition! Convocation and Welcome Day of Service (WDoS) connects first-year and transfer students to the worlds of community service and civic engagement at GW and introduces them to neighborhoods and community organizations here in DC and beyond!
GW's 15th annual Convocation and Welcome Day of Service will be hosted on Saturday, September 23rd, 2023 from 9:30am-4:30pm.
New students are automatically registered for Welcome Day of Service, check in will begin at 9:30am at their assigned hub below! New students should look out for an email from the WDoS team and their Site Captain with more information about their site assignment. Please see below for the answers to Frequently Asked Questions!
Q: What do I need to bring?
A: Please wear closed-toe shoes and long pants that can get dirty. Bring a reusable water bottle and any personal items needed for a full day event (e.g. sunscreen, sunglasses, personal medication).
Q: Will lunch be provided?
A: Yes, lunch will be provided. It will be a boxed lunch with chicken, vegan, and gluten-free options.
Q: How long is the event?
A: Check-in starts at 9:30am and dismissal from the event will be no later than 5pm.
Q: Do I need to register for this event?
A: No, all first-year and transfer students have automatically been registered for the event. If you have not received any WDoS communications with your service group assignment by the week of the event, please contact [email protected].
Q: Where do I go to check-in? And after?
A: Check-in location is based on your residence hall. See below for details:
• Students living in Thurston, Mitchell, and 1959 E St. will check in at Thurston Hall.
• Students living in Potomac, Building JJ, Dakota, FSK, and International House will check-in at Potomac House.
• Students living in District, JBKO, Lafayette, Madison, Shenkman, Philip Amsterdam, Fulbright, Munson, Greek Townhouse A, Guthridge, South, and all commuter students will check in at The University Student Center on the first floor.
• Students living on the Mount Vernon Campus will check in at Eckles Library.
After, you will be directed to the Charles E. Smith Center for the Convocation ceremony to meet up with your assigned service group.
Q: How do I know what service project group I’m in?
A: You will receive email communications leading up to the event from your service site group leader and the Welcome Day of Service team. These communications will have your service site assignment.
Additionally, when you check-in the morning of the event, you will get a personalized name-tag with your group assignment details on it.
Q: Who do I talk to about special accommodations?
A: Email [email protected] if you will need any accommodations to participate in this event.
Get Involved
Faculty, staff, and returning GW students are invited to join the fun of welcoming GW's new Class of 2027 by signing up to be a Convocation and Welcome Day of Service Logistics Volunteer!
Logistics Volunteers are critical to the success of this event and support functions such as check-in, lunch distribution, traffic flow, and more. Logistics volunteer shifts will be from 8:30am-12:30pm on Saturday, September 23, 2023. Sign up below!
2022 Recap
GW hosted its 14th annual Convocation and Welcome Day of Service (WDoS) on August 27th, 2022. It was GW’s first fully in-person WDoS since 2019. We had 2,420 students volunteer to serve across 60 sites—including about 40 D.C public schools. Students recorded a total of 9,670 service hours across all participating wards in Washington, DC and Maryland! Read more about the 2022 Welcome Day of Service here.
Questions?