Messages to the Community

How to Meet Your Testing Obligations for Neighborhood Students

January 26, 2021

Dear Student Living in the Neighborhoods Around Campus,

You are receiving this email because you indicated through Georgetown’s Spring Affirmation that you are, or will be, living in one of the Neighborhoods (Georgetown, Burleith, and Foxhall) near the Hilltop campus for the Spring semester.

This email will cover:

  • How to meet your testing obligations
  • How to apply for an exception in order to receive weekly at-home testing kits
  • How testing compliance will be tracked

Meeting Your Testing Obligations 

  1. Make sure you have a One Medical account
    • Use your NetID email and register for a One Medical account and sign the consent form. (You will have the opportunity to provide a personal email address for logging in and receiving communications, but you MUST provide your NetID email to validate your eligibility for testing).
  2. Complete your weekly test(s) based on campus eligibility
    • If you are not yet eligible for access to campus, get tested once a week in accordance with the Georgetown University COVID-19 Testing Protocol. Although you are required to test once a week, you are welcome to test twice a week — both times at no cost to you.
    • If you are eligible and plan to access campus, get tested in accordance with the Georgetown University COVID-19 Testing Protocol (i.e., once per week if you are coming to campus one day a week or two consecutive days a week, or twice per week if you are coming to campus two or more non-consecutive days a week). Even if you are required to test just once a week, you are welcome to test twice a week — both times at no cost to you. You should also complete the COVID-19 Daily Check-in via the GU360 mobile app or website at least two hours before arriving on campus each day.
    • We have made several improvements to COVID-19 testing on campus. In addition to the Healey Family Student Center site, a new testing location is now open in the Leavey Center, which offers Saturday appointments as well as weekday appointments.
      • Healey Family Student Center
        • Monday-Friday: 8 a.m. – 12 p.m.; 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.
      • Leavey Center
        • Monday-Friday: 7 a.m. – 6 p.m.
        • Saturday: 9:30 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
  3. Applying for an exception in order to receive weekly at-home testing kits

For the Spring semester, Georgetown has shifted to universal in-person testing on campus in lieu of at-home test kits in order to expedite the turnaround time for test results and reduce logistical challenges.

Testing on campus is safe, fast, and accurate. We recognize that for some students, traveling to campus for in-person testing may be an undue burden. These students may apply for an exception that allows them to meet their testing commitments by receiving and returning weekly at-home test kits.

Exceptions will be considered for reasons that include health and mobility issues and living at the outer edge of the campus neighborhood boundary with no plans to come to campus. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

To submit a request for an exemption from in-person testing and to receive weekly at-home testing kits delivered to your neighborhood address, you should complete a waiver request form no later than 5 p.m., Friday, January 29. Students will be notified by the Office of Neighborhood Life whether their request has been granted.

  1. Tracking testing compliance
    • Each week, the Office of Neighborhood Life will email students who have not completed their testing obligation for the prior week (Sunday – Saturday). We understand emergencies or unexpected travel may cause you to miss your test in a given week. Should such situations arise, you will have the opportunity to submit a form explaining why you did not complete your test. Students who do not complete a test and do not submit a valid explanation will be referred to the Office of Student Conduct.
    • If you know in advance that you will be out of town and unable to test on campus at any point in the semester, you should formally notify us via the Spring Semester Travel Form to avoid being flagged as non-compliant for the weeks you are out of town. This link will be live all semester, and you can edit your response at any time as your travel plans change. An email to the Office of Neighborhood Life is not sufficient notification.
    • The Office of Student Conduct has provided detailed information on Interpretive Guidance, the Adjudication Process, and Sanctions related to Covid-19 violations. Typically, the sanction for not adhering to the testing protocol is Disciplinary Probation and, for repeated violations, suspension.

Lastly, all students must abide by the health and safety measures outlined in the Georgetown University Community Compact while on campus and in the Neighborhoods, including but not limited to wearing a mask when in public or shared spaces (including in study rooms), practicing physical distancing, and washing your hands regularly.

If you have any questions, please contact the appropriate resource below.

Thank you for your flexibility, resilience, and dedication to our community’s safety over the course of the pandemic. It is critical that Every Hoya, Everywhere do their part to contain the spread of COVID-19. We stand ready to support you this semester.

Sincerely,

Todd Olson, Ph.D.
Vice President for Student Affairs

Christopher Murphy
Vice President for Government Relations & Community Engagement

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