Campus Resources

By Opal Kendall, Executive Editor

Emergencies and Campus Safety

The Georgetown University Police Department (GUPD) responds to all campus security concerns. They can be reached at +1 (202) 687-4343 for incidents on the Hilltop Campus, +1 (202) 662-9325 for issues on the Capitol Campus or via the LiveSafe app, where students can also request SafeRides and access additional information about Georgetown’s safety protocols.

Students are also automatically enrolled in the HOYAlerts system, which notifies community members about extreme weather, campus closures, major facilities issues and active security threats.

For medical crises, students can call the Georgetown Emergency Response Medical Service (GERMS) at +1 (202) 687-4357. GERMS provides free, confidential care and ambulance rides for students on or near the Hilltop Campus. Calling GERMS for any reason — including situations involving alcohol, drugs or illegal activity — will not result in disciplinary action.

For off-campus safety issues or medical emergencies outside the GERMS service area, students should call 911 to reach the Washington, D.C. Metropolitan Police Department or D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services. If students call this number for on-campus issues, they will be redirected to Georgetown authorities.

Healthcare

The Student Health Center, located beneath Darnall Hall on the Hilltop Campus and in the 500 1st Street Building on the Capitol Campus, provides primary care services. The Student Health Center accepts almost all health insurance that provides coverage in D.C., including the university’s plan. It is open every weekday and, depending on the location, offers weekend hours. To book appointments, students can visit the Student Health Center website. After hours, they can dial (202) 687-2200 to reach an on-call provider.

Because Georgetown is a Jesuit institution, the Student Health Center cannot prescribe hormonal birth control for solely contraceptive purposes. Instead, students can fill their prescriptions at the CVS on Wisconsin Avenue or access free contraceptive resources through H*yas for Choice, an independent student organization. The Student Health Center does offer screening for sexually transmitted infections and can prescribe hormonal birth control if indicated for acne, severe period symptoms or other medical conditions. Georgetown’s Health Education Services (HES), located in Poulton Hall, also supplies free pregnancy tests.

For more pressing concerns, students can visit the emergency room at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital, go to a local urgent care or make a telehealth appointment with MedStar eVisit.

Crisis Support

Georgetown’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services (CAPS), which has offices in Darnall Hall, Byrnes Hall and the Leavey Center, offers on-campus therapy and psychiatry services. After an initial triage evaluation, students will be directed to in-house short-term care or referred to a community provider for long-term or specialized treatment. They can also connect with mental health professionals virtually via the HoyaWell app or speak anonymously with trained peers over the Project Lighthouse chatline. CAPS can be reached for after-hours crisis counseling at (202) 687-6985. In life-threatening situations, students should call emergency services or dial 988 to reach the national suicide and crisis hotline.

Student Outreach and Support (SOS), located on the fifth floor of the Leavey Center, is a non-confidential resource that helps students experiencing personal crises or distress develop intervention and care plans. Concerned students can refer their peers to the program.

HES also offers confidential resources for students in crisis. Concerned friends can also contact these resources on behalf of community members. Students can reach out to Carol Day for guidance on eating disorders, body image issues, sexual health and pregnancy at [email protected] or contact Patrick Kilcarr at [email protected] for help dealing with substance abuse. Its services for sexual assault, relationship violence and stalking can be reached at [email protected].

Georgetown’s website on sexual assault and misconduct provides additional information about these issues. There, students can get immediate medical care, speak with resources of different confidentiality levels and learn more about their reporting options — which include filing a report with the university, local law enforcement or not at all.

For emergencies related to sexual assault, students can contact GUPD and ask for the Sexual Assault Response Team or Detective Kristen Melaccio. For off-campus support, they can call the D.C. Victim Hotline at (844) 443-5732 or the D.C. Rape Crisis Center at (202) 333-7273.

Student Rights and Reporting

Campus resources fall into one of three confidentiality levels: confidential resources that cannot share any information with other organizations, semi-confidential resources that share non-identifying information and non-confidential resources that are obligated to report information to institutional authorities.

Before speaking with non-confidential resources, students should speak with a confidential resource to better understand their options and their implications. The Office of Student Ombuds (OSO), for example, is an impartial support system for students dealing with university-related concerns. It provides one-on-one consultations and conflict navigation.

If they choose to pursue non-confidential reporting, students can contact Georgetown’s Title IX office, which oversees investigations of discrimination based on sex, including sexual misconduct, through its portal or at +1 (202) 687-4798. While any community member can file a Title IX report, notifying the university of the incident and prompting coordinators to reach out for support options, only the affected party can file a Title IX complaint, triggering a formal investigation and potential disciplinary action.

The Office for Equal Opportunity Compliance investigates violations of the university’s equal opportunity and non-discrimination policy. To file a report, students can use the bias reporting system.

If students face conduct proceedings themselves, they can visit the Student Advocacy Office (SAO), which provides confidential counselling on the university’s disciplinary system and Code of Conduct.

Academics

The Academic Resource Center (ARC), located on the third floor of the Leavey Center, helps student-athletes balance academic and athletic commitments, disabled students get accommodations and all students access skill workshops and foreign language tutoring. To request accommodations — such as additional time on exams, special housing or dining plans, interpreting services and assistive technology — students can submit ARC’s request form.

The Writing Center, found next to Midnight Mug on the second floor of Lauinger Library, offers individual peer tutoring. Its suite of undergraduate and graduate tutors can help with all stages of the writing process, including brainstorming, outlining or drafting. They do not proofread individual papers, but will help students improve their own editing skills. Appointments can be made online.

The Math Assistance Center, the Department of Chemistry, the Department of Economics and the McDonough School of Business also offer free drop-in tutoring for some entry-level classes.

For professional guidance, the Cawley Career Center can help students explore potential career paths, review their resumes and cover letters, practice interviewing skills and find internships and jobs. Appointments can be made online.

Affinity Spaces and Personal Support

The Office of Student Equity & Inclusion (OSEI), located in the lower level of the Healey Family Student Center, houses several support programs for students of diverse backgrounds: the Disability Cultural Center, the Women’s Center and the LGBTQ Resource Center. It is also home to the Center for Multicultural Equity and Access (CMEA), which supports students from underrepresented backgrounds. The CMEA runs several programs for first-generation, low-income students — like scholarships for room and board, personalized academic advising and the Community Scholars Program (CSP) — and coordinates the university’s affinity housing.

Georgetown is also home to a host of student-led affinity groups, which offer more specialized multicultural programming, and the Campus Ministry, which holds religious services for an array of different faiths.

For students experiencing food insecurity, the Hoya Hub, found on the fourth floor of the Leavey Center, is regularly stocked with shelf-stable goods, fresh produce from the Hoya Harvest Garden and basic toiletries. Students can swipe into the pantry with their GOCard.

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