Alternate Site Information

IMPORTANT!

Alternate Site/Emergency Plan Information for All Commencement Participants and Guests!

Commencement will be held on the National Mall rain or shine.

If circumstances beyond our control (such as an electrical storm) prevent us from staging this ceremony on the National Mall, we hope to hold the event in the Verizon Center at a time to be determined.  Because the Verizon Center is home to both the Washington Wizards of the NBA and the Washington Capitals of the NHL, we will announce the exact time for the alternate site ceremony once the playoff schedules are determined, in late April or early May.  In the event the Verizon Center is not available as a result of playoff games, GW’s Charles E. Smith Athletic Center will serve as the back-up site for the Sunday ceremony, with campus video viewing sites for guests.

If we are forced to use an alternate site plan, we will do everything possible to schedule the ceremony at a time convenient for graduates and their families.  While unlikely, it is possible that our alternate ceremony could take place on the evening of Sunday, May 18.  For that reason, you may wish to consider making travel arrangements that could accommodate this circumstance.  Again, we will do everything possible to conduct the ceremony at or near the scheduled National Mall start time.

The National Mall is a public space under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Park Service.  While we are grateful for the use of the National Mall, degree candidates and guests are reminded that use of the space is not under the exclusive control of the University. 

In the event that it is necessary for us to cancel or leave the National Mall ceremony due to life-threatening and/or emergency circumstances, the following information will assist you:

• Current information on the status of Commencement Weekend events will be available on a 24-hour basis throughout the week from Monday, May 12, through Sunday, May 18, at (202) 994-5050.  This recorded information will be updated immediately in the event of changes to the weekend schedule and/or Sunday ceremony.
• Alternate site plans will be distributed at school celebrations and are available for download at here.

If the alternate site is the Verizon Center:

• The Verizon Center is located at 601 F Street, NW (on the Red, Yellow and Green Metro lines at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Station).  The Verizon Center, home of the Washington Wizards, Mystics, and Capitols, is an air-conditioned space large enough to accommodate ticketed guests.
• All graduates, guests, faculty, staff, and platform party participants should proceed to the Verizon Center as directed. 
• The start time of an alternate site ceremony will be determined at the time a change is announced and may be different from the scheduled National Mall time.  You may wish to consider making travel arrangements that could accommodate this circumstance.
• When traveling to the Verizon Center guests may:
  • Take a cab directly from the National Mall to the Verizon Center.  Cabs are normally available on public streets around the National Mall.
  • Take the Metro.  The Metro can be taken to the Verizon Center, which is located on the Red, Yellow and Green lines at the Gallery Place-Chinatown Station.  All Metro stations are handicap accessible.
  • Take the shuttle bus.  There will be shuttle bus service between the National Mall and the Verizon Center, as well as between the GW Foggy Bottom Campus and the Verizon Center.  In addition to the shuttle bus service between the Verizon Center and the National Mall and the Foggy Bottom Campus, shuttle bus service will continue to operate as described in the Commencement booklet between the campus and the National Mall.
• Please be aware, that only the yellow tickets will be honored at the Verizon Center, gray tickets will not.