IMPORTANT INFO – Wake Washington Spring 2021

Spring 2021 Wake Washington students and families,

Due to safety and feasibility concerns, we have made the decision to move your arrival date to D.C. until sometime after Inauguration Day.

Like all of you, we watched the events of yesterday unfold with a heavy heart. We have also been considering what this means for our semester in Washington, D.C. and the original arrival date of next Saturday. Even before the events of yesterday, we were discussing the rising cases of COVID, the DC restrictions on indoor gatherings, and what this means for our semester timeline.

Let us assure you that we plan to move forward with our semester in Washington as planned, even if it means we need to make some modifications to when you arrive, and when and how we gather. We are going through several scenarios now with our health and safety experts, our alumni working for the DC and federal government, and other experts who can help inform our decisions.

While we don’t have an exact arrival date yet, we are working out those details today and will have more details and information to share with you tomorrow. Please DO NOT contact your internship providers. We will work with you on any necessary communications about internship changes, though we believe virtual internships can begin on the originally scheduled date of January 25, even if you are not physically in D.C.

We know you have many questions, but please hold these until you receive our email tomorrow which will answer many of those questions. We will also hold a Zoom info session (for students) at 4:00 EST tomorrow with the two of us, Dr. Wei-Chin Lee, David Taylor with Global Programs & Studies, and Jenna Radford with the Wake Washington Program. We will send you a calendar invite for this meeting. Please make every effort to attend this Zoom meeting. In the event that you are unable to attend, we will record it and share it with you afterwards.

Know that the events of yesterday do not diminish our excitement and anticipation of your arrival in our nation’s capital and your participation in the Wake Washington Program. We look forward to talking with you soon.

Jennifer Richwine
Executive Dir. Wake Washington Center

Katy Harriger
Faculty Director, Wake Washington Program