Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

Georgetown University’s Newspaper of Record since 1920

The Hoya

OIP Relocates to Car Barn, New Office More Tech Savvy

The Office of International Programs moved a few blocks to the Car Barn this summer, expanding the office space available to students eager to consult with the department’s staff on study abroad options.

On June 10, OIP relocated to the second floor of the Car Barn, three floors below the Main Entrance on Prospect Street. The new offices of OIP now occupy about half the floor, which also contains several classrooms and a student common area. In addition to its function as a facilitator for study abroad, OIP also serves international students on campus and fosters partnerships with institutions overseas.

OIP Executive Director Katherine Bellows noted that the Car Barn is technically farther away from the center of campus than its previous office space in Poulton Hall.

“Although we are further from Red Square and Leavey now, we are only three blocks south and for most campuses, that is not a significant distance,” she said in an email.

Some students said they found the new location more convenient.

“The old office was harder to find,” Maria Son (COL ’12), a student who visited OIP in both its old and new facilities said. “The new location is much easier to access.”

Bellows praised the space for permitting OIP more flexibility.

“The new location also gives us more functional space, of which we are definitely taking advantage!” Bellows wrote in an email.

“It’s a much bigger space,” said Radha Ramjeawan (MSB ’12), an employee of OIP. “In Poulton we only had two rooms for events, and we couldn’t fit as many people. Now, there’s more space, and more rooms for workshops to showcase OIP programs.”

The new facility has a large waiting room, with couches and seats for students waiting to meet with an OIP faculty member, as many do in preparation for future study abroad programs. Before accessing the multiple hallways and corridors, visitors arrive at the front desk, where the receptionist uses Skype to communicate to employees within the office.

Bellows suggested the move was part of a larger shuffling on campus of office space. “Our move is only one part of a larger university shift that originated with the opening of the Hariri Building,” she wrote in an email.

OIP was originally located on the second floor of Poulton Hall, near the intersection of 37th and P Streets. A sign to the building still directs passersby to the old OIP offices, which remain vacant.

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