NOTE: Pratt Institute is continuing to update this information as details become available. Please continue to visit this site and pay attention to campus email communications with important information.
Vaccine
Review Campus Access for the most up-to-date information on campus access requirements and a checklist of current requirements.
Yes, you should be vaccinated and receive a booster dose regardless of whether you already had COVID-19.
Evidence reported by the CDC shows that people have better protection by being fully vaccinated compared with having had COVID-19. One study showed that unvaccinated people who already had COVID-19 are more than two times as likely as fully vaccinated people to get COVID-19 again.
If you recently had COVID-19, you still need to stay up to date with your vaccines, but you may consider delaying your next vaccine dose—whether a primary dose or booster—by three months from when your symptoms started; or, if you had no symptoms, from when you first received a positive test.
Reinfection is less likely in the weeks to months after infection. However, certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as personal risk of severe disease or risk of disease in a loved one or close contact, local COVID-19 Community Levels, and the most common COVID-19 variant currently causing illness.
See the CDC’s chart for information on when to get a booster shot, how to schedule an appointment, what to expect, and more answers to frequently asked questions.
Pratt students, faculty, and staff can upload their vaccination and booster proof into our secure database.
Health and Safety
Pratt Institute asks members of our community to pledge to be accountable by signing a social contract agreeing to abide by requirements and expectations that will contribute significantly toward reducing the spread of COVID-19. Social contracts for students, faculty, and staff have been written in consultation and with input from the Pratt community. They are designed to be a temporary addition to the existing community standards, by which we all agree to abide as members of this community.
Read the Back to Pratt newsletter each week for current health advisories and updates to campus policies and follow the Recent Communications to the Pratt Community.
Following the guidance from the CDC, students, faculty, and staff who have tested positive for COVID-19 must wait 5 days to return to campus and must be symptom free for over 24 hours. Review the Actions and Impact Guide for more information. The online Quarantine, Isolation, and Vaccination Calculators can help determine the length of this time based on your symptoms, testing, and status as a close contact.
Masks are required while instruction is being provided in classrooms, studios, labs, shops, and other spaces. Masks are otherwise optional in indoor spaces when instruction is not occurring. Masks are required at all times in the Pratt Health Center. Face coverings are not required indoors. Masks are available for pick up at all Public Safety locations.
As part of the ongoing promotion of health on campus, Pratt will provide all students, faculty, and staff with a face mask upon request. Students, faculty, and staff can pick up a face mask at any of the Public Safety booths on campus. Clear masks are available at the Learning/Access Center, the Public Safety booth at the main gate on the Brooklyn campus, and the lobby desk at the Manhattan campus. A limited number of disposable surgical masks are also available at several Public Safety locations on the Brooklyn campus and at the entrance of the Pratt Manhattan campus. Hand sanitizer stations are available across campus. Disinfecting supplies are also available from the Facilities Department for cleaning work and study spaces.
The first step a faculty member should take with a student who is not wearing a mask is ask them to comply. If they refuse, they should be asked to leave. Only if the situation escalates should Pratt public safety be involved.
Not wearing a mask when required is in violation of the social contract for students, faculty, and staff which is an extension of Pratt’s Community Standards. Any violations will be adjudicated as are all policy violations, however, it should be noted that violations where one’s actions cause potential harm to another or the community are dealt with more serious consequences/limitations. It is critical that all members of the community think through their decisions regarding the social contract as each decision will not only put others at physical risk, it will cause a student a conduct outcome.
If the case is a student, that student should notify Health Services. If the case is a staff or faculty member, that person should notify Human Resources. The COVID Reporting Form is available to confidentially notify HR or Student Health about COVID-19 cases on campus. See the Positive Cases and Contact Tracing page for information on the actions that close contacts and positive cases should follow. This includes a contact tracing chart for more information on these actions and further guidance.
Do not report to work, class, or other activities on campus if you are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19. See Pratt’s Positive COVID-19 Cases and Contract Tracing information page for additional guidance for students, faculty, and staff members who have tested positive for COVID-19, have had contact with someone who may have COVID-19, or are experiencing symptoms of COVID-19.
Contact tracing begins with the identification of the person who tested positive followed by an interview that determines where potential transmission could have taken place. If exposure does not meet the criteria of a “close contact,” then no further communication will be necessary.
If, however, there are close contacts who meet these criteria, those people will be contacted, interviewed, and likely asked to quarantine depending on their vaccination status. You may have been in a class, studio, or workspace with a positive case and not meet the criteria for a close contact, meaning your risk is very low.
Campus Life
Yes, based on current campus conditions, on-campus events and pre-approved Pratt off-campus events are open to current Pratt community members and pre-registered external guests. A sign-in at the door for walk-ins, if permitted, will be available. If you wish to include external guests at an event, you must receive approval from your vice president, the provost, or dean, as appropriate, prior to planning, announcing, or promoting your event. All external guests must be fully vaccinated for COVID-19. Event and gathering guidelines will continue to be reviewed and, if necessary, adjusted every two weeks. See the guidance for on-campus events and gatherings for more information and follow updates on Back to Pratt as conditions continue to change.
Yes, please contact admissions@pratt.edu for information and visit pratt.edu/visit-pratt for information on both on-campus and virtual tours
Teaching and Learning
Faculty are advised to exercise as much flexibility as possible for students whose attendance or deadlines are impacted by health and wellness concerns related to illness. Working in partnership with students to create reasonable accommodations will help them make the appropriate decision to stay at home when they are not feeling well. Faculty are encouraged to work with their department chairs and coordinators to create viable alternatives for missed classes or assignments if necessary. Faculty can address concerns about persistent absences or an inability to keep up with work through Starfish. Further support is available from Student Advocate Martha Cedarholm (mcedarho@pratt.edu) and Vice President for Student Affairs Delmy Lendof (dlendof@pratt.edu).
Students are encouraged to communicate with faculty members about their health and wellness concerns. Students are not required to visit Health Services to be excused from class for any illness.