Pratt Institute
PA-7: Support for Underrepresented Groups

Pratt Institute is committed to the recognition and preservation of each individual’s human dignity and rights, and values mutual respect and differences that are supportive of intellectual, creative, personal, and professional growth.

These rights and privileges are compromised when individuals or groups within the community engage in acts of discrimination and/or discriminatory harassment, and/or coercion against other individuals or groups, including intimidation by threats and/or acts of violence or personal vilification on the basis of race, creed, color, national or ethnic origin, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, genetic predisposition and/or carrier status, religion, pregnancy, veteran status, marital status, partnership status, caregiver status, political beliefs, citizenship or any other basis protected by applicable local, state or federal laws or any other legally protected status with respect to the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to all members of its academic community.

The protected rights, privileges, programs, and activities include, but are not limited to, employment and conditions at the Institute, admissions, financial aid, scholarships, enrollment access to housing, educational programs, co-curricular activities, and participation in athletic programs. Any and all acts of discrimination are prohibited and not tolerated.

This policy applies to both in-person as well as written/posted acts that include expressions of discrimination and/or bias on social media and other virtual platforms. Such acts undermine the fundamental values of the entire community and contribute to a hostile environment that may limit or deny access to the educational and working experience and environment, not just for those subjected to such acts but to the community as a whole.

This policy is not intended to discourage free expression and discussion of thoughts, ideas, and opinions that are an essential part of a higher education experience. The Institute will consider these principles in its response to complaints of discrimination that involve an individual’s statements or speech. However, discriminatory or harassing statements may not be protected expression under these principles and may be considered violations of this policy.

Speech or other expression constitutes discriminatory harassment if it:

Insults, stigmatizes, threatens, or intimidates an individual or group of individuals on the basis of the protected categories listed above or other personal attributes; including verbal and/or non-verbal symbols.
In the context of discriminatory acts and/or harassment, verbal and/or non-verbal symbols are words, pictures, or symbols that are, as a matter of common knowledge, understood to convey direct hatred or contempt for certain groups and that by their very use inflict injury or tend to incite a breach of the peace, or that creates a disruption, hostile or offensive educational and working experience, and environment.

It is also a violation of this policy to engage in hate/bias crimes which may include verbal, physical, or visual violence (e.g. social media posts, pictures and/or photographs), spreading misinformation, malicious gossip, intimidation, retaliation, and/or destruction of property against a person based in whole or substantial part because of a belief or perception regarding that person’s identities based on the protected categories listed above. (It is important to note, in these instances, a violation of the Policy does not preclude the Institute from pursuing a violation of the Title IX Policy.)

This policy applies uniformly to all members of the Institute’s community and upholds high expectations regarding the conduct of its students, faculty, staff, and administration on or off-campus. Persons who believe they have been subject to discrimination and/or bias in violation of this policy are encouraged to promptly report concerns or matters that could be in violation of this policy through the Bias, Discrimination and Sexual Misconduct Incident Report Form. If you would prefer to submit an anonymous report in confidence, please report the incident(s) through EthicsPoint. Persons found in violation of this policy shall be subject to appropriate disciplinary action up to and including the termination of employment and suspension or expulsion of students.

https://www.pratt.edu/policies/non-discrimination-policy/

The Bias Education Response Taskforce (BERT) is a group of administrators and faculty who are committed to fostering an inclusive campus climate by supporting targeted individuals when bias and/or hate incidents occur.

Those who have experienced or witnessed any form of bias, discrimination or harassment, are urged to report it to BERT through the Bias Incident Report Form at https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc8mzGdoM4MNrFnjufbL7-HDRY8aqaRUESC8eH7gpBgwCY3aw/viewform. Once completed, one of the BERT Co-Chairs will contact the reporter with the next steps regarding the investigation process based on the type of incident that have been described.

The response to bias incidents on campus would utilize the support services that are currently in place to meet the needs of student, staff, and faculty. This would include:
- Counseling Services
- Health Services
- Learning Access Center
- Public Safety
The affects of some incidents of bias are felt by the community as opposed to a single individual. In these cases we would work with the communications department to address the community concern. In cases of bias crime we would work with law enforcement as is necessary.

In most cases, this process works from a restorative nature, that reflects the capacity of all people for healing, growth, and transformation by creating pathways for accountability, self-determination, and connection. It addresses the needs of those who have been harmed while encouraging those who have caused harm to take responsibility.

BERT MEMBERSHIP
Convener - Nsombi B. Ricketts, Vice President for Diversity, Equity & Inclusion
Co-Chair - Esmilda Abreu, Assistant Vice President for Student Affairs and Title IX Coordinator
Co-Chair - Dennis Mazone, Director of Public Safety
James Kempster, Vice President for Communications and Marketing
Jazmin Peralta, Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Tom Greene, Director of Legal Affairs
Cristobal Stewart, Assistant Dean of Continuing and Professional Studies
Chris Kasik, Director of Residential Life and Conduct Officer
Steve Riccobono, Director of Human Resources
Judith Williams Cadet, Title IX Deputy
Jasmine Cuffie, Coordinator of Health Education and Promotion
Christopher Jensen, Associate Professor, Math and Science
Ann Holder, Associate Professor, Social Science, and Cultural Studies
Michele Gorman- Adjunct Associate Professor, Undergraduate Architecture

https://www.pratt.edu/the-institute/diversity-and-inclusion/bias-education-response-taskforce/

****STUDENTS
https://www.pratt.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion/diversity-equity-inclusion-strategic-plan/recruiting-and-retaining-diverse-students/

- Additional Admissions Counselor hired for NYC High Schools
- Admissions partnering with The Black Alumni of Pratt (BAP), the Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP), and Pre-College Program Staff on Recruitment Events
- Recruiting partnerships with Community-Based Organizations
- Expanded email outreach to diverse high School Students
- Increased Scholarships for First-Generation and Low-Income students
- DEI Office engagement in Accepted Student Days
- Participated in Online Portfolio Days for undergraduate and graduate students
- Developed Accepted Student Videos and Noel Levitz Videos explaining Financial Awards
- Implemented Test-Optional Admissions Pilot
- Kathryn and Kenneth Chenault Scholarship for three Diverse Architecture Students
- Balenciaga and BAP Scholarship for two Diverse Design, Art or Architecture Students
- Pratt President’s Wallace Augustus Rayfield Scholarship for twenty Diverse Undergraduate & Graduate Students
- Increased funding for Pratt Pre-College and Young Scholars applicants
- Launched the Diverse Scholars Committee
- Enhanced Admitted Student Yield Activities and Welcome Package

**** STAFF AND FACULTY
https://www.pratt.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion/diversity-equity-inclusion-strategic-plan/recruiting-and-hiring-diverse-faculty-and-staff/

- Targeted Diversity Advertising through Higher Education Recruitment Consortium (HERC) and LinkedIn to expand Search Pools
- Association of Independent Colleges of Art and Design (AICAD) Post Graduate Teaching Fellowships
- Created DEI Librarian Position
- Leveraging HERC Search Committee Recruitment Guide
- Updated Gender Identity Question and added Sexual Orientation Question on Pratt Application
- Evaluating Faculty Candidates on DEI Commitment
- Launched Search Advocates Program for Dean, Faculty and Staff Searches
- Hosted Equitable and Inclusive Practices for Faculty and Staff Recruitment Workshop
- Created Ongoing Part-Time Faculty Postings for Academic Departments
- Offered Project Search Internships for High School Students with Disabilities
- Appointed a Talent Acquisition Manager
- Selected Faculty and Staff Diversity Benchmarking Data Vendor
- Launched DEI Dashboards with Faculty and Staff Data on Pratt Website

https://www.pratt.edu/about/offices/office-of-diversity-equity-inclusion/center-for-equity-inclusion/
The Center for Equity and Inclusion (CEI) was established in 2016 and is led by Jazmin Peralta, Executive Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The CEI is a safe, affirming space for students, faculty, and staff of all identities. We are located on the Lower Level of the Main Building, Room 004, on the Brooklyn campus.

The CEI hosts a wide range of programs including our monthly community dialogue series, Martin Luther King Jr Legacy Week, and celebrations and community events honoring various history and heritage months. The CEI also supports the Student Diversity Advisory Board, a coalition of registered student organizations that support social justice work and/or underrepresented identities on campus.

MISSION
To educate and empower students, faculty, and staff by raising critical consciousness around diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice.

https://www.pratt.edu/about/diversity-equity-inclusion/diverse-scholars-program/
The Diverse Scholars Program is a learning community of peer scholars, where you’ll meet exciting new friends with similar interests. Membership in this cohort provides you with free access to optional activities, programs, and services designed to enhance the Pratt educational experience for BIPOC scholarship recipients. Diverse Scholars will have access to the following experiences at no cost:

Specially focused orientation workshops during New Student Orientation.
Opportunity to live in a learning community with Diverse Scholars in your major.
On-campus employment in positions aimed at providing leadership skills.
Community service opportunities
Social gatherings
Health and wellbeing support programming
Priority Registration

Black Lives Matter at Pratt
https://blacklivesmatterpratt.com/about/

BLM at Pratt seeks to be an educational resource dedicated to the co-creation of a climate where every individual who works, lives and studies on campus can feel safe, empowered, and inspired. We believe that our institution has the potential to become a key stakeholder in the creation of an equitable society. BLM at Pratt promotes art as activism and activism as art. Our guiding keyword for 2019-2020 is VISIBILITY.

EVENTS: We program talks, performances, exhibitions, workshops and other events centering Black perspectives on campus throughout the school year.

TEACH-IN: Our daylong, signature event brings together scholars, Pratt faculty, students, and staff as well as members of the broader Brooklyn community for a whole day of exchange, art and dialogue on campus.

CURRICULUM: Encourage and collaborate with faculty members to incorporate the #BlackLivesMatter movement into their class curriculum.

INCLUSION: Work with the Center for Equity and Inclusion to creatively respond to social inequity on campus and beyond.

ADVOCACY: We commit to critiquing and combating the intersections of privilege and oppression on our campus.

DIALOGUE: we encourage faculty, staff, students and alumni to come into conversation across differences of race, gender, sexuality, and profession.

BEYOND CAMPUS: Collaborate with local organizations, vendors, and activists working within the broader Brooklyn community.


The Black Student Union (BSU
The Black Student Union (BSU) at Pratt Institute is a non-profit student-run organization whose interests lays in the empowerment of students who identify as part of the Black Diaspora. Through on and off-campus community building, activism, and events, the Black Student Union provides a safe space, collective, and voice for students.

Other Programs that specifically to support students, academic staff, and/or non-academic staff from underrepresented groups:
• Black Alumni of Pratt (BAP) -
The contributions made by The Black Alumni of Pratt bring value to the institution. The world in which we live is diverse, and the United States in particular is becoming increasingly so. The unique and distinctive programs and robust network of black and Latinx professionals established by BAP helps to enrich Pratt’s institutional awareness and understanding of diversity and its benefits. BAP enables Pratt Institute to be better connected with a changing world. BAP’s richness, like much of the cultural diversity in America today, expands far beyond its African American and Latinx constituents.

• Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL)
The Center for Teaching and Learning fosters a collaborative faculty community that builds on current best pedagogical practices across all disciplines and teaching modalities at Pratt: classroom, studio pedagogy, experiential learning, group-work, field- trips, and more. The Center aims to create an interdisciplinary and reflective learning environment to address important and often difficult issues in a diverse classroom. The CTL’s guiding values are community, reflection and action. The Center is ultimately guided by a commitment to promote contemplative and reflective teaching that supports social justice through critical, inclusive, and embodied practices with teachers who are passionate about their course content and also intentional about how they teach the ‘whole’ student.

• Health Services - Food Insecurity Resources
Pratt is committed to addressing food insecurity on campus. If students are experiencing food insecurity, Pratt has partnered with many apps and organizations to locate food pantries. Students can also sign up for benefits or find free/low-cost food. We have also opened a Food Pantry on the Brooklyn campus. More info at https://www.pratt.edu/student-life/student-services/resource-page-for-food-insecurity/

• Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP)
Established by the New York State Legislature in 1969, the Arthur O. Eve Higher Education Opportunity Program (HEOP) provides an opportunity for admission and support to talented New York students who have not reached their full academic potential due to barriers in their educational, economic, or personal background.

The ultimate goal of the program is to make higher education possible for students who are capable and motivated to be successful as college students but whose test scores and/or high school grades are lower than Pratt Institute's admission standards and who come from low income families. For over four decades, HEOP students have received the support they needed to earn a college degree. More than 42,000 students have earned their college degrees through HEOP. HEOP serves students of all races, ethnicities, and from all regions of the state. Despite their earlier educational backgrounds, HEOP students complete their degree programs at a rate that surpasses students nationally. More than one in four HEOP graduates have pursued masters, doctoral, or professional degrees.

• Learning Access Center (L/AC)
The Learning/Access Center (formerly Disability Resource Center) provides comprehensive academic support services that are available to all Pratt students. The L/AC also facilitates full access for students with disabilities and veterans so that they can freely and actively participate in all facets of Pratt life. The L/AC collaborates to provide Institute-wide advisement and consultation on disability-related matters (including legal compliance and universal design) and provides individual services and tools to facilitate diverse learning styles and accommodations in a sustainable inclusive manner.

Gender Inclusive Communities: Do you feel your needs would be better met if you could live with others regardless of their gender identity and your own? Do you want to learn more about gender identity and development? The Gender Inclusive housing option provides an alternative housing choice for students who may identify as transgender, are more comfortable living with another sex or gender, do not wish to prescribe to gender classifications, or are allies of LGBTQIA students and would like to live in this community. While the Gender Inclusive housing option offers a community supportive of cross-gender understanding, this option is not intended for couples in romantic relationships.

The Gender Inclusive housing option is offered for all students (first year, new transfer, upperclass and graduate). Housing assignments are in the same room/apartment/suite without regard to gender. Outside of Gender-Inclusive housing, students are assigned rooms and suites by their legal gender marker.