Residential Life and Housing at Pratt Institute holds a specific set of values to be true. These values guide the expectations the department has for itself and the students who reside on campus and extend to the residence halls in many direct ways. They are:
• Personal Rights and Responsibilities
• Integrity
• Respect
• Fairness and Justice
• Open Communication with Involvement
Learning Goals
As a result of participating in programs and procedures avaiable through living on campus, students will learn valuable skills. Part of the mission of Residential Life and Housing is to promote a learning-centered environment that challenges and supports students to:
- Enhance self-understanding
- Value community responsibility
- Learn from their experiences
These mission priorities inform the goals the department has for the skills that can be gained by living on campus:
| Mission Priorities | Resident Learning Goals |
| Self-Understanding | Identity Awareness |
| Personal Responsibility and Informed Decision Making | |
| Personal Health and Wellness | |
| Community Responsibility | Healthy Social Relationships |
| Diversity Awareness and Appreciation | |
| Leadership Development | |
| Reflective Learning | Conflict Resolution |
| Critical Thinking | |
| Academic and Career Issues |
The educational mission of Pratt Institute is actively pursued in the residence halls. An expected outcome of the on-campus experience is to have students learn to cope and deal with problems that arise. Though this is not always an easy task, if a student is able to learn from an adverse situation, the goal has been achieved. Along with this is the ability for students to take responsibility for their choices and behaviors. If students make an inappropriate choice, they should expect to be held accountable, the hope being a different choice is made the next time, more in keeping with the community expectations set forth.
It is vital for students living on campus to have the capacity to respect others even when differences are great. Because Pratt values this, each new freshman is required to live with another student. Though matches are attempted with some criteria, it is not uncommon for conflicts to arise. The education of each student in how to deal with this conflict is this department’s responsibility. The roommate contracting process is designed to help. Though, ultimately, students may be moved or granted room changes to resolve conflict, this is never the desired first option. It is expected that students will actively participate in resolving conflict with the intervention of para-professional and professional staff members.
The Institute also places great value on the respect for the environment. As such, vandalism is treated with zero tolerance. Students found to be vandalizing or graffitiing Pratt property will face dismissal from school. Keeping 100+ year old facilities in good order is a difficult task. Having to “clean up” after adults is not acceptable. Through the on-campus experience, students will leave Pratt with a better understanding of themselves and others, a greater appreciation for others and their surroundings, and the ability to make informed choices and accept the consequences of those choices. Reinforcement of these principles from the “home front” allow this learning process to flourish.