Here is some information about what to expect.
Returning to Campus - Fall 2021 Campus Protocols
COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements
Prescott College requires all on-campus students, faculty and staff to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the start of the semester. The CDC criteria for fully vaccinated individuals is as follows:
Proof of Covid-19 vaccination
Upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination here.
Exemptions
Individuals may request an exemption for medical reasons associated with a health condition or for sincerely held religious beliefs. An individual requesting an exemption must follow the steps below.
Individuals with an approved exemption may be required to comply with additional COVID-19 protocols and other preventive requirements as specified in the exemption approval and updates to the Prescott College COVID-19 website. In the event of an outbreak on or near campus, individuals holding exemptions may be excluded from all campus facilities and activities, for their protection, until the outbreak is declared to be over.
We appreciate your continued effort in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 and helping take the steps necessary to return to more face to face engagement. We will continue to update our website with protocols and announcements as we continue to navigate this dynamic situation. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Kristine Preziosi at kpreziosi@prescott.edu.
Masks on Campus
The CDC has issued new interim mask guidance for fully vaccinated individuals. In response to the Delta variant, in areas of high transmission, as identified on this map, individuals are recommended to wear masks indoors even if fully vaccinated. Currently, Yavapai County is an area of high transmission. Recommendations from Yavapai County Health Services include individuals masking indoors, in school settings and areas of high density inside.
Prescott College adopts this interim guiidance effective immediately. When alone, individuals working in private offices may do so without a mask. Masks are required in common spaces and face-to-face interactions indoors.
This guidance includes and not limited to:
In addition, faculty conducting coursework and/or field trips to areas of high risk or involved with vulnerable populations may ask participants to test prior to attendance for particular activities.
Our campus vaccination numbers are starting to climb but we need to continue to be part of the solution towards increasing the national percentage of vaccinated individuals.
We are quickly approaching the start of our semester and I want to remind everyone of the emails I have sent regarding COVID-19 vaccination requirements. Many of you have submitted proof of vaccine and I want to encourage you all to do so prior to the start of the term, our protocols and practices rely heavily on our vaccination rates on campus. As a reminder, individuals who are not fully vaccinated or do not have an approved exemption, will not be able to participate in On-Campus Prescott College activities..
For those of you in Yavapai County searching for vaccination clinics, please check the Yavapai Community Health Services and click the button to schedule a vaccination appointment.
Please refer to our COVID-19 home page for protocol updates, vaccination submission forms, and accommodations requests.
Thank you for continuing to work towards doing your part to end this pandemic.
Best,
KP
We have been updating you on COVID protocols as community health, access to vaccines and CDC guidelines change. With the decline in daily positivity rates in Prescott, Arizona and country wide, we are anticipating returning to an active face-to-face fall term for On Campus students. The realization of this will be dependent upon continued community efforts and CDC guidance.
Beginning Fall 2021, we will be requiring all undergraduate and graduate students who plan to be on campus to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 at the start of the semester. The CDC criteria for fully vaccinated individuals is as follows:
Reasonable accommodations for medical and religious exemptions from vaccinations will be accepted. Accommodation requests can be directed to Mari Longpre at mari.longpre@prescott.edu.
All students planning on attending in person classes Fall 2021 can upload proof of vaccination here.
We appreciate your continued effort in mitigating the transmission of COVID-19 and helping take the steps necessary to return to more face to face engagement. For more information or if you have any questions, please contact Kristine Preziosi at kpreziosi@prescott.edu.
Best,
KP
The Spring 2020 graduation ceremony is being reconfigured. For the safety of our community both near and far, there will be no face to face gathering in Prescott in May. Students from all programs will have the option of engaging in the virtual ceremony on the previously scheduled date in May or waiting until it is again safe to travel and gather when we will celebrate graduates in person. In both cases, we will stay true to centering the ceremony on student voices and the values of Prescott College. We will be updating you via the Prescott College Graduation page as plans emerge.
This is an update of what was discussed at the Town Hall meeting with on-campus undergraduate students on March 18, 2020. As colleges across the U.S. are all dealing with the challenges presented by COVID-19, our highest priority is protecting our students, staff, and faculty and the communities in which we live and learn. Our response and decision-making around the COVID-19 crisis are guided by recommendations from the CDC, WHO, and our distinctive educational mission. This means assuring the continuity of education for our students—on-campus or at home—and continuing to offer a distinctive, experiential education even while we have no choice but to go online.
At this point, housing remains open for students who elect to stay on campus. For students who choose to leave, housing charges will be prorated towards a future term or reimbursed after all other expenses have been reconciled this spring, and meal plan balances will be rolled over to the next term. An email has been sent to students with instructions on how to request a refund and facilitate the shipment of personal belongings left on campus. Please note that it will take us some time to process all requests and we ask for your patience in this process. Here is the form to fill out if you are moving out or need your belongings packed up.
As we transition to a 100% online format, courses will continue in a highly personalized manner with direct access to faculty and student support services. While individual course fees will be reviewed and prorated on a course-by-course basis, tuition will remain the same to cover the faculty teaching and advising you will continue to receive.
Work-study supervisors may assign tasks that can be completed at a distance Individual departments will ensure the continuation of work-study and the management of awards wherever possible. If you have questions regarding your work-study position and ability to continue to be paid, please contact richard.ormond@prescott.edu.
In collaboration with Doss, students are planning commencement activities. Please share your thoughts and ideas here stephanie.doss@prescott.edu.
Please contact dept_student_union@prescott.edu to share questions, and ideas with your elected student leaders.
Finally, we encourage you to share these updates with your parents—please invite them to sign up for the latest news (see the "Subscribe To Our Email Updates" tool when loading this webpage).
Be safe and well.
Last week we sent out announcements explaining that we would be going online with On-Campus Undergraduate courses for 2 weeks beginning Wednesday, March 18. In reviewing best practices, recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control, Arizona Department of Health Services, and potential impacts on our communities, Prescott College has decided to extend all OCU classes online until the end of the semester.
On-Campus Undergraduate Students are invited to attend the Virtual Town Hall Meeting with Prescott College President John Flicker March 18th from 12:00 to 1:00 pm. We look forward to responding to your questions tomorrow and exploring together how online courses this spring can best integrate experiential learning PC-style.
Prescott College housing will remain open for those who choose to stay and essential services will continue to be provided to students who remain with us on campus.
Although this shift in learning has been extended, the college continues to remain open with some restrictions. This includes the ITV classroom, library and food to go from the Café. Advising and learning support will continue to be offered online.
Prescott College has canceled all public events on campus and will be following guidance in social distancing, conducting meetings and activities online and following guidance on gatherings of 10 and fewer.
Dear Students and Employees,
Prescott College’s top priority is the health and safety of our students, our employees and our community. At this time, the risk of contracting COVID-19 in Prescott is low, and there are no confirmed cases in Yavapai County.
We know that many members of the PC community have been traveling this week during spring break to parts of the country and world where there may be community spread of COVID-19. Like many colleges and universities in the U.S. Prescott College is elevating efforts to minimize the transmission in our community.
Employees and students who are unable to travel back to campus due to illness or travel complications are urged to stay home.
Accordingly, we are delaying the start of On-Campus Undergraduate classes to Wednesday, March 18, and moving from in-person instruction to online instruction wherever possible for a minimum of 2 weeks (March 16-March 30).
On-Campus Students, please submit this form to report whether you will be traveling back to campus or remaining away at this time.
We are taking these steps out of an abundance of caution. Public health officials have not yet made this a requirement for public or private institutions. Nevertheless, given all that we know and what we can anticipate based on information from the Centers for Disease Control, we believe this is the most prudent course of action at the current time.
As of now, the Arizona Department of Education is not recommending closures to schools. We currently have no cases of Covid-19 on our campus or in Yavapai County. The Risk Management Team is continuing to monitor communications from the CDC, Arizona Department of Health, peer institutions and government agencies as we take steps in responding to the emergent concerns regarding Covid-19.
In response to potential illnesses and travel delays, we will be allowing those OCU students who are unable to travel back to campus, continuity in access to their academics. As of March 16, all classes will be offered in hybrid delivery. Michelle Whitman and An Pfister will be available for elearning support. The college will remain open and face to face instruction and all functions of the college will continue.
Staff and Faculty who are ill or experiencing travel constraints should contact their supervisors and contact hr@prescott.edu for any questions or concerns regarding sick leave.
Revisions have been made to the student attendance policy in response to CDC guidance and concern over the spread of Covid-19.
