Safety and security
Covid-19 precautions
Our Institute observes Covid-19 precautions required by the University of Pittsburgh, which are adjusted in response to changes in the incidence of Covid-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths in the region. If you are not staying in the residence halls, the Institute staff will meet you at the main (Forbes Avenue) entrance to David Lawrence Hall (where our classroom is located) at 8:30 a.m. on Monday, July 11 to give you your ID.
We ask everyone to remember that some Institute participants are at higher than average risk for severe illness should they become infected with Covid-19. Wearing a mask that fully covers both your mouth and nose when you are reasonably able to do so, even when one is not required and even when you are not concerned about your own health, helps protect more vulnerable colleagues.
Covid-19 testing is available at the vaccination clinic in Nordenberg Hall, University of Pittsburgh. The clinic entrance is at 4041 Fifth Ave. Covid-19 testing can also be booked through Curative, which has a testing site nearby the University, behind the Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History (about a ten minute walk away from Bouquet Gardens). Self-administered rapid tests may be purchased at local drugstores (pharmacies, chemists); the closest one to our Institute is Rite Aid at 3700 Forbes Ave.
Should you test positive for Covid-19, please:
- Isolate from others in order to protect the health of other Institute participants, some of whom may be more susceptible to severe illness than you are.
- Notify Taylor Pipkin, our Events Coordinator, who will advise you about other precautions.
- Notify Emma Schwarz (phone number to be provided), our Senior Institute Assistant, who will provide information about connecting to a Zoom feed from our classroom in order to participate as much as is realistically possible in Institute activities.
Residence hall security
Entrances to residence halls have security desks staffed by Welcome Attendants. The Attendants, who are trained in university fire safety and security procedures, control access to the residence halls by requiring that all residents and visitors properly scan in and out of the buildings.
University of Pittsburgh Police
The University of Pittsburgh Police Department is available 24/7 and covers the Oakland campus, as well as outlying facilities. To be connected to Pitt police, dial 911 or (412) 624-2121. For more information about Pitt Police, visit their website.
Emergency blue light phone stations
There are emergency phones, identifiable by a blue light, located throughout campus. Pressing the red emergency button on one of these phones activates the strobe on the blue light and notifies Pitt Police dispatch of the user’s location, allowing emergency personnel to respond.