April 11, 2024 | Features | Maddie Dimetroski
Kyle Moriarty, 25, leans back in a chair in his dorm room with a mug of steaming coffee and smiles as his kitten Juice paws on a string hanging from a cat tree. is. He scoops her up in her arms and places her on her back.
“She's just relaxing on my lap. She doesn't care if you turn her on her back. She probably does that now,” Juice said as she stood up and continued exploring. Kyle said. “She says, 'It's play time.'”
Juice is one of 23 emotional support animals approved on the University of Colorado's campus, and Accessibility Resources, which provided the numbers, says that Juice is one of 23 emotional support animals approved on the University of Colorado campus, and that Accessibility Resources, Inc., which provided the numbers, is “an animal that provides support to individuals with mental health-related disabilities. “Animals that are necessary for the purpose of providing equal opportunities for use and enjoyment.” housing. ”
According to Sarah Rotunno, director of accessibility resources, the number of requests to have animals on campus has increased over the years. The trend is a local take on a broader picture as universities grapple with how to adjust pet ownership guidelines on campuses across the country.
Moriarty brought Juice to campus at the end of winter break and said the process was “surprisingly easy.” He had to meet with Accessibility Resources, have her professional health care provider sign the paperwork, and wait until she was old enough to receive all her vaccinations.
Moriarty said the kittens have been very helpful for her mental health.
“Last night too…I was laying on the couch and she came and snuggled into my chest,” he said in an interview at Edith Gaylord's apartment in early February. “She's also really good at bringing people together. In the first semester, I realized that my roommate and I weren't necessarily the best friends, but since she's been here, we've all So now we come here to hang out, play together, watch TV, and do whatever.'' The added task of caring for the pet comes with having to get up to feed the pet. , he said it helps because there's always someone to take care of him.
he is not alone.
Eliza Branning ’26, whose emotional support is a guinea pig named Bruce, said the impact the animal has had on them is “immeasurable.” Bruce acts as his roommate during his bachelor days, and especially helps him deal with his homesickness.
But for Branning, the process of getting Bruce approved as an emotional support animal was difficult and frustrating. They started the process during the second block in September, but the Blues were not approved until January.
Rotunno, director of accessibility resources, said having an emotional support animal is essentially part of a “therapeutic” program. Students must provide vaccination information and contact information for someone off campus who can care for them in an emergency and ensure that the animal is not aggressive.
Rotunno also explained that her office typically denies requests if a student does not have the correct documentation stating they need a pet, or if the documentation was obtained from an illegal website.
Despite students touting the benefits animals bring, the University of Colorado faces challenges regarding pets on campus.
Professor Rotunno said the Office of Housing and Residence Experiences will now have to charge students for cats scratching furniture, dogs that show aggression, students who fail to clean cat litter boxes, and health and safety issues. He said that this led to a violation of the law. It smells. Accessibility Resources is also concerned about students leaving their pets unattended for unreasonable amounts of time during block breaks or while traveling.
Rotunno said she has even seen animals interfere with students' mental health.
She said her office has twice dealt with students whose dogs barked incessantly when left unattended and students stopped going to class to be with the dogs. Students are also responsible if their pet has any medical problems that incur significant veterinary fees or if they have to deal with a serious illness while in school. Dorm rooms aren't the best place for dogs that can't be left alone for hours on end while students are in class or in the lab.
Camden Olson, a service dog trainer at the National Institute for Canine Services Training, spent nearly two years convincing Princeton University to allow him to train service dogs on campus.
She said in a phone interview that her experience raising dogs was positive, but that “you get busy when you get to college,” and asked, “Will you be able to focus on your studies and your dog?” Because it's another entity that you are responsible for. ”
Olson believes it can be difficult to hold students accountable because emotional support animals don't have standards of behavior or care.
There are pet-friendly universities in America. Eckerd College in St. Petersburg, Fla., and Washington University and Jefferson College in Washington, Pa., are known as two of the most pet-friendly colleges, according to their websites. Washington and Jefferson College has pet-friendly dorms, and Eckardt's College allows any student to bring a small pet onto campus early in the first semester, and large pets to campus early in the second semester. You can take it with you.
Eckerd College also holds a graduation ceremony for pets leaving campus.
According to an interview with Assistant Dean of Students Justin Swank published in W and J News, “Pet ownership supports the spirit of a liberal arts education and teaches students responsibility and time management in ways that cannot be learned in the classroom.” “There are many.”
Both Branning and Moriarty said they think the University of Colorado could be made more pet-friendly.
Moriarty said there are strict rules on where Juice, the pet cat, can be kept on campus. He also said he would like to host events on campus for pet owners to “build a stronger sense of community.”
Rotunno said he expects the university's guidelines regarding emotional support animals to change over time. As more students want to bring their pets to campus, she predicts universities may consider how they need to change their policies.
Rotunno and Olson raise expectations for the future of emotional support animals at universities, saying airlines have changed their policies after previously being generous, saying “people are taking advantage of them and there are too many issues with animals that misbehave.” I compared it with what I did.
Apart from CC's 23 approved emotional support animals, there may be unapproved pets in campus housing. Students with pets said they were not allowed because they could not provide documentation, but were told by residence life coordinators that they had 72 hours to remove their pets.
“Personally, I fully support emotional support animals, but if something is living in a cage, I don't think approval is needed,” the student said.
Back at Edith Gaylord's apartment, Juice watches CC's events from the window.
“She makes school feel like home,” Moriarty said.
