<p>the Hud “clarification” cited earlier (p4) is helpful. They permit comfort animals, under cetain conditions. The Hud post does not contradict that the animal is for those with a documented disability. I don’t believe a doctor’s note saying the patient has better blood pressure with a pet -and nothing else- is enough to rise to the level of a documented disability. The first burden goes unchallenged- that the patient must have a documented disability. Many people may be stressed, many may have high blood pressure, but that alone does not necessarily make a person disabled.</p>
<p>A part of requiring a pet for a disability is the need to have it near in daily activities. A seeing eye dog comes to mind to assist a blind person at work, going to the store, walking, and many daily activities. It is easy to document the bklind person would have great difficulty with everday activities w/o the dog. I doubt a college student would be believed if he/she claimed the doctor’s note proved she was disabled, but didn’t take the rabbit to classes, lunch, e.c. activites, or if student goes out for the evening. If that rabbit sat in the cage 80% of the day, it would be preposterous to claim the student had to have it for therapy. I’d wonder too, had the student signed in with the college disabilities office?</p>
<p>I believe it is an open issue as to what the doctor has to say to support the need for the comfort animal. The Bazelon Center for Mental Health believes it is sufficient for the physician to state, in a cursory fashion, that the person has a disability as defined by federal law (without specifying what the disability is) and that the physician believes the comfort animal may alleviate at least one symptom of the disability (without specifying the symptom). (I haven’t studied this enough to evaluate the reasonableness of the Bazelon Center’s position on the law). </p>
<p>"Let me point out a sensible, and more general, question that OP’s question brings up: are there some rules related to housing that pretty much everybody violates and the university turns a blind eye to? Without going into the ethics too much, this is a valid question. "</p>
<p>In addition to microwaves (which Hunt mentioned), perhaps coffeemakers and candles. Maybe putting nails or holes in the wall or even painting a wall. Or lofting beds, which is not always permitted.</p>
<p>Some people have claimed that their snakes are emotional support animals and should accompany them wherever they go. However, there are many people who would go into a panic attack just from seeing a snake curled around someone else. I would have to draw the line on snakes – no matter what the claimed “need”. :)</p>
<p>I believe that schools are under pressure from insurance companies to keep animals off campus. I know dogs were banned from my kids private school and from my university. Unless it is a service animal, having an animal on campus is an offense. The student handbook lists violations and their definitions alphabetically: “animal,” “arson,” “assault.” On the other hand, when I had an onerous administrative jobs that kept me away from home for long hours, I brought in my dog. No one said anything besides, “she’s cute.”</p>
<p>You sure can keep a pet in your room and if the school doesn’t agree you can make $40,000!
<a href=“Grand Valley State University Settles Guinea Pig Lawsuit For $40,000 | HuffPost College”>HuffPost - Breaking News, U.S. and World News | HuffPost;
Yeah, unfortunately this is the sue happy world we live in.
I’ve always thought these rodents were bad enough to have as pets in houses but now dorm rooms?
I think if you need a rodent for emotional support in college, perhaps you shouldn’t be enrolled. I suppose she was going to have the rodent on her desk at work when she got a job too!!</p>
<p>One of the issues I see here is one of flexibility. The student who is allergic, is allergic. There’s no way around that. I think we can all agree that the blind student really needs that service dog, and it’s easy to understand how important the dog is to the blind student. </p>
<p>But the student who is calmed by a rabbit…would they also be calmed by listening to certain music? Getting a massage? Meditation? Hypnosis? A long hot shower? Talking to their therapist? It’s just difficult to understand how someone can have an illness that can only be satisfied by a particular animal living with them and no other reasonable alternatives exist. Add to that a certain number of people who will try to use the word “disability” simply to get things they want, or unscrupulous doctors who will sign off on things like this, and there’s just a lot of doubt that this animal is so necessary that it requires a waiver of the usual rules and requires other students to put their own health at risk and take otherwise unnecessary medical treatments. If the animal were a fish and therefore not impinging on other residents’ health and quality of life, I’d be entirely supportive of getting a waiver. And people do find fish calming.</p>
<p>We can’t keep students from enrolling in school because of the nature of a disability, even if public opinion doesn’t support a student’s accommodations. Pre-ADA, we didn’t have to accommodate a lot of things, and perfectly capable students failed. We may personally think something is stupid or “should” be another way, but it’s not. </p>
<p>Btw, for the kid who battles depression, the comfort animal certainly can’t be replaced with a massage. The psychiatrist has determined that patient needs something depending on him or her as a motivator to stay alive when the depressive episodes return, not just something to cuddle or pet. Kids come to college with serious issues. They still have the right to come. That’s the law. The parent of a kid with depression might look at the situation and think my son’s life vs. a little sneezing. All a matter of perspective.</p>
<p>I remember back in the day when hot plates weren’t allowed but everyone brought them anyway. How else could we make Ramen noodles and mac and cheese, back when there were no food courts and 24-hour-dining on campus?</p>
<p>No one is keeping anyone from enrolling in a school. It’s just a matter of whether they have the power to rewrite college housing rules to suit them. They are free to live off campus or, if the school chooses to do so, in specially designated animals-allowed housing. Just my opinion, but a kid whose life depends on Fluffy isn’t ready for sleep-away. What if Fluffy escapes? What is Fluffy’s life expectancy?</p>
<p>In the interest of full disclosure, nobody I know in real life has a comfort animal, but I do currently have student with a service dog. I know a few students who’ve smuggled in pets. And I myself received a gerbil from a bf while in college. Didn’t know what else to do with him, so I kept him–in my dorm room. Roommate, who is still my best friend, didn’t object. I don’t remember what eventually happened to the gerbil.</p>