Crossing with dogs, cats and other animals is part of the life of the campus for students of the Eckerd College, a school of liberal arts in Florida which allows pets to live in dormitories.
Sophie Nocera, an elderly person from Eckerd, said that he probably knew the names of pets better than her comrades.
“This is the case for many students,” said Nocera, who lives on the Saint Petersburg campus with its border Collie, Zuko. “When I walk my dog, I often hear:” Oh my God, Hi, Zuko! “It’s like I wasn’t even there.”
Certain colleges and universities of the country welcome pets from the residences of the campus, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology at the Stephens College of Missouri.
For students, the company can help reduce stress, anxiety and the country’s disease. Colleges also see the advantages of students’ commitment and help them establish links between them.
Federal law requires that public and private colleges authorize assistance animals and emotional support animals in students’ accommodation. But an increasing number of schools allow pets, with various restrictions.
The MIT only authorizes cats, in limited number and in pre-approved spaces. At Eckerd, students can bring their pets to live with them on campus after their first semester. The college requires that pets being part of the life at the house of students at least six months before coming to the campus and must not be poisonous or aggressive.
At the University of Northern Colorado, students of three of the more than a dozen residences on the campus are authorized to have dogs and cats. Animals must have at least 6 months and no more than 40 pounds (18 kilograms). Students are limited to a pet. This fall, the school will have the most recorded pets on campus since it started to allow them more than ten years ago, said Jediah Cummins, executive director of housing.
“One of the markers of adulthood is:” Can I not only take care of myself, but can I take care of another living being? ” This is an important part of this, “said Cummins.
Molly Cheer, an adult in senior nursing, said that she had chosen northern colorado because of her policy adapted to pets. When she is stressed by the school, she said, it helps to go home to Louie, the cat she adopted during her first year.
“Whenever I feel stressed or outdated, I pick it up and cable, and it treats it as long as I need,” she said.
Eckerd has dormitors adapted to animals since 1973. Jack Layden, assistant dean of residential life and the commitment of students, said that the college had welcomed hundreds of animals, including rabbits, ferrets, chinchillas, birds, cobines, bearded dragons, geckos, turtles, snakes A Tarantula.
Nocera said Zuko helped her meet other people on campus, as well as emotionally, when she had trouble with the decision to change her major.
“I remember returning to my dormitory and having melted on the ground, and Zuko was right there. And I remember thinking, whatever happens tomorrow, I’m going to wake up, and I’m going to take it to the dog park. And, we are going to play in search of the life of Pet Life, a major department on campus with PET policy.
In Washington & Jefferson College in Pennsylvania, Eva Chatterjee-Sutton saw the difference that a pet can do when a first-year student had trouble establishing links before his mother suggests a puppy. After the dog arrives, the student got more involved in the life of the campus, said Chatterjee-Sutton, vice-president of student life.
“I think that has absolutely changed its university trajectory and its connection with the others on campus,” said Chatterjee-Sutton.
Dormers adapted to pets require colleges to consider things as safety problems, noise complaints, how to avoid agitated animals during fire alarm tests, as well as additional costs for cleaning, said Layden. Some schools charge PET fees, which vary depending on the school, the type of PET and are often included in housing expenses. For example, at Stephens College, the annual costs for a dog or a cat are $ 220, for a cage or aquarium pet is $ 50 and free for fish. Others require students to have civil liability insurance agreements and roommates. Animals must be retained in public, and most colleges require students to ensure that their pets are healthy and vaccinated.
Eckerd and other colleges recognize the role of pets in the life of their students during graduation ceremonies, allowing them to cross the start phase in certain cases.
“Having pets is obviously not for everyone, and it’s completely ok,” said Nocera. “But for people for whom it’s a good choice, it’s worth it.
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