Animals on Campus

Catawba College recognizes the benefit of human and animal interaction and seeks to promote such interactions within the bounds of public health and College policy. As such, animals are welcomed to campus under the following circumstances: as participants in College sponsored events, as participants in educational programming, and as assistance animals to students and employees with disabilities.

No animals may be in the residence halls except for those designated as assistance animals for students. These animals must be registered with and approved by the Committee for Animals on Campus. The only ‘pets’ that are allowed to live in the residence halls are common aquarium fish. Violation of this housing policy may result in a $75.00 fine, and the pet must be removed from campus within 24 hours.

Under no circumstances may an animal be used or be subjected to verbal or physical mistreatment or abuse for the purpose of pranks or ceremonies in connection with any individual, group, or College activity. Any club or group event, academic and/or social, that wishes to include animals must be registered with the Committee for Animals on Campus and have prior approval. Animals used in research must receive prior authorization from the Catawba College Institutional Review Board.


Violation of College policy may result in student misconduct charges or applicable faculty/staff adjudication processes. The owner of any animal on Catawba College property is solely responsible and liable for any damages or injuries to persons(s) or property.

All waste from guest animals is the responsibility of the owner and must be disposed of in pet waste bags or appropriate sanitary procedures. See the Office of Student Affairs for more details of proper disposal of animal waste.

Committee for Animals on Campus: Director of Student Academic Success, Director of Counseling and Wellness Services, and the Director of Residential Life.

Service & Emotional Support Animal Policy Policy Statement
It is the policy of Catawba College to comply with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act as amended by the ADA Amendments Act of 2008 (ADA), the Fair Housing Act, and other applicable federal and state regulations that prohibit discrimination on the basis of disability. Catawba College is aware of its responsibility to provide safe, healthy housing to all students living in College Residence Halls and is committed to providing equal access to College Housing to all students with qualifying disabilities. In keeping with this obligation, it is the policy of Catawba College that emotional support and service animals are permitted in all housing facilities in accordance with College procedures and policies.
This policy includes the procedures for requesting an emotional support animal or service animal and the responsibilities of students who have emotional support animals in College Residence Halls.

Policy Enactment – November 1, 2018
This policy supersedes all previous policies, practices, rules, and regulations related to Emotional Support Animals and Service Animals at Catawba College. All students will be subject to this policy at the above effective date.

Definitions
Service Animals. Service Animals are defined as dogs or miniature horses that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. These tasks can include things like pulling a wheelchair, guiding a person who is visually impaired, or alerting a person who is having a seizure. The tasks a service dog or miniature horse can perform are not limited to this list. However, the work or task a service dog or miniature does must be directly related to the person's disability. Service dogs and miniature horses may accompany persons with disabilities into places that the public normally goes. Service dogs and miniature horses do not fall under the Emotional Support Animal or Animals on Campus policy. To register your service animal, you must complete the Service Animal Registration Form and submit all required documentation for approval by the Office of Academic Accessibility.

Emotional Support Animal (ESA). An animal providing emotional or other support to ameliorate one or more identified symptoms or effects of a disability. Emotional Support Animals are not required to be trained to perform work or tasks and can be species other than dogs or miniature horses. ESAs may not be brought into residential communities without prior approval from The Office of Academic Accessibility. Each request will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis as outlined in this policy, considering the individual request and the rules of the College Community.

Approved ESA. Approved Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is an animal that has been permitted in designated areas of residential communities as a reasonable accommodation under this policy.

Pet. A pet is an animal kept for ordinary use and companionship. A pet is not considered an
Emotional Support Animal or a Service Animal. Individuals are not permitted to keep or bring pets on College property or in College housing without prior approval under the Animals on Campus Policy. For more information on the Animals on Campus Policy, please refer to the Student Resource Guide on page 35. The only pets permitted on campus are defined in the Pet Policy in this Student Resource Guide.

ESA Owner. The owner is the resident student who has an approved Emotional Support Animal (ESA) in College housing under this policy.

Service Animal Owner. The owner is a student who has an approved Service Animal under this policy. The student can be either a resident student or a commuter student.

College Housing. Any facility owned or operated by the College for the purpose of housing residential students, whether leased or owned by the College and regardless of location.
Instructions for Requesting an Emotional Support Animal:

  1. Request for Emotional Support Animal Documentation Form. Students requesting an Emotional Support Animal should complete the Request for Emotional Support Animal Documentation Form found on the Academic Accessibility or Housing and Residence Life Website or by visiting the Office of Academic Accessibility. All students planning on requesting an Emotional Support Animal should review all policies including the Rules and Responsibilities of an ESA owner.
  2. Request for Housing Accommodation Form. Students requesting an ESA in College Housing must also complete and submit to the Director of Academic Support Services the Request for Housing Accommodation Form.
  3. ESA Health Documentation. Students requesting an ESA in College Housing must provide to the Office of Academic Accessibility documentation from a professional veterinarian that the ESA is current on all applicable vaccinations, including rabies, and is in good health along with the Request Forms. All ESAs must have an annual well care visit with a licensed veterinarian. They must have had a general maintenance vaccination series appropriate to the species. All vaccinations must be current, and applicable animals must wear a current rabies vaccination tag. ESA owners must provide satisfactory documentation of this on-going compliance for an ESA.
  4. Request for Medical Documentation. Students requesting an ESA in College Housing must provide to the Office of Academic Accessibility documentation from a physician, psychiatrist, social worker, mental health professional, or other reliable third-party who has made a professional determination that having an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) in the residence hall will be helpful in alleviating one or more of the identified symptoms or effects of the student’s disability. The completed Request for Medical Documentation is the only acceptable form of documentation from a third-party medical provider and must be completed in its entirety.
  5. Decision on ESA Request. The following outcomes will be provided to the requesting student by the Office of Academic Accessibility:

Approval. Once the Office of Academic Accessibility receives the required documentation, it will issue a decision regarding the requested ESA. The student requesting the ESA will be notified if the ESA is approved or if the Office of Accessibility needs additional information regarding the request.

If approved, the following steps are required before the ESA is permitted in College Housing:

  1. The ESA Owner signs the document agreeing to Catawba College’s Rules and Responsibilities for an ESA owner.
  2. Pays a $200.00 refundable ESA damage deposit payable to Catawba College.
  3. Prior to the start of the academic semester and before the ESA is permitted in College Housing, the ESA owner is responsible for all roommates/suitemates of the signing an ESA Roommate/Suitemate Consent Form allowing the ESA animal to be in the residence with them. If a roommate/suitemate does not consent to the ESA, either the ESA owner and animal or the non- approving roommate(s) may be moved to a more suitable location by the Office of Housing and Residence Life.

Denials of Requests for Emotional Support Animals. The College is not required to provide accommodations that would pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others. Thus, if a particular animal requested by a student with a disability has a history of dangerous behavior or an unsafe disposition, the College will deny the request for an emotional support animal. The College will also deny requests that would: (1) result in substantial physical damage to the property of others unless the threat can be eliminated or significantly reduced by a reasonable accommodation; (2) pose an undue financial and administrative burden on the College; or (3) fundamentally alter the nature of the College’s Student Life operations. If your request for an emotional support animal is denied, please contact Academic Accessibility for further clarification of its decision.

Conflicting Health Conditions and Aversions
Students with a medical condition or aversion who are affected by animals (e.g. allergies, asthma, respiratory conditions, zoophobia, etc.) because of living in close proximity to Emotional Support Animals should contact the Office of Academic Accessibility or the Office of Housing and Residence Life. Academic Accessibility will work with Student Affairs to reasonably accommodate residents with disabilities who need accommodation when living in close proximity to Emotional Support Animals as may be required by applicable law.

Rules and Responsibilities of ESA Owner
Office of Academic Accessibility

Once the Office of Academic Accessibility has approved the ESA, the ESA Owner must abide by the following rules and responsibilities. Failure to abide by the ESA rules and responsibilities may lead to sanctions including removal of the ESA from College-operated Housing and campus and loss of ESA deposit.

  1. The ESA Owner must complete and submit to the Office of Academic Accessibility the Request for Emotional Support Animal Documentation Form and the Request for Housing Accommodation Form, as well as the required ESA Health Documentation before bringing the requested ESA to campus. If the ESA owner has roommates/suitemates, all Roommate/Suitemate Consent Forms must be signed before bringing the requested ESA to campus.
  2. The ESA Owner agrees to abide by all other residential policies. An exception to the animal policy made under this ESA Policy does not constitute an exception to any other College policy.
  3. All ESAs will be provided with a College Identification that the ESA owner must pick up from the Office of Student Affairs after receiving approval for the ESA from the Office of Academic Accessibility. The ESA owner or the ESA should have the identification on them at all times.
  4. The ESA will remain in the ESA Owner’s College assigned room and is not permitted in other student’s rooms or the common areas of the residential facilities, and other areas of the College such as classrooms, academic buildings, administrative buildings, libraries, dining services areas, fitness center, pool etc.
  5. ESAs brought on campus must be under the control of the ESA owner at all times. The ESA Owner must be in full control of the animal at all times (i.e. leash, harness, crate). The ESA owner is solely responsible for the animal’s well-being, care and cleaning, including but not limited to regular feeding, bathing, grooming, daily care and veterinary services.
  6. The owner must comply with all applicable laws regarding the keeping of an animal and is responsible for making sure the ESA does not disrupt the residential community.
  7. Dangerous, poisonous, oversized animals, animals categorized as zoonotic, or otherwise illegal animals are not permitted and are not considered a reasonable accommodation in a community living environment.
  8. ESA owners are responsible for feeding and watering their ESA animal within the confines of their personal room or apartment. Bowls of food and water should be placed on mats so that water and food do not get on the floor. ESA animals are responsible for immediately cleaning any spilled water or food off the floor of their room.
  9. ESA animal food should be kept in a closed container within the confines of the ESA owner’s room. Open bags of food attract insects and other vermin and are not permissible.
  10. The ESA may not be left unattended overnight in the residential facilities to be cared for by another student. ESAs must be taken with the owner if they leave campus for a prolonged period.
  11. When ESAs are left unattended in a student’s room, they are required to be stored in a crate, carrier or kennel. This containment will allow Catawba College officials to routinely access to the residential facilities for maintenance and other routine tasks without posing risk to the animal or employees.
  12. The student is solely responsible for evacuating the ESA in the event of an emergency. College officials are not responsible for removing or evacuating an ESA in the event of an emergency.
  13. Dogs as ESAs must be “house broken” and cats as ESAs must be litter box trained. Other smaller animals (i.e. gerbils, rabbits, guinea pigs etc.) must be caged and may not be left loose in the student’s room.
  14. ESAs must be taken out of the building by way of the shortest and most direct path, and must be maintained under standard restraints such as a carrier and/or collar when outdoors, in public areas, or in transit and must be confined to the residence when not in transit.
  15. Fecal matter deposited on College grounds or within the facilities need to be removed immediately and disposed of properly. The owner is to arrange for immediate removal of fecal matter if unable to perform the task personally.
  16. The ESA owner’s residence may be inspected for fleas, ticks, pests, and/or damage to the residential facilities once a semester or as needed. The Office of Student Affairs will schedule the inspection and notify the resident in advance of the scheduled inspection. If fleas, ticks, or other pests are detected through inspection, the residence hall will be treated using approved fumigation methods by a College-approved pest control service. The ESA owner will be billed for the expense of any necessary pest control treatment.
  17. ESA animals should be kept clean and free from odor; however, ESA owner’s may not use hall or apartment showers, sinks, or baths to clean their ESA animal. The ESA owner may contact local groomers to determine what services are available.
  18. The College may remove or require the removal of the ESA that poses a threat to the health or safety to others on campus, disrupts the educational environment of the College and/or residential community, or if the owner does not comply with the ESA Owner’s rules and responsibilities for Emotional Support Animals. It is the responsibility of the ESA Owner to ensure the ESA does not interfere with the quality of life of other residents on campus. This includes noise violations (e.g. barking or other disruptive noise).
  19. The ESA owner will be required to pay a refundable $200.00 deposit and will be financially responsible for expenses incurred above a standard cleaning or for repairs to the residential premises, including losses, liability, claims, and harm to others caused by the ESA.
  20. The owner will hold the College blameless in the event the ESA goes missing. College staff is not responsible for the retrieval of the ESA in the event the animal escapes or becomes lost.
  21. The owner must notify Office of Academic Accessibility in writing if the ESA is no longer needed as an ESA, or is no longer in the residential facilities. To replace a previously approved ESA, the owner must complete any registration and other related forms to the Office of Academic Accessibility.

Agreement between the Student and Catawba College
The owner of an ESA may be asked to remove the ESA from College facilities if the owner or ESA fails to comply with the Rules and Responsibilities in this Policy and other College Policies.