This coming fall semester students may notice a slight change in the community on campus. Aside from the typical population spike due to incoming freshmen, Blackburn College is also anticipating an increase in the animal population on campus as well. Thus, a new policy will be put into place called “Animals On Campus”.
Blackburn Director of Counseling services Tim Morenz explained that the new policy is going to help keep Blackburn up-to-date “especially when it comes to compliance with the ADA, the Americans with Disabilities Act.” With a policy in place, students with various disabilities and special needs will be provided the opportunity to have service animals or emotional support animals on campus.
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 defines a service animal as a dog that has been specially trained to assist a disabled individual in performing everyday tasks. Morenz stated that “with a service animal, there is a certification or license that goes with that.” The certification is to confirm that an animal has undergone the proper training to be legally considered a service animal. In accordance with the ADA, disabled individuals can be accompanied by service animals anywhere on campus including residence halls, classrooms and other campus facilities.
While service animals typically involve specially trained dogs, emotional support animals cover a wider range of animals. Support animals are defined as any animals that help alleviate specific emotional or psychological symptoms from which an individual may suffer such as anxiety and depression. Additionally, the ADA does not require any training or certification for emotional support animals and Morenz added that an “emotional support animal would be restricted to the residence hall.”
The Student Life Office is currently accepting applications for service and emotional support animals. Students must also submit supporting documents from a healthcare provider that confirm a student’s need for an emotional support animal. Like students, animals are required to be properly vaccinated and to adhere to a standard of appropriate conduct. Students with animals will be required to ensure proper care of their animals and to clean up after them. Morenz also stated that Blackburn will “notify the community where the animal will be housed” as a precautionary measure for any students who may be allergic or afraid of a particular animal. Morenz reported that overall “we want to make sure that we have policies that help meet the needs of a very diverse student base.”
Sophomore biology major Haley Cash is in favor of the new animal policy. “I think it’s a good thing,” she stated. She also reported that she has a loved one who suffers from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder who “has a service dog and it helps her out a lot … you might think it’s not really that big of a deal, but it really does help people.”