Service And Emotional Support Animals

Students with access to a service dog, should register their animal with the Office Accommodation and Academic Resource and Services by filling out and submitting the Service Animal Registration Form. This will ensure that appropriate measures are taken for housing and classroom spaces in order to remove potential barriers that would impact the ability for the animal to perform their tasks or work. Additionally, this will allow our office to ensure that safety checks are conducted to avoid any potential health impacts (allergies, phobias, etc.) to community members.

Service animals entering laboratories must be protected against hazardous chemicals and broken glass, similar to students. Protective gear such as booties, a lab coat, or googles may be required. It is the owner’s responsibility to provide and train their service animal to wear the required protective gear and to navigate their ability to perform or tasks within the lab. The owner assumes all responsibility for safety of animal when entering the lab. If other accommodations, including priority seating or others need to be provided to support the service animal, AARS should be contacted.

If an animal is disruptive to the learning environment or college events, directly aggressive or threatening, or not under the control of the handler at all times, then access by the animal may be prohibited. Owners are to abide by the guidelines and policies noted in the ESA Agreement form and the Service Animal Registration form. Owners will assume financial responsibility and liability for any physical harm done to a person or any property damages that occur as result of their animal.

Support animals are approved as housing accommodation only, in adherence with the federal Fair Housing Act and the California Fair Employment and Housing Act. As such, ESAs are to be utilized and limited to a student’s housing area and cannot be in classrooms, dining halls, library, and other public or communal spaces. Guidelines for ESAs can be found within our ESA Agreement Form that students must agree and adhere to prior to bringing their ESA.

Since ESAs serve as one coping strategy and only a single part of a more extensive medical treatment plan, ESAs must be renewed each academic year with updated documentation citing the ongoing need for the animal. In order to apply and renew an ESA, students must submit a Housing Request Form, provide information related to their need for an ESA, and submit medical documentation that follows the documentation guidelines for housing accommodations listed in the request form. Students must also provide updated vaccination documents for the animal every year with their application. Once approved, students will be asked to sign the ESA Agreement Form, submit a photo of their ESA, and wait for Residential Life safety checks to ensure the animal does not pose a health or safety risk to others. Once this occurs, then a student can proceed with bringing their ESA to campus.

If an animal is disruptive to the learning environment or college events, directly aggressive or threatening, or not under the control of the handler at all times, then access by the animal may be prohibited. Owners are to abide by the guidelines and policies noted in the ESA Agreement form and the Service Animal Registration form. Owners will assume financial responsibility and liability for any physical harm done to a person or any property damages that occur as result of their animal.