Should Pets (Even Pit Bulls) Go to College?
In the fall, a newly renovated dorm at Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, will offer what we might think of as mixed-species rooms. Students may bring their cat or dog to campus with the College’s blessing. As reported in The New York Times earlier this week, Stephens is just one of a burgeoning number of colleges to offer students a dwelling-with-your-pet option.
MIT, for instance, allows cats in certain dorm rooms. Because it requires students to prove that their cat has been spayed or neutered, MIT’s pet policy gets an A+ in this cat rescuer’s gradebook. (I’m less impressed with another institution’s breed-specific exclusions, in the dog realm. Folks, pit bulls are not inherently evil creatures; they don’t deserve being banned “on campus at any time.”)
These programs are innovative, given that most colleges prohibit student-pet cohabitation. At William & Mary, where I teach, next year’s housing contract includes this clause:
“To preserve the health and safety of the residents, only fish in bowls or aquariums (no larger than 20 gallons) and service animals are permissible in student rooms or student apartments. In addition, since the College of William and Mary presumes that non-human life has its own intrinsic value, it calls on its students to refrain from activities which might prove needlessly harmful or wantonly cruel to animals.”
Were I in the mood to nit-pick, I’d ask which behaviors might be “needfully harmful” or “cruel but not wantonly so” to animals. Still, it’s clear enough that this policy has students’ and animals’ best interests at heart. And, set against the decision by Stephens College, MIT, and others, it raises some questions.
Won’t some dogs bark so truly, madly and deeply as to create disruption? Couldn’t any furry animal put at risk those students—or, something no one seems to consider, members of the housekeeping staff—who have allergies? Do traits of being a good roommate now include high tolerance for the over-enthused canine or the eccentric feline?
A designated dorm takes care of most of these concerns. Further, the Stephens policy offers an initial 3-week trial period to student-pet pairs. If the arrangement works out, great; if not, “continued disruption can result in having to find another living arrangement for your pet (e.g. sending the pet home).”
Where in all of this, though, does the animal’s welfare come in? Generalizations are dangerous, but it’s safe enough to note that cats and dogs aren’t always novelty seekers, whereas many college students are mobile, frequently switching between campus and home for some weekends, holidays, and summer breaks. Could all these changes stress out pets too much?
A great deal depends on a pet’s temperament—and a student’s sense of responsibility. I’d wager that those students who wish to take care of their animals in between chemistry lab and history seminar would be highly attuned and responsive to the animal’s needs.
And from cherished experience I know that some animals do best when they stay close to their one special person. In the late 80s to the late 90s, my cat Mickey lived the peripatetic academic life with me, from grad school at the University of Oklahoma to a writing year at a Santa Fe think tank (punctuated by a visit home to New Jersey) and on to the settled professorial life here in Virginia. Where was Mickey happiest? Wherever I was (and the feeling was mutual).
At some colleges, a Pet Council made up of student and faculty representatives sets guidelines and oversees the animals’ welfare. Like the pet-designated dorm, that idea is superb and deserves to set the standard at pet-friendly colleges.
Should pets go to college? What’s your opinion?
Comments
I know students living in off campus housing do sometimes have pets. I have heard that some students get pets for the school year, and then abandon when they go home for the summer. I can't think of any policy that would prevent that, though.
Re the pit bull business: I have a rescue dog, a pit bull mix, who is the gentlest creature living. We tried to change our home owner's insurance for the house we own in ARIZONA and the company wouldn't take us because of the dog who lives in VA. Don't do business with that company anymore.
I'd recommend that students who want to have pets at college be REQUIRED to have a back-up plan for the pet if their circumstances change. Maybe schools could require parents to sign a form saying they would take the pet (or find another loving home for it) if having the pet on-campus didn't work out.
I still have the cat I adopted when I was in college. However, I waited to get him until just before graduation--when I had a much better idea of where I'd be living and what I'd be doing for the next several years. He's 13 years old now, and he's been with me for three moves and a marriage. College and pets can absolutely go together--but only when everyone has the animal's best long-term interests at heart.
And dogs and cats together... same story... after having a beloved cat killed by dogs recently. No real insight here, just acknowledging the complexities.
Interestingly, the gorillas at the Gorilla Fdn have always had their own "pet" dogs, but not pit bulls. One of them was pretty aggressive to new humans, but knew the gorillas well. Perhaps the scent just made me a stranger to the familiar old dog in the driveway.
Joanne, after the experiences you have had, I understand your questions. Like you, I have no answers. What might help to know is whether pit bulls and like breeds are KNOWN to be on average more aggressive, once training/background environment is held constant. Except of course, even this finding wouldn't help predict anything at all in individual cases (individual dogs).
That being said, I'm on the fence about students having pets in college dorm rooms. On the surface, it sounds great. However, college students aren't in a position to predict how stable their living conditions are going to be and while they may treat their pets lovingly and responsibly, they cannot guarantee roomates and visitors will do the same. What if the animals become the object of pranks by others on the hall?
Additionally, allergies are a very real concern and can make some people quite miserable. Are students going to be required to have the rooms professionally cleaned when they move out? Or are those rooms going to be dedicated for pet owners?
Anyway, lots to think about...