I just read this story (below) that Stephens College is now allowing pets in
the dorms. Part of the restriction is that the pet must be in a crate any time
the student is out of the dorm.
I think this is a *horrible* idea. And I daresay every college student isn't a
responsible pet owner. I'd bet there are many that if MOM isn't there, the pet
may not even get cared for. It's especially bad for the cats. Cats are much
more attached, usually, to their *places* than their people. For a middle-aged
cat to be hauled off and suddenly faced with dormitory activity, and spending
much of the day/weekend in a crate, is horrible.
Just a vent and opinion. The part that makes me so crazy is the crate part.

Sherry

College Experiments by Opening Dorm to Pets
By SCOTT CHARTON, AP

COLUMBIA, Mo. (Sept. 3) - Since coming to Stephens College, Abbey Road is
making friends with her energetic personality, intense eyes and uninhibited
kisses - especially when the little dog is thrown a slobber-slick tennis ball.

The Jack Russell terrier moved in last week with owner Alexandra Geisler at the
college's Prunty Hall, where the first floor debuted as a pet-friendly zone for
dogs, cats and rabbits.

"It means everything to me. I am so much happier when Abbey is around," says
Geisler, a 20-year-old sophomore from Long Island, N.Y.

While Stephens is not the first to allow pets, most colleges and universities
only permit fish or small reptiles, with legally required exceptions for
service animals.

Reasons for excluding the pets include noise, smell, allergies and concerns
about bites and scratches. And there's a potential for neglect when the appeal
of a cute pet is overtaken by the hectic pace of student life.

Animal shelters in college towns frequently take in more abandoned pets when
school is out. At Stanford University, a rescue society unaffiliated with the
school has been established for stray cats around campus, many of them
abandoned.

But Stephens, a women's college founded in 1833, didn't jump into its
pet-friendly experiment haphazardly, said Wendy Libby, who became president
last year.

"There were lots of discussions, but students asked for this - so after the
knee-jerk reaction that we cannot do it, we started talking about practical
ways we could allow some pets," Libby said.

Dogs must be 40 pounds or less. All pets must be kept in crates or cages when
the student is out of the room. A fenced dog run has been built outside Prunty.
And the program will be evaluated constantly, including whether pet noise is
below an acceptable level.

They're starting small. Five students are sharing space with pets in the new
semester - two dogs, two cats and two rabbits. Stephens also is working with a
local animal shelter to link select students with homeless pets.

"My mom was like, 'Are you sure you want to do this?' But it is very well
thought out and I'm going to work to make it a success," said Bethany Dean, 19,
a junior from Dallas who adopted a female Himalayan cat named Fluffy.

The cat tilted its head in curiosity, then went back to snuggling her owner as
Danielle Gibbs, 19, a sophomore from Overland Park, Kan., walked by with her
two rabbits, Fleur and Elphie.

"I'm excited to have the rabbits here. I am one of those people, when I'm
upset, I tend to hold it back and hold it in, but I can just hold my rabbits
and it calms me down," Gibbs said.

The Delta Society, a nonprofit group that promotes welcoming pets to
workplaces, says ample research backs up the notion that pets have a soothing
presence. Studies have shown visits by gentle dogs and cats to nursing homes
reduce loneliness and can even lower blood pressure, said Michelle Cobey, the
group's resource coordinator.

Libby said there's no doubt college life can be stressful.

"We acknowledge that, and we are a student-centered institution, and if this
helps our Stephens students feel more at home and helps them excel, the program
may be expanded."

The Chronicle of Higher Education reported that while there is no central
database of pet policies on campuses, most schools bar any pets - as do many
off-campus landlords.

But at the State University of New York at Canton, the "Pet Wing" of Mohawk
Hall has welcomed animals since 1996. It has two dozen pet-friendly rooms for a
maximum of 48 pets, and "has been a huge success," said school spokesman
Richard Fujita. If owners are around, pets are permitted to roam freely in the
wing. Many of the residents are veterinary students, and the chance to bring
along their pets has lured them to the school, Fujita said.

On other campuses, the rules are strict. At Case Western Reserve University in
Cleveland, birds, gerbils, hamsters and nonpoisonous snakes are the only pets
allowed in dorms.

Lisa Marsalek, Case Western's associate housing director, said a rabbit was
once evicted.

"It was wandering everywhere," she said, "and you can't have that - you know
how you can suddenly have a lot of rabbits."

09/03/04 02:40 EDT

Copyright 2004 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news
report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed
without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active
hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.