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Service Animals

Westminster University complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and allows service animals to accompany their handlers in any buildings or public spaces where the handler is permitted to be. The ADA defines service animals as “dogs that are individually trained to do work or perform tasks for people with disabilities” regardless of whether it has been licensed or certified by a state or local government or a training program.

Other animals, including emotional support animals, are not permitted to be on campus without express permission.

READ THE SERVICE ANIMAL POLICY

Service Animals in Labs

Students with service animals, as defined by the ADA, in a lab environment should contact Student Disability Services for assistance. You should also work with faculty and staff overseeing lab sessions to develop a plan to guarantee the safety of all individuals, including your service animal.

Laboratory Accommodations for Service Animals

Students with service animals in a lab environment or classroom must work with their instructor to:

  • Outfit service animals with proper Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) such as boots, goggles, lab coat, etc.
  • Work with your instructor to develop in-class procedures
  • Ensure easy access to an exit and the eyewash/emergency shower
  • Find an appropriate lab partner who is willing to help with steps that may be difficult or impossible for a student with a service animal
  • Choose an appropriate lab bench position for the service animal team

Training a Service Animal for the Lab Environment

Service animals in any lab environment or classroom must be:

  • Willing to wear boots, goggles, and other PPE as required
  • Trained to lie on a mat with rubber backing for extended periods of time
  • Trained to NOT automatically retrieve items off the ground
  • Conditioned for emergency situations
  • Willing to stand under an emergency shower
  • Trained to locate an exit

If you have questions regarding services animals in laboratory courses, call 801.832.2272 or email disabilityservices@westminsteru.edu.

Emotional Support Animals for Residential Students

Westminster's residence halls have a "no pets" policy. The nature of communal living requires the university to consider the comfort and concerns of all students in residence. However, Westminster University recognizes that living on campus and being in school can be stressful. In accordance with federal law (Fair Housing Amendments Act), the university will consider requests for accommodations to the housing policy to allow students experiencing significant mental health problems to keep an emotional support animal (ESA) with them in-residence.

ESAs are not permitted on campus until an accommodation request has been made and enacted; students found with unauthorized animals in a residence hall will be subject to sanctions under the Student Code of Conduct.

To request permission to bring an ESA to campus:

  1. Review and sign the ESA Policy and Procedures.
  2. Have your health care professional submit the ESA documentation form. Documentation of your significant mental health problem and the associated need for an ESA should come from a qualified health care provider who knows and understands your difficulties and can explain how the presence of the animal may help alleviate your symptomology. ESA letters generated by website services rarely provide the information necessary to support your request for accommodation and are not viewed by the institution as a reliable source of information.
  3. Submit the ESA agreement form.

The university may approve your request to have an ESA, but not approve the specific animal you were hoping to bring. For example, most reptiles and rodents may be rejected because of safety and health concerns, as they can carry zoonotic diseases which pose a threat to the general welfare of residents in a communal living environment.

Guidelines for Approved ESAs

  • ESAs are restricted to the student’s immediate living space. They are not allowed in common areas throughout the residence hall. Moreover, the ESA must be contained (caged or crated) any time the student is not in the room.
  • The ESA may not be left in the care of other residents. If the student leaves campus overnight, the ESA must be taken with them or left with a person or facility off-campus.
  • Students bringing ESAs to campus are fully responsible for the animal’s behavior and any property damage caused by the animal. The university may require the individual to remove the animal from university housing if:
    • The animal poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others or causes substantial property damage.
    • The animal's presence results in a fundamental alteration of the university program.
    • The owner does not comply with their responsibilities outlined in the ESA Policy and Procedures.
    • The animal or its presence creates an unmanageable disturbance or interference with the university community.