By: Alexandra Martin/Contributing Writer
As long as it doesn?t crawl, walk, or slither, FIU is as pet-friendly as can be. The rest of your pets need not apply ? for now.
For many students who grew up in pet-friendly homes, leaving a member of the family behind, such as a cat or a dog, may not be easy. This may explain why universities across the country are allowing students and their pets to live on campus.
Massachusetts Institute of Technology, California Institute of Technology, University of Illinois and University of California-Los Angeles are just a handful of the universities that have embraced their student?s furry friends on campus; but will FIU ever join them in their move towards pet-friendliness?
The University is not completely anti-pet. Students are allowed to keep a fish in the residence halls, as long as the fish tank is no larger than ten gallons.
But for many, fish can?t fill the void of leaving behind a family pet.
?I understand the sanitation and hygiene worries, but pets give a little compassion which some people need to adjust to a new environment, especially those coming from another school or town,? said Michael Swaede, a senior advertising major.
Researchers at Ohio State University found that pets can provide support and serve as a stress reliever to those students who live with them. They can even make students more responsible and productive.
Other students however, shared different concerns.
?As it is, many people are messy with their dorm rooms and if the dog does it?s necessity in the dorm, some people might not clean it right away, starting hygiene problems and even fights with roommates,? said Alexandra Floresmeyer, a sophmore advertising major and resident of the University Tower. ?Students are busy all day and would most likely be negligent towards the pet, which is not fair to the animal.?
Most schools, including other in-state schools like University of Florida and Florida State University, only allow fish as pets. However those universities that have more lenient pet policies allowing for all sorts of pets, only permit pets on designated floors and student must apply for approval.
Nikki Kogan, Resident Life coordinator for Bay Vista Housing has worked in residential life for a number of years in several institutions and has seen some students at other schools bring snakes and even tarantulas as pets.
?Not everyone has the same standards of cleanliness and we don?t have enough studios or rooms to satisfy everyone. There are also many people with allergies which could be set off by animals,? said Kogan.
According to Kogan, students normally abide by the University?s pet policies and Health and Safety inspections that are conducted three times a semester, which check for violations and functions to keep dorms free of unpermitted pets.
?We usually give them a 24-hour notice to remove the animal because we understand the attachment towards the pet but they are still documented for alleged violation of the code of student conduct. Whichever staff member confronted the situation would write an incident report,? said Kogan.
Despite the consequences of breaking the rules, there are always students who try their luck.
Marcus Silver, Resident Life Coordinator at Lakeview Village, has encountered a number of different pets while inspecting rooms throughout his time working at three different institutions.
?Everything from cats, dogs, ferrets, to seeing over 100 snakes in different cages while conducting safety inspections,? said Silver. ?The funny thing about the snakes is that the resident?s friend had his pet store go out of business and they needed to find a space for the snakes.? We found out that there were crickets coming from the room and this led us to the snakes.?
In spite of some unique scenarios, some college officials note that students with pets seem to be less stressed than students who live on campus without a pet.
?I think it should be the preference of the student to bring a pet on campus,? said Nicole Perez, a junior journalism major.? When you?re outside of the classroom you are free to do whatever you want so why not bring whichever kind of pet you have to school if it will make you happy.?
A major concern with having pets on campus is sanitation; pets may carry germs or small parasites that can spread and affect other pets and even students. Although, having a cute non-human friend on campus may ease tensions for students who are accustomed to having pets, the implications it may cause is a major factor in on the University?s pet policy.
?It would bring an interesting level of change for FIU and make people a little more compassionate, but it could also upset many people, especially those with allergies or animal phobias,? said Swaede.
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