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talked about the need to plan ahead in order to obtain their ESA supplies. While some
students' families helped with expenses, procurement of supplies, and transportation,
others were solely responsible for all expenses and figuring out logistics. One said,
Whenever I'm home I'll be like do I need anything and just . . . stock up just in case I [do]
run out of things. Like right now . . . I have a few cans of food left so I told my mom earlier
can you buy me some food so I'm going home this weekend to get some more supplies
just because I only have a bike and I don't want to . . . buy a bunch of groceries at Kroger
and bike up the hill back so I just wait till I go home. I might just get a bunch of stuff and I'll
bring it back.
Others talked about ordering pet food and supplies online and then carrying the box
from the package center to their residence hall. Several mentioned how the lack of a
car (or being a long distance from their assigned parking lot) made this difficult and
that they wished there was a place on campus where they could purchase cat food and
cat litter.
Barriers to respite care. Residence hall closures for school holidays such as winter
break created issues for participants who did not have a home to go to or were not able
to bring along their ESA. They also noted how difficult it was to get someone else to
watch their ESA due to residence hall security procedures. One person said, " So normally
I'd just ask somebody to . . . cat sit but I live in a residence hall and you can't get
into the building or my room without like my card. " Another agreed, saying,
If I go away for the weekend or if I have to leave for a certain period of time there's only
certain people who can tap into the residence halls . . . and I'm not allowed to give my ID
to anybody else.
ESA approval process. When prompted, participants described their experience
with getting approval to have an ESA on campus. Those who had all the necessary documentation-such
as proof of mental health diagnosis, letter from a therapist or health
professional recommending an ESA, and up-to-date vaccinations for their ESA-described
the approval process as being quick and easy. However, some described encountering
issues with getting letters from a therapist or health professional for the
initial approval and confusion about whether another letter would be required for reapproval.
One talked about how the campus student counseling center would not write
letters for students saying that they would benefit from having an ESA. Another said,
At this point since I moved away from home I haven't really found a therapist here yet
so next year when I need a letter from a therapist who am I gonna go to because
right now my [ESA] is my therapist.
Future death of ESA. One participant, whose ESA was a guinea pig, talked several
times about fears related to its eventual death. She had researched the average lifespan
of guinea pigs and knew that her ESA would probably die within the next year or so.
Volume 49, No. 2 * 2023 97

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