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Emotional Support Animals at College
Under the Fair Housing Act (U.S. Department of Justice, 2021), college students
who have disabilities and documentation from a health or mental health provider stating
that they would benefit from having an emotional support animal may request
permission to have their ESA live with them on campus. Only those with documented
disability diagnoses, based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders
(DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) or the International Statistical Classification
of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD-10; World Health Organization,
2004) are eligible to have ESAs. Once an application has been submitted, higher education
institutions must then assess the request and may take into account factors
such as animal size and whether it is housebroken, has up-to-date vaccinations, displays
aggressive behavior, and might cause damage (U.S. Department of Justice, 2015).
Students whose request is approved by the university are allowed to have their ESA on
campus, provided they follow university rules and regulations related to such things as
waste removal, noise, and supervision.
Through extensive research, only two empirical studies were found pertaining to
ESAs and college students (Goodman-Wilson & Highfill, 2021; Kogan et al., 2016).
One study (Kogan et al., 2016) surveyed university counseling center directors about
how often they received requests for letters documenting students' need for an ESA,
whether their center had a policy about writing these types of letters, and how often
they write these letters. About a third of university counseling center counselors get
requests for these letters of support at least yearly, though most centers do not have a
written policy (Kogan et al., 2016). The second study explored the perceived benefits of
emotional support animals for college students (Goodman-Wilson & Highfill, 2021).
In a survey of 45 faculty and 228 college students (49 of whom lived with an ESA),
participants thought ESAs helped promote daily routines, provide a sense of purpose,
increase social interactions with others, decrease anxiety, and serve as an important
source of emotional support.
The current study builds on the Goodman-Wilson and Highfill (2021) study by
collecting both qualitative and quantitative data regarding the perceived benefits and
challenges of having an emotional support animal in campus housing. This research
identifies both the benefits and barriers-from the perspectives of ESA owners and
roommates-of having ESAs on campus.
Several respondents reported that their
ESA promoted taking care of both the animal
and themselves, which resulted in hygienic,
emotional, and academic benefits.
90 The Journal of College and University Student Housing

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