Residence Hall Accommodations

Students with disabilities seeking reasonable accommodations within campus housing can initiate the process by completing a New Student Application located in the Accommodations Portal or by contacting the Disability and Accessibility Resource Center (DARC).  All requests for housing accommodations are considered on an individualized case-by-case basis and reviewed within an interactive process that is student-centered.  Housing accommodations are determined based on an individual student's needs for equal access; not perceived additional benefit. 

All students who request reasonable accommodation (including assistance animals) in housing due to a medical, psychological, or disability must submit documentation to DARC. Please do not submit documentation to Housing and Residential Life regarding a student’s medical, psychological, or disability-related condition.

Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals

Students who wish to have a service animal or emotional support animal on campus are asked to notify DARC prior to bringing the animal. Animals may not pose a direct threat to the health or safety of others nor disrupt the university community.

A service animal is any dog or miniature horse that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability.  the work or tasks performed by the animal must be directly related to the person's disability. 

An emotional support animal is any animal that provides emotional support thus alleviating one or more identified symptoms or effects of a persons disability, is determined necessary because of the individual's disability to afford the individual an equal opportunity to use and enjoy university housing, and it's presence in university housing is reasonable. Emotional support animals are generally animals commonly kept in households for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes.

Students seeking to have their emotional support animal reside with them in campus housing as a reasonable accommodation must follow the accommodation request process outlined above. Students requesting an emotional support animal will be asked to provide documentation of their disability which supports the need for the animal. Documentation must verify:

• the person has a disability;
• the animal is necessary, because of the disability, to afford the person with an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the dwelling; and
• there is an identifiable relationship or nexus between the disability and the assistance the specific animal provides, such that the animal alleviates symptoms of the disability.
• an existing and continuing diagnostic and therapeutic relation with the authoring clinician/provider.
• the emotional support animal has been prescribed by an appropriate and reliable clinician/provider who has evaluated and determined the animals existence will mitigate symptoms and functional limitations associated with the student's disability.
• how the clinician/provider evaluated and reached this determination.

Students are encouraged to make requests as early as possible and the contact DARC with any questions.

Generally, documentation acquired from websites or healthcare professionals who have had no contact with the student except for limited encounters specifically intended to produce an emotional support animal letter or who review emotional profiles and create template emotional support animal letters for public housing and air carriers are not considered reliable.