Students may qualify for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) as an accommodation if

1. The student has a documented disability,
2. The animal is necessary to afford the student with a disability an ability to fully participate in the campus housing, and
3. There is a direct, identifiable, and documented nexus between the mental health impairment and the assistance provided by the ESA that mitigates one or more life activities.

Medical Providers must be certified/accredited in one of the following categories: MD, Ph.D., Psy.D., LPC and LCSW. Prescribing an ESA must fall within the provider’s scope of practice. The medical documentation must be signed by a practitioner who has an established and ongoing professional relationship with the student and cannot be the student’s family member. Students may apply for a Service or Emotional Support Animal accommodation through Disability Services.

Emotional Support Animals, as defined under the FHA, are only allowed in residence halls and are not allowed in academic settings (e.g., classrooms) or in other areas or buildings on campus. Request for an ESA may be approved but not the specific animal you request to bring on campus (i.e., some breeds of dogs). Under guidance from Housing and Urban Development (HUD), most reptiles, rodents, barnyard animals, monkeys and other non-domesticated animals are not considered common household animals. These types of animals may be rejected because of health and safety concerns, as they can carry zoonotic diseases which pose a threat to the general welfare of residents in the communal living environment. Before an ESA can be allowed on campus, the student must receive an approval accommodation notification from Disability Services.

Timeline and Application Deadlines

Students seeking to have an ESA in residential housing must submit a request for review each academic year. Completed requests must be received by the following deadlines to ensure that requests can be processed and approved requests can be arranged for the start of the semester:

February 28
Continuing students should submit requests by the deadline for housing accommodations for the upcoming academic year.

June 1
First Year and transfer students should submit requests by June 1st for the upcoming academic year

November 15
Students returning from study abroad/away, students returning from a break from the college, new transfer students or new admits should submit requests by November 1 for the Spring Semester.

Disability Services will consider off-cycle requests on a case-by-case basis, but we cannot guarantee a determination will be reached for requests made after the applicable deadline.

Process

1. Submit a Disability Services Request Form
2. Schedule an appointment with Disability Services to discuss process, forms, necessary documentation for applicant to understand policies and procedures.
   • To schedule an appointment, click here.
3. Complete required forms:
   • Registration Form
   • Animal Information Form
     • Includes:
       • Vaccination information
       • Local emergency contact
         •  “Local” is defined as living within a 60-mile radius, or about 1 hour, from Centenary’s campus
   • Medical Form and/or documentation from medical provider
   • Roommate/Suitemate Agreement Forms
     • One from each applicable individual
4. Documentation Requirements
   
   a. All requests and completed forms must be submitted to Disability Services before the semester the student plans to attend.
   
   b. All required documentation must be received byDisability Services before any request is reviewed.
5. Meeting with Residence Life staff to discuss the responsibilities and obligations of living on campus with an animal.

Approved Accommodation Notification

Once all required documentation is received by Disability Services, the student must submit a photo of the student (owner) and the animal for emergency identification purposes. The student must receive an official approval notice from Disability Services before bringing the approved animal on campus. If an unapproved animal is on campus, Disability Services will not process an ESA request until the animal is removed.
Once the above documentation is received, the student (owner) and the following entities (listed below) will receive an approved accommodation notification from Disability Services:

• Residence Life
• Department of Public Safety (DPS)
• Facilities Services

Student (owner) Responsibilities

Emotional support animals must be contained within the approved student’s privately assigned residential area (room, suite, apartment) at all times, except when transported outside the private residential area in an animal carrier or controlled by leash or harness to leave campus or relieve themselves outside. Always carry equipment sufficient to clean up the animal’s feces whenever the animal is brought outside to “go to the bathroom”.

Any emotional support animal left in residential facility while the student (owner) is temporarily away (classes, work, etc.), must be housed in a crate. The student (owner) of the animal always retains responsibility for the animal.

ESAs must not be left overnight in Residential Halls nor cared for by another student, faculty or staff member. Animals must leave campus if the student (owner) leaves campus for a prolonged period, including overnight.

Assuring that the approved animal does not unduly interfere with the routine activities of the College or cause difficulties for other members of the College community. The student (owner) and approved animal are both responsible for abiding by all applicable residential policies, including room inspections.
Student (owner) must provide for the care necessary for the animal’s well-being. This includes bathing, grooming, and other care procedures, including regular flea and tick treatments as needed.

• Student (owner) is not allowed to use campus facilities to bathe their ESA. Student (owner) is not allowed to use campus laundry facilities to wash the ESA’s bedding. It is required that the student (owner) uses marked laundry machines to wash their clothing and bedding to avoid harming other students with allergies to animal hair/dander.

The student (owner) should ensure that the animal does not display any behaviors or noises that are disruptive to others, unless it is part of the service being provided to the student (owner).

Official animal signage must be displayed on all external doors of the residence where a service animal or ESA reside.

Every academic year the student (owner) must renew their Service or Emotional Support Animal accommodation request at least 30 days prior to room selection in the Spring Semester.

The student (owner) is responsible for the approved animal during a fire alarm, fire drill, or other building emergencies and/or natural disasters.

In case of an emergency, Centenary College is not responsible for evacuating the animal. The student (owner) must have on file the name and contact information of a local individual that could come to campus to remove the animal if needed. The emergency contact is considered local if they live within a 60-mile driving distance from the College. This person must be identified during the approval process.

The student (owner) is financially responsible for the actions of the approved animal, including bodily injury or property damage. The student (owner)’s responsibility covers, but is not limited to, replacement of furniture, carpet, windows, wall covering, etc. The student (owner) is expected to cover these costs at the time of repair and/or move-out. The College shall reserve the right to bill the student (owner)’s account for unmet obligations. Final restitution costs will vary depending upon the original condition of the residence and other factors.

All roommates/suitemates of the student (owner) must sign a Roommate/Suitemate Agreement Form allowing the approved animal to be in the residence with them. If one or more roommates/suitemates do not approve, either the student (owner) and animal or the non-approving roommate/suitemate, as determined by the Director of Residence Life, may be moved to a different location. The College cannot guarantee that a student (owner) will remain in/obtain the desired residential room.

• Only one approved animal will be allowed to reside in a single housing unit (suite).
• Student (owner) should consider the crate/cage size needed for the approved animal to be contained while the student (owner) is not in the room.

The student (owner) must notify Disability Services in writing if the approved animal is no longer needed or is no longer in residence. To replace an approved animal, the student (owner) must file a new accommodation request.

The student (owner) is responsible for independently removing the approved animal’s waste. Waste must be disposed in a sealed bag in an outdoor dumpster (located in residential parking lots). Indoor animal waste, such as cat litter, must be placed in a sturdy plastic bag and securely tied up before being disposed of in an outdoor dumpster. Litter boxes should be placed on mats so that waste is not tracked onto carpeted surfaces. Outdoor solid animal waste must be picked up and disposed of in an outdoor dumpster immediately. Those students (owners) who are physically unable to accomplish this task are responsible for arranging for it to be done and is responsible for any costs incurred.

The College retains the right to designate a particular area for the ESA to relieve itself and/or for the disposal of its waste.

All animals must be housebroken. Puppy pee pads are not permitted.

The cleaning of cages/crates must not take place in any campus building.

The student (owner) is responsible for complying with all local and state laws for animal rights and student (owner) responsibilities. Approved animals must be current with vaccinations against diseases common to that type of animal. Dogs must have current vaccination against rabies and wear a vaccination tag.

All approved animals must have an annual vaccination certificate and statement regarding a clean bill of health from a licensed veterinarian on file with Disability Services.

The student (owner) agrees to continue to abide by all other Centenary College policies. Any violation of the rules may result in immediate removal of the animal from Centenary property and may be reviewed by the Office of Student Conduct. The student (owner) will be afforded all rights of due process and appeal as outlined by their policies. Should the approved animal be removed from Centenary property for any reason, the student (owner) must fulfill housing obligations for the rest of the housing contract.

Removal of an Emotional Support Animal

Removal can occur if:

• The animal is found by the College to be out of control or disruptive and that animal’s owner does not take immediate and/or effective action to control it.
• Centenary has adopted a “one-bite” and a “serious injury” policy which requires removal of an animal from campus property (at the student (owner)’s expense) after a single occurrence of biting or other aggressive behavior.
• The animal is not housebroken or kept in a cage where waste can be managed effectively.
• The animal is found to be neglected or mistreated and prompt corrective action is not taken.
• The animal is physically ill.
• The animal is unreasonably dirty.
• The animal enters a place on campus where the presence of an animal causes danger to the safety of the owner or other students/members of campus.
• The service animal attempts to enter a place on campus where a service animal’s safety is compromised.

Process of Removal or Resolution of Violations:

• Student (owner) will receive a written warning if a complaint(s) is received regarding the animal.
• The student (owner) will have an opportunity to rectify the situation and correct the behavior.
• If a second complaint is received, Disability Services will conduct further assessment of the situation and the extent of its impact on the community.
• The student (owner) may be asked to switch rooms if there is availability on campus.
• If a third complaint is made or an incident occurs, the animal will be removed from campus.
• Student (owner) must identify an emergency contact who could come to campus to remove the animal if needed within a reasonable amount of time. This person must be identified during the approval process.
• The individualized assessment of each incident may lead to escalation of this process, up to and including removal of an animal from campus after a first complaint, depending on the severity of any incident involving any service or support animal.

Conflicting Health Conditions:

Centenary College acknowledges that the presence of emotional support animals may present health, safety, security, and programmatic issues for other members of the community; however, according to ADA guidelines, allergies and fear of dogs are not valid reasons for denying access or refusing service to people using assistance animals.

The ADA states when a person who is allergic to dog dander and a person who uses a service animal must spend time in the same room or facility, both should be accommodated by assigning them, if possible, to different locations within the room or different rooms in the facility. The individual impacted by the presence of the animal must register with Disability Services and provide verifiable medical documentation to support the claim.

Disability Services will consider the needs of all the students in meeting its obligations to reasonably accommodate all disabilities and to resolve the problem as efficiently and expeditiously as possible.

Abandoned Animals

Any abandoned animals will be turned over to the Caddo Parish Animal Shelter; any charges incurred will be the responsibility of the student (owner) of the animal. Centenary reserves the right to apply any charges incurred to the student (owner)’s Business Office account.

Complaints/Appeals

Complaints and/or Appeals regarding Service or Emotional Support Animals on campus can be directed to the Office of Disability Services at 318-869-5738.