I’d venture a guess that at least 75 percent of you, when you came to MSU, left your beloved Spot, Snowball, Fluffy, Fido or, in my case, Sloopy at home.
Regardless of name, if you’re as much of an animal lover as I am, your pet represents a piece of your heart that’s hard to leave behind as you move away to start your own independent life.
Stephens College in Columbia, Mo., has recognized this fact and begun an experimental program-a pet-friendly dorm.
Stephens has named the first floor of Prunty Hall a pet-friendly zone for dogs, cats and rabbits. They have strict rules, like a 40-pound weight limit on dogs and that the pets must be kept in crates or cages when the student is out of the room. There is a fenced-in area outside the dorm where students can take dogs to get some fresh air without having to keep them leashed.
There are many pros and cons of this project, but the first feeling that struck me was overwhelming jealousy that there were students who could study side-by-side with man’s best friend.
Reasons dorms exclude pets include noise, concerns about bites and scratches, smell and allergies, but these concerns would not be difficult to overcome. By restricting pets to a specific floor or wing, students would know beforehand of the noise or allergy issues, and it would be up to them whether or not they should subject themselves to the animals.
As for concerns about bites and scratches, I believe that as college students we should be treated as adults, because we are. If there are apartments that entrust their tenants to keep pets, there is no reason we shouldn’t be treated the same.
There is the potential for neglect when students get caught up in schoolwork and don’t have time for pets, but the students should be held accountable and realize that owning a pet is a huge responsibility. The R.A.s could check periodically on the rooms and pets to ensure they were being taken care of.
The State University of New York at Canton has been allowing pets in the “Pet Wing” of Mohawk Hall since 1996 and claim the decision has been a huge success. School spokesman Richard Fujita says this has even been a draw to veterinary students, to whom the prospect of bringing their pets along to college has lured them to the school.
So far, the experiment at Stephens has proven successful. The students who are residents of Prunty Hall have expressed how overjoyed they are to be able to live with their pets. The students have proved they are capable of juggling schoolwork with owning a pet. So if it can be done elsewhere, why not here?
MSU allows small aquarium-contained pets in the dorms, namely fish. I have nothing against fish, but they just aren’t as heartwarming and affectionate as, say, dogs, cats and rabbits.
Pets have been proven to lessen our stress loads, bring happiness and joy into our lives and even help us live longer. I, for one, have always been much happier with a pet in my life and would love to have one here. Plus, bringing a pet to school would make the transition from home to college much easier.
The thought is a long shot, of course, but even the administration of Stephens College admitted they were completely opposed to the idea before they entertained it.
With the new and impressive Ruby Hall under construction, perhaps one day our State of the Future will hold pet-friendly dorms as well.
Erin Clyburn is a sophomore English major. She can be reached at [email protected].