Frequently Used Terminology

An Emotional Support Animal (ESA) is a term used in relation to accommodations that pertain to an individuals residential space. An ESA is typically an animal that provides a therapeutic benefit that ameliorates a disabling barrier or symptom of a disability. ESAs are accommodations that require approval through an interactive process and appropriate documentation of a qualified therapeutic assessment.

The person who is present with the animal while on campus and who is ensuring the animal is appropriately restrained and under control. This individual is often, but not always, the animal owner.

The person who owns the animal. The owner may designate temporary control to a Handler, and it is the owner's responsibility to ensure College policy is still met. An owner can also be held accountable for violating this policy if violated by a handler.

Animals commonly kept in households like a dog, cat, small bird, rabbit, hamster, gerbil, other rodent, fish, turtle, or other small, domesticated animal that is traditionally kept in the home for pleasure rather than for commercial purposes. For the purposes of this policy, reptiles (other than turtles), barnyard animals, monkeys, kangaroos, and other non-domesticated animals are not considered common household animals.

A program animal is an animal approved by the college for authorized educational, training, law enforcement, or emergency purposes under control of an approved handler.

A service animal is a dog specifically trained to perform a specific work or tasks for the benefit of a disabled person. The task(s) performed must be directly related to the person's disability (i.e., a seizure alert dog or a psychiatric service animal trained to perform deep pressure therapy).

A service animal in training is a dog currently engaging in ongoing training activities to become a service animal. A service animal in training may be permitted into university owned public spaces for the sake of active training purposes. General, socialization, and obedience training are not ocnsidered under this protection as a service animal in training as these are not training tasks related to a disability and the animal must alwas be under the control of the trainer.

A Therapy Animal is an animal temporarily authorized to be in a public space by the college and supervised by an employee of the college to provide therapeutic benefit to the campus community. They are provided as a temporary benefit connected to a specific program or event.