*Edit: Elizabethtown College is no longer offering pet-friendly housing. For the most up-to-date information visit Etown College’s Office of Community Living’s official website.

In the fall of 2018, Elizabethtown College launched the pet-friendly housing program.

The pet-friendly housing initiative is in addition to the program already in place for students who would like to live with their emotional support animals (ESAs).

Approved ESAs can live in any residence hall. By contrast, the first floor of Royer Residence Hall is the designated pet area on campus.

In the beginning of the year, Royer housed five pets on the first floor.

However, according to junior RA Savannah Martinez, only two students returned to campus with pets.

“We have had hamsters, cats, bunnies and guinea pigs,” Martinez wrote in an email.

Currently, there is only a cat and a bunny living in the pet-friendly housing.

Martinez reported that there have been no incidents with the animals in pet-friendly housing this year. She’s received no complaints from the students in her hall about anything pet related.

She instead attributed the drop in participation to the fact that “residents realized that having a pet is a huge commitment that can potentially take time and energy away from academics and other activities.”

First-year Giselle Taylor agrees with Martinez’s statement. Taylor said she doesn’t believe there are many pets that are appropriate to keep in a dorm.

Because they are small, shared spaces, she can see how it could be difficult to maintain a healthy environment for both the student and the animal.

Regardless, Taylor wishes there were more students utilizing the pet-friendly option.

“As an animal lover, I’m disappointed there aren’t many pets in Royer right now, but I understand why some students chose to keep them at home,” Taylor said.

Other Royer members share different experiences.

First-year student Delphi Aubry admitted that she intended to bring a pet with her to campus.

“I missed the paperwork deadline,” Aubry said.

According to Aubry, it was difficult to try to work out an extension on the paperwork.

On the College’s website, it says a pet can be registered in the first month of a semester. The registration lasts the entire school year but needs to be renewed if the owner wishes to continue keeping their pet on campus.

If a student misses a registration deadline, they must wait until the next semester to have their pet on campus.

The strict deadline can make it difficult to keep pet attendance high.

If a student who usually keeps a pet on campus forgets the deadline, it is unlikely they can reregister their pet for that semester.

This may be a deterrent to those wanting to bring a pet on campus with them.

One student who is participating in the pet friendly housing program this semester is first-year intended biology major Cara Conley. Conley brought her cat, Josie, from home.

According to Conley, having Josie around helps her to de-stress.
“It’s been pretty dope,” Conley said.

“I don’t have a roommate, and I’m an extroverted person. If I was alone I wouldn’t be doing too well mood-wise.”

Josie has also benefited from her position as the only cat in Royer Residence Hall because, according to Conley, she is quite the attention seeker.

People frequently stop by to pet Josie, much to her presumed enjoyment.
At the beginning of the semester, the magnetism of a cat was also helpful to Conley. She was able to meet other Etown students and had something to bond over with her new neighbors and classmates right off the bat.

Conley believes that it would be even better if the College had more residence halls that were pet friendly.

One downside Conley did mention was of fellow pet owners who did not follow the policy about disposing of animal waste in the outdoor trashcans.

The waste “stinks up the whole hallway” and is a reminder that “some people do not follow the rules which are set for a reason,” Conley said.
Despite the small bumps in the road, pet-friendly housing enriches the lives of students, even if the participation has decreased.

Martinez found it to be “nice for others to pet a cat every now and again.”

Taylor also said she enjoyed being able to pet cats at school when she couldn’t play with her own that did not live on campus.

Overall, students enjoyed having pets around to interact with. When students interacted with the animals in the halls or the rooms, their moods definitely improved.

It also gave people a reason to socialize with others around them. It seems as though the initiative is worthwhile, even if the turnout is low.

Students interested in living in pet-friendly housing can visit the subpage under the Residence Life page on the College’s website.

Otherwise, students with questions can contact the Office of Residence Life at reslife@etown.edu or 717-361-1197.