As the spring semester draws to a close, Lock Haven University (LHU) students may see some fuzzy felines leaving the on-campus residence halls in anticipation for summer. While the students diligently worked toward earning their degrees, LHU’s residential pets have also been hard at work this year: providing comfort, a sense of purpose, and emotional support to their beloved owners.
LHU established a pet-friendly program in 2019 allowing students to room with their favorite furry friends in North Hall. The initiative was inspired by a recent trend in higher education to improve students’ on-campus living environment and make it more home-like.
Lock Haven was the first Pennsylvania state school to implement the program. Since then, only three other PASSHE institutions followed suit – Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Clarion University, and Edinboro University. LHU is among 5% of American colleges that permit on-campus animals.
Twenty-two registered pets currently reside at LHU. According to Michael Heck, the director of Housing & Residence Life at Lock Haven and Mansfield universities, cats are the most popular residential pet among students, totaling 13. LHU also houses three dogs, two pairs of guinea pigs, and a pair of rabbits. These statistics, however, exclude the number of emotional support animals (ESA) on campus as the total is kept strictly confidential.
Students must live in one of the pet-approved buildings – Smith Hall or Campus Village – in order to own a pet. However, if they apply for an ESA, students can live in Fairview Suites or Evergreen Commons. Fish can be kept in any residential dorm or apartment without prior registration. Any unapproved pet found can result in a $300.
All registered pet owners have a sign posted on their door displaying the fuzzy resident’s name and picture.
Smith Hall is the newest dorm edition to Lock Haven’s pet policy. According to Heck, the pet-friendly dorm switched over to Smith Hall once North Hall closed in 2021 due to low occupancy numbers. During the spring 2023 semester, Smith housed 12 pets while Campus Village housed 10.
The Student and Residence Life office must approve all pets before they can arrive on campus. Animals must be identified as long-term, according to LHU regulations, meaning that they have remained under the student’s primary care for at least three months. Dogs and cats must also be at least six months old, weigh under 40 pounds, and comply with additional breed restrictions. Each student is allowed one dog, one cat, or two small-caged animals, such as guinea pigs, rabbits, hamsters, or gerbils.
Since 2019, the number of pet residents has remained steady at Lock Haven. Students continue to share their appreciation and support for the program claiming its benefits to their overall mental health and college experience.
For several pet owners, rooming with an animal helps cure loneliness and provide comfortability.
“Being away from home got to me a little bit, and having my animal here with me is just a different level of comfort,” said junior Criminal Justice major Kiyana Potts, referring to her cat Kitty in Campus Village. “She’s a good companion and brightens my day.”
Junior Pre-PA major Gwendalyn Marquardt expressed similar sentiments. Although she lives in off-campus housing, Marquardt adopted her two cats, Sloan and Shepard, to combat feelings of isolation while studying at LHU.
“They are my family at college,” she said. “They make me feel like no matter what I always have friends, and I’m never alone. It’s rewarding coming home to them after a long day.”
Other students emphasized the important role their pets played in helping them to make friends and improve their social lives. Sophomore Biology major Casey Ream is one example. She lives with her cat Mawi in Evergreen Commons.
“Having that companion allows me to start conversations with new people,” Ream said. “Talking about animals is an easy topic to get to know someone, as most people do have pets. Having a pet at college allows me to be more sociable as well and invite people over to my apartment.”
To further facilitate community among pet owners, Smith Hall occasionally hosts show-and-tell events for residents. Students can bring their fuzzy friends and meet other on-campus pet owners or simply enjoy some animal therapy. Sophomore Biology major Clayton Ro recently participated in the event claiming his cat Gatsby “enjoyed all of the attention.”
Caring for an on-campus animal also gives students a greater purpose in life.
“He keeps me on my toes,” said junior Interdisciplinary major Jade Clews, referring to her cat Rocky. “I can’t lay around all day when I have a cat to feed, play with, and clean his litter box, so it gives me motivation every day.”
Senior dual major in Criminal Justice and Psychology Ciara Gagner, who lives in Campus Village with her cat Bayley, reiterates: “It helps me because not only do I have to take care of myself, but I have this pet to take care of, so it teaches better responsibility.”
Along with better acclimation to college life, the impact of cohabiting with on-campus pets has a much deeper root for some students. Many LHU pet owners live with ESAs in order to cope with mental and emotional struggles, such as anxiety, depression, and even autism. ESAs must undergo an application process through disability services for approval.
Roommates Alex Price and Kat Allen both live with their emotional support cats, Luna and Max, in Fairview Suites. Since moving in together, their pets have become best friends.
“I have really bad diagnosed anxiety and ever since I got her, she’s helped me and comforted me,” said Price, a sophomore Psychology major. “Also, a lot of chest pressure helps, and she lays on my chest.”
Allen, a sophomore English major, reaffirmed the benefits of living with an ESA saying: “It [having an on-campus pet] has impacted me in ways that I can’t even describe unless someone were to experience it themselves. Max allows me to always have someone to talk to, someone to listen, and someone to cuddle with. He is also great at cheering me up when I am sad, as he often licks the tears off my face when I cry.”
For junior Criminal Justice major Makayla Ebersole, her emotional support cat Marley helps calm her down when getting anxious about upcoming school projects.
“There’s been times where I’m overwhelmed by presentations and preparations for them,” she said. “But anytime that I felt overwhelmed, she immediately swept right between me, and she’s like ‘alright I’m here. Calm down.’ Right away she comforted me and my stress levels immediately went down. I feel completely comfortable, and the very next day, I’ll go through that Powerpoint perfectly fine.”
College pet ownership, however, is not all glorious. In addition to their positive experiences, LHU students note several challenges that they routinely face when caring for their animals. Some examples include financial burdens, room cleanliness, travel arrangements, separation, and pet proofing.
“I am a very busy college student which means that I am not in my dorm as much as I would like to be,” said Clews. “I think being away from my dorm and leaving him there by himself is a little difficult and makes me sad. I also have to make sure he has enough food and water until I get back.”
The amount of time spent ensuring proper care of residential pets depends on the breed and age of the animal, LHU pet owners said. However, for the feline community, very few students spend more than an hour completing maintenance tasks related to their cat, such as feeding, grooming, and cleaning out the litter box. Most of their care time is spent playing with their pets.
“Play time is a stress reliever and allows me to take a break from schoolwork,” said Ream. “Having a cat at school does not require a lot of responsibilities; however, it is important to continue such responsibilities and not allow them to build up.”
Despite the perceived downfalls of the experience, Lock Haven students largely agree that the benefits of owning an on-campus pet far outweigh the challenges. They also encourage their fellow peers to bring along their furry best friends to college, given they put the required time and effort into properly caring for them.
“I feel like Marley is my other half, and I can’t go without her,” said Ebersole. “I would definitely encourage other people to bring their pets to campus if they feel like they need that support.” LHU’s pet-friendly program will continue next year in the wake of integration. Anyone interested in bringing their pet to campus for the 2023-2024 academic year can email the Student and Residence Life Office at housing@lockhaven.edu or visit its webpage https://www.lockhaven.edu/housing/.
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
