Goucher College recognizes the importance of service and assistance animals to individuals with disabilities and has established requirements and guidelines concerning the presence of such animals on campus.

Requests to keep a service or assistance animal in the residence halls should be addressed to the Office of Accessibility Services using the online accommodation form. In considering the request, the Director will consider the needs of the student as well as the impact of the animal on the campus community.

Students seeking to have a service or assistance animal in housing must submit a request for accommodation each academic year. Animals may not be in residence prior to approval by the Director.

Download:

Animal Policy (PDF)

Responsibility of Persons Living in the Residence Halls with Service or Assistance Animals (PDF)

Roommate Agreement - Assistance Animal (PDF)

Treating Provider Form for Assistance Animals (PDF)

**In order to ensure that you receive appropriate accommodations, you must submit your fully completed accommodation request for an assistance animal (including emotional support animal) by March 22^nd for returning students, and by June 14^th for new students. Students who are not enrolled for fall 2021 and begin/return to Goucher for spring 2021 must submit your fully completed accommodation request form by November 8, 2021. (An accommodation request is considered completed when you have submitted both the Accommodation Request Form as well as documentation from a qualified examiner). After these deadlines have passed, assistance animal requests will not be considered for the 2021-2022 academic year. Students requesting housing accommodations will receive information about accommodations when they receive their housing assignment.

Mid-year requests for assistance animals (including emotional support animal) are not accepted, unless a new condition has developed for which the animal is required. We make housing assignments at the beginning of the year with the animal requests in mind so as to ensure that an assistance animal does not interfere with other students who may have animal allergies or aversions.

**The College does not discriminate in the provision of housing to students with disabilities. The College will provide comparable, convenient, and accessible housing to students with disabilities at the same cost as to others, and the College will make reasonable modifications to its housing policies, procedures, and practices when the modifications are necessary to avoid discrimination, unless the College can demonstrate that making the modifications would fundamentally alter the nature of the housing services provided by the College.