Abigail Dunagan, Campus Carrier arts and living editor

Registering an animal to live on campus at Berry is a complex process. Outside of the difficulties that come with registering a pet, having a pet living in campus housing can add an extra layer of chores to an already busy student’s day. Despite the challenges, many students have found that the process of having an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) while at Berry can be very beneficial to their overall mental health. 

Senior Lillian Whittle adopted her cat Marian the summer before her freshman year. Whittle had an ESA at home prior to adopting Marian, but Whittle decided it would be better to adopt a kitten that could grow up in a college dorm rather than moving an adult cat into college. 

“She was a kitten, so she had grown up in the college environment. She’s actually happier here than at my parent’s house, because she doesn’t love the other animals,” Whittle said. “She’s grown up with it, so it’s very normal for her.” 

The process of registering for an ESA involves a lot of different steps. The student must acquire a letter of recommendation from a mental health professional. The animal must receive all required vaccinations, and vet records must be updated yearly through the housing portal. According to Whittle, there can be some difficulties with the registration because the ESA must be approved by both the Berry housing department and the accommodations department. After everything is approved, the student must meet with Stephen Swieton, the assistant director of residence life, to go over all of the rules and instructions for keeping the animal in student housing. The overall process can take several weeks, and the animal can either be approved or denied. 

Junior Summer Taylor has had her cat, Salem, as a registered ESA at Berry since her freshman year. Salem is not currently on campus, but Taylor stated that she is in the process of filling out paperwork for him to be approved. According to Taylor, having an ESA on campus has been extremely helpful for her during stressful times. 

“He helps me keep up with managing things,” Taylor said. “I wouldn’t say that it is difficult. Keeping a schedule for him helps me keep a schedule for myself.”

Taylor said that she finds keeping a cat on campus to be easy to manage on top of classes and other obligations. The main responsibilities that Taylor has for her ESA are making sure that Salem has food and water, and that he gets plenty of socialization each day. Taylor stated that having an ESA on campus has been very beneficial for her, as she had an ESA prior to coming to Berry and she knew it was something that she needed. 

“It allows for a lot of comfort and stability for me, and it makes it a lot easier for me to live on campus,” Taylor said. 

According to Whittle, there were some initial challenges having a cat in her dorm. When Marian was a kitten, she would frequently run out the door and into the hallway. Now that Marian is no longer a kitten, she is very happy living on the Berry campus. Whittle stated that the cat is popular on the hall, and residents frequently come to visit her. Senior Monteen Candler has roomed with Whittle since freshman year. Candler said that Marian loves to beg for attention attention and get into things in their shared room. 

“She steals my bed and gets into my drawers,” Candler said. “She is basically a human toddler, but she is also the sweetest. She loves people.”