Service Animal Policy

Geneva College recognizes that service animals may be a necessity for certain students. The presence of such animals may, however, present health, safety, security, and other programmatic concerns for members of the college community. To preserve the mission of the college, to recognize the rights and obligations of all members of the Geneva community, and to ensure the health, safety, and security, and educational needs of these members, the following criteria and requirements are in place.

Definition: 

Service Animal: Service animals are animals specifically trained to assist people with disabilities in the activities of daily living.  The ADA, as amended in 2008, defines a service animal as, “Dogs that are individually trained to work or perform tasks for people with disabilities. Examples of such work or tasks include guiding people who are blind, alerting people who are deaf, pulling a wheelchair, alerting and protecting a person who is having a seizure, reminding a person with mental illness to take prescribed medications, calming a person with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) during an anxiety attack, or performing other duties. Service animals are working animals, not pets. The work or task a dog has been trained to provide must be directly related to the person’s disability. Dogs whose sole function is to provide comfort or emotional support do not qualify as service animals under the ADA.” 

The following animals are not considered service animals under Title II of the ADA:

• Any animal besides dogs – regardless of whether they are domesticated or trained
• Animals that serve solely to provide a crime deterrent effect; and
• Emotional support, comfort or companionship animals.

 

REQUIREMENTS FOR SERVICE ANIMALS AND THEIR PARTNER/HANDLERS

A Service Animal may accompany the individual with a disability everywhere on campus except in rare situations where safety may be compromised or where a Service Animal may interfere with the fundamental nature of the activities being conducted. Students with disabilities who require a Service Animal on-campus are requested to self-identify as a person with a disability to the Director of the Student Success Center (hereto referred to as “Director”) as soon as possible after deciding to enroll at the College.  The Director will provide information on expectations for the Service Animal to the student and communicate to other college community members to ease the transition of the student.

For students living in campus housing with a Service Animal, the College requests that the student provide as much advance notice as possible prior to the desired move-in date so that the College can best accommodate the student and the animal. A meeting may be arranged between the student, the Director, and the Director of Residence Life to discuss how to best accommodate the student, the Service Animal and the campus community.

The care and supervision of the Service Animal is solely the responsibility of the student owner.  Service Animals may not pose a direct threat to the health and safety of persons on the college campus, cause physical damage to property, or fundamentally alter the nature of the College operations.  The Service Animal must be maintained (kept clean, free from fleas or ticks, etc.). Local and state ordinances and laws regarding animals apply, including requirements for immunizations, licensing, noise, and restraint.

The Service Animal’s behavior, noise, odor and waste must not exceed reasonable standards for a well-behaved animal.  These factors should not create unreasonable disruptions for other residents.  If the noise (whining or barking) is excessive as judged by College staff, it is grounds to remove the Service Animal from campus. Service Animals may be excluded from the college campus if the Service Animal behaves in an unacceptable way and/or the student does not control the Service Animal. Uncontrolled barking, jumping on other people, or running away from the handler are some examples of unacceptable behavior for a Service Animal.

The student is responsible for immediately cleaning up and properly disposing of the Service Animal’s waste and is responsible for having the equipment to do so.  People who are physically unable to accomplish this task are responsible for arranging for it to be done.  The College retains the right to designate a particular area for the Service Animals to relieve themselves and/or for the disposal of their waste.

The student must be in full control of the Service Animal at all times.  Service Animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the Service Animal’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices.  In the latter cases, the individual must maintain control of the Service Animal through voice, signal, or other effective controls.

​A​ny suspected or observed issues related to animal abuse or neglect will be reported to the proper investigatory authorities and may subject the student to college disciplinary action as well. ​

The student, not the College, is responsible for the actions of the Service Animal including bodily injury or property damage. Students with Service Animals are likely to be charged if additional cleaning or damage occurs as a result of having the Service Animal on campus. The student is expected to pay these costs upon repair or cleaning.  In addition, the College retains the right to remove the Service Animal, at the owner’s expense, should the Service Animal become a direct threat to the health and safety of others or violates these requirements in any way.