ACCOMMODATIONS

Permitted Animals: For students and visitors, only Service Animals are permitted in areas where dogs are permitted on campus. This means that a student or visitor may be accompanied by a Service Animal wherever the student or visitor would otherwise be permitted to be on campus. A Service Animal is any dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability. Examples of such work or tasks include, but are not limited to: 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 in training are included in the definition of service animals for the purpose of this policy. If you intend to bring a Service Animal on campus, please send an email to studentaffairs@mi.edu notifying MI of your intent to do so.

Animals NOT Permitted: The following are not Service Animals and are not permitted on campus: (1) non-dog animals, except in some cases a miniature horse may qualify as a service animal; (2) animals that solely serve to deter crime; and (3) emotional support, comfort, and companion animals (i.e., pets).

Permitted Animals: In campus housing, both Service Animals and Support Animals are permitted as an accommodation. For Support Animals, the Housing Office may ask if the handler has a disability and if the handler has a disability-related need for the Support Animal, in determining whether the animal will be allowed in housing areas. Students may also be asked to provide medical documentation of the disability and the disability-related need for the Support Animal. Support Animals are not allowed in any other buildings on MI property, nor are they allowed in other controlled spaces on campus, such as classrooms, computer labs, the library, and offices.

To request an accommodation for a Support Animal OR Service Animal to reside with a student in MI residential housing, please send an email to housing@mi.edu for application information.

For the handler of a Service or Support Animal, MI expects the following:

1. Must attend to and be in full control of the Service or Support Animal at all times, including all care and supervision.
2. Keep the animal under control at all times, e.g., through use of a harness, leash, tether, or voice control, depending upon the task/work performed.
3. Must assure that the animal is free from offensive odors and does not display any behaviors or noises that are unduly disruptive to others.
4. Must remove or arrange for removal of any animal waste.
5. Must assure that the animal does not engage in behavior that endangers the health or safety of others.
6. Is financially responsible for the animal’s actions, including any bodily or property damage, or cleaning costs.
7. Must comply with all local government codes and regulations, including requirements for vaccinations and licensing.
8. Is encouraged, but not required, to have the animal wear some type of Service Animal or Support Animal identification.

For MI students, employees, and visitors, MI expects the following:

1. Must allow Service and Support Animals to accompany the handler, as permitted under this policy.
2. Must not touch (without the permission of the handler), feed, harass, or deliberately startle Service or Support Animals.
3. Must not attempt to separate the animal from the handler.
4. Should not discuss the handler’s disability.