Residential Living Spaces

St. Cloud State University is committed to providing equal access in residential living spaces for students with a disability-related need. Students seeking accommodation(s) for access barriers experienced, or perceived, in the residential environment (housing/dining) can Request Housing Accommodations through Student Accessibility Services (SAS).

Huskie sign in dorm room

Housing & Dining Accommodations Requests

Housing accommodations are defined as a change in rules, policies or practices that allows a person with a disability an equal opportunity to use and enjoy their housing. Common housing accommodations include: single room, room in a specific dorm/location, rooms equipped with audio/visual safety cues, meal plan adjustments, support animal requests, etc.

Requesting housing accommodations is an interactive process requiring the student, their provider(s) and Student Accessibility Services (SAS) staff's participation. Accommodations are determined on a case-by-case basis as deemed reasonable and necessary to address disability-related barriers.

Requesting Housing Accommodations:

  1. Complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form
    1. Attach your completed Accommodation Documentation Form (pdf) or review Documentation Guidance for more information.
  2. Complete a Welcome Meeting with SAS Staff
  3. Ensure all required documents and registrations are completed and provided to Residential Life

Priority room and residence accommodation request deadlines:

  • Fall 2024 start - request received by May 1, 2024
  • Spring 2024 start -requests received by December 1, 2024

Room/residence accommodation requests received after the priority deadline are processed on a rolling basis and are dependent on availability.

Support Animal Requests

What is a support animal?

Commonly referred to as an emotional support animal or “ESA”, a support animal serves as a companion and provides therapeutic benefit to an individual with documented health condition(s) that lead to disability. A support animal is not a pet. A support animal is a type of assistance animal as defined by U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) guidance:

Assistance Animal - an animal that works, provides assistance, or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or that provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified effects of a person’s disability. Assistance Animals | HUD.gov / U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD)

Types of Support Animals

According the HUD, animals commonly kept in household for pleasure may be approved as a support animal. This could be a cat, dog, small bird, rabbit, hamster, fish, or other small domesticated animal.  If a unique type of animal not commonly kept in households is being requested, the requester has a substantial burden to demonstrate the therapeutic need to address their disability related barriers.

All approved support animals must meet vaccination requirements and be certified as disease free for the health and safety of the residential community. Support animals cannot pose a direct threat to others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicated that emotional support animals should be limited to those that cannot possibly transmit Zoonotic disease. Zoonotic diseases are infectious diseases that can be naturally transmitted from animals to humans.

How to request a support animal:

  1. Complete the Housing Accommodation Request Form
    1. Attach the completed Support Animal Documentation Form (pdf) or review Documentation Guidance for more information.
  2. Complete a Welcome Meeting with SAS Staff
  3. Ensure all required documents and registrations are completed and provided to Residential Life

Important information:

Service Animals

Service animals do not require approval through Student Accessibility Services, but students with a service animal who would like support in communicating with faculty, staff, or residential life can report their service animal to Student Accessibility Services. To share information about your service animal please email sas@stcloudstate.edu or  Schedule a Welcome Meeting  to meet with SAS staff.

What is a Service Animal?

A service animal as defined by the ADA as any dog that is individually trained to do work or perform tasks for the benefit of an individual with a disability, including a physical, sensory, psychiatric, intellectual, or other mental disability. Other species of animals, whether wild or domestic, trained or untrained, are not considered service animals.  A service animal is also considered an Assistance Animal under the Fair Housing Act and has rights and protection to residential living when serving an individual with a disability.

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.

  • Under the ADA, State and local governments, businesses, and nonprofit organizations that serve the public generally must allow service animals to accompany people with disabilities in all areas of the facility where the public is allowed to go.
  • A service animal must be under the control of its handler. Under the ADA, service animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless the individual’s disability prevents using these devices or these devices interfere with the service animal’s safe, effective performance of tasks

Requirements of Service Dogs and their Owners

  • The dog cannot pose a direct threat to the health and safety of persons while on the college’s premises. 
  • Local ordinances regarding animals apply to service dogs, including requirements for immunization, licensing, noise, restraint, and at-large animals.
  • The owner must be in full control of the dog at all times. Under the ADA, service dogs must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with the service dog’s work or the individual’s disability prevents using these devices. In that case, the individual must maintain control of the dog through voice, signal, or other effective controls.
  • The owner is responsible for cleaning up the dog’s waste and fluids and disposing of such in outside trash containers only. Waste disposal via campus plumbing is prohibited. The owner should always carry equipment sufficient to clean up and properly dispose of the dog’s waste and fluids. Owners who are not physically able to pick up and dispose of the dog’s waste and fluids are responsible for making all necessary arrangements for assistance. The college is not responsible for these services. Additionally, the dog is not to be bathed using campus facilities.
  • The owner is liable for damage caused by the dog. The owner is responsible for instructing others on appropriate interactions with the dog and setting clear expectations 

Exclusions 

A service dog may be excluded from any authorized area and its owner may be subject to disciplinary action if, including, but not limited to:

  • The service dog displays aggressive or disruptive behavior or noises and effective action is not taken to control it; unless said noise/behavior(s) are part of the needed disability service to the owner 
  • The service dog is not housebroken 
  • The service dog poses a direct threat to the health and safety of others
  • The service dog is not in good health, well-groomed, or cared for
  • The service dog infringes inappropriately into other’s personal space
  • The owner intentionally uses the service dog to block identified fire/emergency exits 
     

 

Resources

Apply Now
Visit
Request Information