Animals are allowed on college grounds outside college buildings that are open to
the public; however, it is prohibited to bring animals into campus buildings, with the following exceptions.
- Exceptions made by the president of the college, or their designee, to this policy for special circumstances and/or events including, but not limited to, reasonable accommodation
for a disability, pet shows, or college events.
- A dog acting as a service animal pursuant to federal and state statutes and regulations, including “personal assistance animals” under Rhode Island General Laws
Section 40-9.1.
- Employees and students may bring a service animal into non-public areas in campus buildings if they have obtained an accommodation from the college:
- Employees must contact Human Resources for an accommodation.
- Students must contact Disability Student Services for an accommodation.
- Staff are not allowed to request any documentation for the dog, require that the dog
demonstrate its task, or inquire about the nature of the person’s disability. In situations
where it is not obvious that the dog is a service animal, staff may ask only two specific
questions:
- Is the dog a service animal required because of a disability?
- What work or task has the dog been trained to perform.
- Animals used by law enforcement or emergency personnel in the exercise of their official duties.
- Animals used for academic purposes.
The owner or other responsible person must ensure who brings an animal on to campus must ensure that the animal is leashed or caged. Owners are responsible for complying with state and local
laws concerning animal possession/ownership, licensing, animal rights and owner responsibilities. Individuals
responsible for an animal’s presence on campus shall be responsible for the immediate removal and sanitary disposal
of any excrement deposited by the animal. They shall have the appropriate means on his/her person for removal of such excrement when bringing the animal on campus. Service animals must be current with
immunizations and wear a rabies vaccination tag; annual documentation is required. The owner or personal responsible for an animal is responsible for paying for any damage caused by the animal.
No animal shall be left unattended in any motor vehicle parked on college property. Animals may not be disruptive or out of control, disturb college activities, be physically ill, neglected, or mistreated. In addition, animals that are allowed in college building pursuant to this policy may not be unreasonably dirty or distract others during academic or work related activities.
Any animal discovered in violation of these regulations may be impounded and turned over to the appropriate animal control authority. In addition, the owner or person responsible for the animal may be asked to remove the animal from campus.
Definitions
- The term “caged” refers to the animal being restrained in an enclosed pen, box, or other similar container controlled by the owner or other responsible person who prevents the animal
from escaping.
- The term “direct physical control” refers to the owner or other responsible person physically holding the animal in such a way that it is not likely to escape.
- The term “leashed” refers to the animal being restrained on a cord, chain, or other similar restraint, not to exceed six (6) feet in length, controlled by the owner of the animal or other responsible person.
- The term “non-public areas in campus buildings” refers to spaces that are not open
to the general public, including – but not limited to – classrooms, laboratories, warehouse space, facilities operations spaces, and offices.
- The term “public areas in campus buildings” refers to a part of a place of public
accommodation that is open to the general public.
- The term “service animal” refers to a dog that has been individually trained to do work or perform tasks for an individual with a disability.