Ferris creates a pet-friendly residence hall that allows students to bring their pets to live with them in their dormitory throughout the entire school year.
Both returning and new students who are attending Ferris are allowed to bring dogs, cats, and other pets to live with them on campus. The pet-friendly residence hall is Cramer Hall, and students can have their pets live with them on the second floor of that specific dormitory. The staff of Housing and Residence Life piloted this pet-friendly floor because students can benefit on both physical levels and mental wellness when they’re able to have their pets in the same room as them.
Students who live in Cramer who don’t have pets have great things to say about those living in their community who choose to have a pet on campus. One of Cramer Hall’s residents, Business administration sophomore Emilie Solesby who doesn’t have a pet on campus, mentions why it was a great idea to have a pet-friendly floor to the university, and how it can help students who plan to attend Ferris in the future.
“Pet-friendly residence halls are good for the university because they draw in more students looking for a university that allows pets,” Solesby said. “This will help future students attending the university, to learn responsibility and help with mental health.”
Dealing with anxiety and homesickness are things that every college student will experience at some point during their college careers, and having a pet while they’re away from home can help students overcome those struggles easier.
There are many students who would seek the opportunity to have their pets with them on campus. On the other hand, there are some students who wouldn’t prefer to have pets. Either they don’t like pets, or they don’t own any. Public relations junior Braden Gebbink talked about how the pet-friendly residence hall is a good idea for students who don’t have pets.
“A pet-friendly residence hall is a good idea for those who don’t have pets,” Gebbink said. “Pets aren’t always clean, and they almost always smell.”
As much as some students would love to take their pets out to explore campus, there can still be precautions that can be considered when bringing pets outside of the dormitory. There are some people living on campus who are allergic to pets. Some can be severely allergic that they must keep their distance from a certain animal.
Gebbink talked about how the pet-friendly residence hall is also a good idea for students who have pet allergies.
“Because of the people who are allergic, they can move safely into their dorms knowing good and well that they can sleep without waking suddenly to the sensation of a feather on their nose,” Gebbink said.
Creating a pet-friendly residence hall has changed the university by making students feel closer to home by having their pets with them. Business administration major sophomore Korbyn Kahl touched on a couple positive impacts the pet-friendly residence hall not just impacting the students but impacting the entire university.
“The positive impacts the pet-friendly residence hall has for the university are that it offers students who might not be able to get an emotional support animal to have beloved pet on campus to give them a better college experience,” Kahl said. “And it attracts more people to potentially come to the university.”
Any student who feels the need to bring a pet with them to campus can do so by contacting Housing & Residence Life. Choosing to bring a pet to campus is something students can do to ensure that they’ll always have a friend by their side throughout their college career.
Additional information about campus housing is available at www.ferris.edu/student-life/reslife/.