Emotional Support Animals: What The College Should Know

Emotional support animals (ESAs) provide comfort and support to individuals with varying needs. ESAs can be various species, but dogs and cats are the most common. ESAs are not trained to perform specific tasks and do not require specialized training. While ESAs can provide essential companionship and improve their owner’s quality of life, it’s important to understand how their access rights to NOVA differ from that of service animals.

ESAs are only permitted to be inside any college facility if designated on a student’s Memorandum of Accommodation (MOA). If a student is approved to have access to an ESA, the animal is expected to be trained and display safe, hygienic, and non-distracting behaviors. 

If you encounter an individual who has an Emotional Support Animal with them:

Do:

• Speak to the owner; not the animal.
• Treat the owner with dignity and respect.
• Foster a culture of care.

Don’t:

• Don’t ask the owner to justify their need for the animal.
• Don’t pet or interact with the animal especially while it’s providing comfort to its owner.
• Don’t offer food to the animal.

Faculty has a shared responsibility for ensuring that students are aware of NOVA’S policies. If you have any questions about the presence of an emotional support animal on any of NOVA’s campuses, you are asked to refer to policy language and/or contact the Accommodations Counselor on that campus. Any repeated violation of the college’s procedures surrounding ESAs should be reported to the Office of Student Rights and Responsibilities by using the Violation of the Student Code of Conduct Reporting Form.

For additional information, please view the following links:

• NOVA’s Service Animals Policy
• Service Animals and Emotional Support Animals
• NOVA’s Animal Control Policy
• Daily Flyer Article on Service Animals

Submitted by:
Krystal Edmead, Director of Accessibility & Accommodations, KEdmead@nvcc.edu