According to the JSC student handbook , animals are not allowed in the resident halls. However, Johnson has recently experienced an influx of pets on campus. Thanks to the efforts of last year’s Martinetti  hall advisor Aleda Boomhower, all HA’s are now allowed to have cats on campus.

In some cases, students have also been granted permission, for medical reasons, to have pets in their rooms.

Andy Gurin, a resident of Martinetti, has recently obtained permission to have a rabbit on campus. He was able to do this by getting a note from his therapist saying that a pet would help with his seasonal depression. “I miss my dogs at home and I’ve always had a serious attachment to animals so it makes me very happy to have one,” Gurin said.

He says his rabbit Lyla has helped him with his stress and his room now has a relaxed environment.  Gurin emphasizes the responsibility of having a pet on campus and says that students have to be ready to put in the time and effort. “I would recommend the people get a therapy animal if it helps them, but they need to make sure they can take care of it,” he said.

Gurin says that Lyla has benefitted him a great deal and he is happier now that he can live with her on campus.

The hall advisor for Arthur, Allison O’Hara, has cat hours during which students can come to her apartment and see her lovable cat Zeke.  “I know a bunch of my residents really miss their pets when they leave home so I wanted have an animal that they could hang out with while they were at school,” she said.

As a student who is working towards her M.A. in Counseling, O’Hara understands the therapeutic benefit that animals can have on students. “I have resident who come over if they are stressed or homesick or if they have just had a bad day and I notice a change in the resident’s mood just by hanging out with him,” O’Hara said, adding that Zeke is a really social and friendly cat who loves all of the attention he gets from her residents.
The hall advisor of Governors, Thomas Brace, adopted a skinny cat named Chubs after the rule change last year. He welcomes the change and says it’s a good idea. “I think it’s finally time for us to get into this movement and it’s definitely a positive change,” he said.

He enjoys having a pet to keep him company and make his apartment feel more like home. Brace encourages the idea of comfort pets and believes in their benefits to students. “I think that some people benefit from comfort pets and therapeutic animals. I’m excited about the idea that a student can go through the proper channels and get one,” he said.