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Emotional Support Animals (ESA)

Emotional Support Animal Approval Procedure  

The following are the steps that need to be completed for an Emotional Support Animal (ESA) to be approved to live in a CSI dorm room or apartment: 

  1. The student who is requesting an ESA submits a Student Accessibility Services (SAS) online intake form 
  2. The student provides SAS with documentation from a qualified health care professional that includes the following: 
    • Verification of a specific disability/diagnosis 
    • A statement that indicates that the student would benefit from having an ESA 
  3. The student meets with the SAS coordinator for an intake appointment where the two engage in the interactive process to determine if the accommodation of an ESA animal is appropriate (a dog must be at least 1 year old, and a cat must be 9 months or older) 
  4. If the accommodation of an ESA animal is approved, the student then needs to provide the following documentation to SAS:
    • A signed copy of the Emotional Support Animal Guideline & Agreement 
    • Current shot records  
    • Rabies tag number if it is a dog 
    • Current animal license if the ESA is a dog 
  5. Once the student has provided all the required documentation, the SAS Coordinator will contact the appropriate housing manager/coordinator for them to do a review process to address any potential concerns (i.e., roommate allergies) and to sign the contract. If a student is requesting an ESA after roommates have been assigned and contracts have been signed, then a student may have to wait until the next housing contract period to have an ESA in student housing. 
  6. Once the housing manager/coordinator has approved the placement, the student can have the ESA in their residence. 
  7. Once the ESA has been approved, the SAS Office works with the student to make sure the ESA’s shots stay current.