By: Peyton Riddick
Wingate Triangle contributor
Emotional Support Animals are making a huge impact on college campuses nationwide and their presence can certainly be felt at Wingate, where they’ve helped students who struggle with mental health issues while living on campus.
Commonly known as ESAs or assistance animals, Emotional Support Animals are defined by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development as “an animal that works, provides assistance or performs tasks for the benefit of a person with a disability, or provides emotional support that alleviates one or more identified symptoms or effects of a person’s disability, in order for the person to have an equal opportunity to use and enjoy the university’s housing facilities.”
Wingate abides by this definition and permits students to have an approved ESA through the Fair Housing Act. Through the FHA, it is stated that these animals are not considered pets, but are solely present to aid a student struggling with a disability, specifically a physical or mental impairment that limits one or more major activities in one’s life.
These assistance animals have provided a significant benefit for individuals who struggle with anxiety, stress, depression, trauma and many other disability-health conditions, according to Wingate Director of Counseling Melinda Frederick.
“These animals benefit us both physically and emotionally and there is lots of research to back that up,” Frederick said. “They lower our cortisol levels, our blood pressure and they can regulate our heartbeat… They can help you sleep if you have insomnia, help provide a sense of safety and security and even be trained to respond and assist in calming an individual down during a panic attack.”
The approval process to get an ESA on the Wingate campus may be seen as tedious and difficult to some, but the university’s Disability Services Department does its best to work with students in need to make their day-to-day life on campus more fulfilling.
Kristin Wharton, executive director of Wingate’s Academic Resource Center, says after approval from a mental health professional, students can begin the process of applying for a disability accommodation. The student must have a diagnosis of a disabling mental health condition and the animal has to be shown to be effective in increasing the individual’s functioning while eliminating one or more symptoms.
“In my work as a disability-resource professional, I engage in the interactive process for any request, including animal ones,” Wharton said. “We will look at the request and the documentation and meet together through an intake process so that a reasonable accommodation can be determined. Currently, there are 60 approved assistance animals on campus and five service animals.”
The difference between a service animal and an ESA is that only dogs who have received specialized training to perform specific tasks for disabled individuals can be service animals. An ESA is a pet that can help comfort and calm people with disabling mental health disorders, but they’re not trained to perform specialized duties.
Various studies have shown that students with ESAs on campus improve their sleep, stress and anxiety levels and achieve greater academic success. Wingate senior Kayla Deshazor has had her dog, Nova, since her sophomore year and says the presence of the ESA has made a drastic change in her college experience.
“I can say that my grades and mental health have significantly increased by bringing my ESA on campus,” Deshazor said. “She makes sure that I get outside every day and whenever I am not doing OK, she is always there to cheer me up and improve my mood.”
Another Wingate senior, Yasmin Cowley, has also seen a positive impact on her life thanks to her ESA, Ozo. “Ozo has helped me, as I am from England and far from home,” Cowley said. “I have animals back home that I miss terribly, so having him here is a large sense of comfort. He definitely allows me to have a happier, healthier college experience.”
Students interested in applying for accommodations to have their own ESA should contact Wharton at k.wharton@wingate.edu or access@wingate.edu.
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