Illustration by Hunter Garrett
Darrah Walker
Lantern Staff
Animals on campus has been an ongoing controversy for Butler Community College, in which my opinion on the situation has changed from supporting the idea of having animals on campus to not having them.
It is very rare to see an animal on campus unless they are support animals, and even then, there are very few sightings. Many students have talked about getting an animal, but Butler does not allow even a small and easy to care for animal like a fish.
Director of Library Services Micaela Ayers has tried to have the L.W. Nixon Library, located on the 600 building on the El Dorado campus, be an animal friendly environment. She quickly learned it was not the best place for animals. After a few failed attempts, the library turned to having a tank full of fish. The library is one of the only places I know that has any sort of animal on campus.
Not only did Ayers try and bring in animals, Vice President of Student Services Bill Rinkenbaugh remembers a cat roaming around the El Dorado campus at one point. Even though a cat can cause little harm, the food that people would leave out for the cat attracted more animals on the El Dorado campus.
Living away from home has been hard on me, and I know I am not the only student who feels this away. One of the most difficult things is being away from my animals, who play an important role in comforting me. Starting off the school year, I was strictly supportive of having animals on campus.
Animal Bond Research Institute states that having an animal is the best way to reduce any sort of anxiety or stress. At the time, I then believed that having an animal on campus should be allowed.
The Student Handbook states that in order to ensure staff and students’ safety, animals are not allowed on campus unless they are support animals or with the Residence Hall managers who live on campus. Even then, the animals are to stay in the Residence Halls and are prohibited anywhere else on campus.
After talking with both Rinkenbaugh and Ayers, I have come to terms that taking care of an animal is a commitment and can cause problems around campus.
Having animals on campus would cause concern for the safety of the students and cause a distraction in the classroom. Even though it has been proven that animals are helpful, on campus is not the best place to bring an animal.