Students flout rules and keep pets in dorms
Brianna Barzola
Issue date: 2/23/07 Section: Campus News
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Students may only keep pets that can live in a tank smaller than 10 gallons, according to the Residential Life Web site. Richard Bova, senior associate dean for Residential Life, said the University catches between five and 10 students each year keeping pets that do not meet the requirement.
"Sometimes we discover them through health inspections, and some students come to us because it creates problems with their living environment," Bova said.
According to Bova, students who are found housing pets in dorms are given fair warning and are asked to move the animal outside of the dorm room into more suitable living conditions.
"We ask that students remove the pets immediately and entrust the animal with a responsible owner. If they do not heed to our warning, then students will face judicial proceedings and fines," Bova said. The fine amount depends on the type of animal, he added.
Though Bova said the University's rules are clearly stated on the Web site, it doesn't seem to stop students from acquiring pets - and outrageous ones at that. Hans Sprecher '08, who is currently studying abroad in Barbados, kept a rose-haired tarantula named Cleo in his New Pembroke room last year.
"With heaps of vodka and rum scattered around the room, swords hanging on the walls, clothes drying from the water pipes and Christmas lights tangled around the fire equipment, keeping a pet seemed quite tame," Sprecher wrote in an e-mail to The Herald. "Having a tarantula is very cool - kind of like having a mouse - just a feisty, scary-looking mouse."
Sprecher and other students took turns caring for the spider and keeping it safe from discovery during room inspections. "A room check once came around when Cleo was out. Luckily, I had a friend over who was sitting on the bed flipping around a bottle of vodka, and this provided ample distraction," Sprecher said.