The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3 - 130

David H. K. Nguyen * Joan Collier * Angela Watts * Camille Cartwright * Amelia King-Kostelac

state constitutions, laws, and regulations have
created a hodge-podge of policies that affect
the legality of carrying guns on-campus (Birnbaum, 2013). state laws and institutional policies vary drastically; while some do not allow
any weapons on-campus, whatsoever, some
allow them in certain locations, while others
have very little restrictions. and then, some
states prohibit institutions from banning

One area of contention is the
laws and guidelines surrounding
concealed campus carry . In recent
years, campus violence has been on
the rise, creating a highly charged
debate about campus carry laws,
active shooter procedures, and
other emergency protocols . The
debate over firearms on college and
university campuses is complex .

weapons on-campus (Birnbaum, 2013). this
maze makes it very important for residence
life professionals to understand the law so
that they are able to enforce and protect the
students in their care.

Students with Disabilities
students with disabilities require priority housing assignments that comply with the
americans with Disabilities act (aDa) accom130

modations. additionally, residence life staff
should be knowledgeable of aDa accommodations and inquiries/requests made by prospective and current residents. as part of these
requirements, residence halls should have
automatic doors for students who use wheelchairs, raised character or braille signage for
visually-impaired students, cleared pathways,
movable furniture, and fire alarm strobes in
student rooms for hearing-impaired students.
staff should ensure that housing facilities
provide "equal opportunity for students with
disabilities" and that they are able to "benefit
from all the services of [the] institution and . . .
campus facilities" (aDa one, 2017).
additionally, aDa accommodations can
manifest in the form of service or therapy
animals. service animals are allowed with
minimal restrictions in residence halls in an
effort to abide by aDa guidelines. "effective
march 15, 2011, the aDa defines a service
animal as a 'dog that is individually trained
to do work or perform tasks for a person with
a disability'" (united states Department of
Justice, 2011, para. 2). Bauman, Davidson,
sachs and Kotarski (2013) note that the fair
housing act (fha) (1988) does not share the
aDa's definition of a service animal. huss
(2005) found a difference in the fha and
aDa definitions. under the fha, the definition of an assistance animal is broader than
that of a service animal under the aDa and
includes what commonly would be referred
to as an emotional support animal. although
the fha provides a much broader definition of
service or therapy animals, both the aDa and
fha require reasonable accommodations for
students with disabilities. it is important that
residence life staff members are conscious of

T h e J o u r n a l o f C o l l e g e a n d U n i v e r s i t y St u d e n t H o u s i n g

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 44, No. 3