No, Fluffy cannot stay in your dorm room.

Although many students coming to college regret leaving their furry friends behind, bringing an animal into your residence hall could land you in quite a bit of trouble.

Louise Garmon housed a cat in her room while living in Centennial D two years ago. “It was kind of a pain,” she said. Although the cat only lived in Garmon’s room for a couple of days, she said it was a hassle trying to keep it hidden. “I wasn’t really afraid of my RA finding out about it,” Garmon said. ” I was more afraid of the cleaning crew finding out.”

Garmon said she didn’t know of any other students in Centennial D who had pets, but said her freshman year in Altman Hall, a girl had a pet cat in her room for three months without her RA discovering it.

Students who are aching for a pet but live on campus do have one option — fish. According to the Hallways Handbook, a manual detailing the rules and regulations of the residence halls, students may have pet fish in their rooms as long as the fish tank does not exceed 30 gallons.

Those who insist on keeping non-aquatic pets in their residence hall will face a penalty if caught.

“Keeping an animal in the dorm is a minor infraction,” said T.J. Logan, assistant director of Residence Services.

Students found with pets in their rooms are required to immediately remove them. Logan said students who keep an animal in their residence hall are written up for the infraction, and students who have other infractions on their record could face disciplinary action.

The Hallways Handbook explains the reasons that animals are not allowed inside campus facilities.

“Due to the maintenance and sanitation problems that pets create, it has been determined that residence halls are not conducive to humane pet care. Thus, no pets, except fish (the fish tank capacity per room may not exceed 30 gallons), are permitted in student rooms or public areas of the halls. This policy includes the pets of guests.”

If students have found a stray animal, the Hallways Handbook states that they should contact University Police Services instead of bringing the animal into their residence hall.

Contact general assignment reporter Jessica Wojcik at [email protected].