Dogs may be man’s best friend, but some best friends aren’t allowed to stay the night.

With few exceptions, pets are not allowed by NIU to be kept in the residence halls. The only exceptions to this rule are fish and service animals for individuals with disabilities.

Animals, amphibians and birds are not allowed to be kept in dorm rooms, according to official Housing and Dining policy. Pets are classified by Housing and Dining as items that could create a fire or safety hazard, a public nuisance or something that could cause damage to university property.

Angela Branson, director of Residential Life, said all punishments for storing pets in the dorm rooms are handled like alcohol and noise violations, which are sent through Judicial Affairs. From there, it is up to Judicial Affairs to hand down the appropriate punishment to a student, Branson said. Reprimands can range from a written warning to fines.

John Work, a junior history major, doesn’t believe having small pets in the dorms should be something worthy of punishment.

“It’s kind of excessive to say, ‘No pets,’ because there are already, albeit small ones, that aren’t causing problems,” Work said. “There’s no reason to put that on the record, unless you have a 150-pound St. Bernard roaming around. Seems like something like that should be handled off the books; just let [students] take care of it.”

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