MIT-WHOI JP REP MEMORANDUM
WHOI Student Housing Pet Policy
To: Academic Program Office
From: MIT-WHOI JP Reps
Date: March 21, 2022
Subject: WHOI Housing Not Meeting Student Needs
Summary: As housing in Woods Hole continues to grow more expensive and challenging to find, WHOI housing must update its policies to be more accommodating of student needs, specifically in regards to welcoming pets. While we understand WHOI housing has limited resources and space, we believe these changes are possible within the current constraints and will reaffirm WHOI’s commitment to DEI efforts by creating a more welcoming environment for students entering graduate school through less traditional routes, bringing pets with them.
A survey of student opinions on WHOI housing’s pet policy yielded 57 responses, with roughly half owning pets. Key results from the survey are discussed below.
- Student Support
When asked “Would you support a change to the WHOI housing policy to allow pets in some units? The updated policy would require consent from all persons sharing the space, and likely include additional cleaning requirements and deposits for pet owners,” 53 students responded “yes”, and 4 students responded “maybe”, citing concerns with allergies, cleanliness and noise. Zero students responded “no”.
- Student Needs
a. WHOI housing as a necessity
According to the WHOI housing policy, “WHOI housing is available for Joint Program students whose research or other academic activity requires that they stay overnight near the WHOI campus.” Thus, the purpose of WHOI housing is not to provide an on-campus alternative to off-campus accommodation on the Cape (similar to MIT’s on-campus graduate housing) but instead to allow students to manage being enrolled in a program with two campuses that are 80 miles apart from each other. While students in a one-campus program have the choice of either moving into an on-campus dorm or searching for off-campus accommodation, MIT-based students who need to stay partially at WHOI for their work have no alternative next to WHOI housing. The current WHOI housing pet policy is likely to cause inescapable financial and/or emotional hardship to pet owners with working responsibilities across both campuses. The subsequent numbers from the student survey support this assertion.
b. Statistics
A total of 26 students reported impacts from the current no-pet policy, with key impacts including longer commutes, difficulty attending classes/advisor meetings at WHOI, increased housing costs, extreme stress and insecurity in finding housing, and the negative emotional impacts of being separated from pets. 15 students reported being unable to come to WHOI during IAP, the summer, the semester, and/or on a transient basis due to pet housing/care concerns, with 11 students unable to come during the summer.
- Proposed Policy Changes
The JP Reps would like to propose the following changes to the WHOI housing policy:
- Designate some WHOI housing units as “pet-friendly”
- Allow students to specify “dog-friendly”, “cat-friendly” or “always pet-free” on their housing application. “Always pet-free” units will never accommodate pets of any kind (or share HVAC systems with pet-friendly units) in order to fully accommodate those with allergies.
- Allow students to indicate the number and type (e.g. cat/dog) of pets they are requesting to bring to WHOI, and if their pets get along with other animals
- Assign students appropriate housing based on their pet needs and compatibility. If insufficient housing is available, allow for a lottery system.
- Create a “Pet Addendum” for owners to sign, allowing for consistent expectations of pet cleanliness and behavior while in WHOI housing
- Example contract: https://www.humanesociety.org/sites/default/files/archive/assets/pdfs/pets/renting_with_pets/sample_pet_addendum_to_rental_agreement.pdf
- Additionally include: requirement for active flea and tick control, specific quiet time hours, and signage requirements to inform housekeeping of animals
- Create an anonymous reporting system for WHOI housing concerns related to pet behavior (noise, cleanliness, etc.)
- Student Concerns & Potential Solutions
Student concerns reported in the survey were allergies, cleanliness, wear-and-tear, and noise. We believe that the proposed policy changes above include the necessary solutions to accommodate these concerns, but welcome additional discussion of the details.
- Final Remarks
Students overwhelmingly support changes to the WHOI housing policy in order to accommodate pets, and through our survey we have documented that these changes would reduce the financial, mental, and academic hardship presented by the split campuses of the Joint Program, creating a more welcoming environment for students of all backgrounds. WHOI markets itself as a pet friendly campus, noting in Why Work at WHOI? that “WHOI is a dog-friendly campus where our four-legged friends enjoy the benefits of open spaces on Quissett Campus and a dip in the ocean on hot summer days.” The JP Reps would like to see the same enthusiastic welcome for the pets of JP students in WHOI housing.
These survey results reflect the viewpoints and experiences of students who decided to face the challenge of commuting between two campuses in the Joint Program. For some individuals, these hardships could have been a deal-breaker: we do not know how many prospective students declined to apply or attend the joint program due to the obstacles presented by limited housing options. We hope that the policy changes proposed above will bring that number closer to zero.
Signed,
The Joint Program Representatives