A Lesson of Prioritizing

By: Vivian Pham, Staff Writer

It was a week prior to my dorm move-in. I was sitting on the floor, surrounded by moving boxes and my possessions scattered across the room. The process of sorting the things to bring for college and the things to donate was probably one of the most painful processes I’ve been through. Everything mattered, at least in my defense. I had no intention in giving away anything, even the decor I’ve been trying to hold onto since middle school. To me, each object linked to a memory or experience that I didn’t have the heart to throw away. So with that in mind, I threw everything that I wouldn’t bring with me to college into several boxes and stacked them up in my closet, ignoring my mom’s complaint and threats that she’d get rid of them sooner or later.

Last summer, I visited home for the first time since moving into my college dorm. As I opened the closet, a few boxes fell off the stack, instantly bringing me back to the previous fall. I quickly unpacked the boxes and thought to myself, “What on earth am I trying to hold onto?” All the little decors, the exam papers from high school, the notebooks, the friendship bracelet from someone I hadn’t seen for ages, etc. All the things that I once claimed as my prized possessions, suddenly turned into a junk of useless garbage. Maybe it was because I no longer feel connected to these objects, maybe because I’ve been constantly moving from place to place that I now only possess fewer and more useful things that I actually use daily, or maybe because of both reasons. I’m not sure.

If there’s only one thing that I learn from all of this, it would surely be the lesson of priority. When I moved into the dorm, my whole life was packed up in two 50lb-checked-bags, a carry-on suitcase, and a backpack. No more, no less. Life is just like these moving processes. There are so many things, so many events happen in the course of 24 hours, but there are only a few that will go with you for the rest of your life. I slowly learned, through these moving processes, what I need to do in a day that’s worth my effort and attention, who I should be caring for, and most importantly, which stuff I should keep or throw away.

Messages from the Student Summit

By: Danny Gonzales-Hyde, Staff Writer

On October 5, Regis held a student summit, a meeting between students and administration that had the overarching goal of connecting the two. Despite its initial goals, emotions bubbled over as students shared meaningful questions that we, as a student body, want answers to. During the hour that was set aside for student questions, a lot was brought up, but a few main themes emerged. Questions around the Title IX office were common, as there seemed to be confusion around the way in which they have handled cases in the past. Other offices were also brought up, such as VAVP (Victim Advocacy and Violence Prevention) which has puzzlement surrounding its association with the community, and the CARE (Crisis Assessment Risk Evaluation) office, which deals with disciplinary action. This confusion around accessible resources is yet another recurring theme that persisted throughout the discussion. One such instance of this is how students don't know who the administrators are and what their roles on campus are, which has resulted in a lack of trust between the students and the administration. This also extends into students not knowing what our mental health resources are, with the looming memory of COVID-19 in our peripheral. This resource should be accessible to all students even as COVID-19 begins to wind down, mental health should remain a priority for our campus. 

Other subjects that students brought up, on a number of occasions, were campus security and the lack of support that commuter students receive. In the case of campus security, there were inquiries surrounding how long the response time is when they are called, along with one student calling for them to be armed. These claims came partially as a result of the recent threat on campus from earlier this month when the student body received an alert from campus security that there were potentially two armed individuals on campus. This threat seemed to have really resonated with students, as many had reason to be panicked and were forced to hide in less-than-ideal locations. Commuter students were also present at the summit and made it known that it is difficult for them to be involved and feel a part of campus life. This was brought up with the hope that the administration can figure out some ways to make commuter students feel more at home while on campus. 

Despite all that was mentioned in this article, a few bright spots emerged from the discussion. For one, a line of communication has now been established between the student body and the administration. This will play a vital role in hopefully getting things done that are important to students not only now but in the future. Secondly, it seems that students are fond of the faculty and the relationships that they have built with them inside and outside the classroom. This also came along with high praise for certain administrators, such as Dave Law, who was met with cheers when he was introduced. Nevertheless, student concerns extend beyond just the meeting, and they are curious about what a follow-up could look like and what form it could potentially take as it has much uncertainty surrounding it. Students are now looking forward to seeing the results of the summit and to observing what changes may arise on campus now that their voices have been heard. 

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Editor’s Note: There appeared to be a collective sense of frustration with the current status of Regis’ affairs, and a notable fear and worry of concerns going unheard. To those with unresolved feelings, things to say about what transpired, or those wanting an avenue for your voice to be heard, I encourage you to pursue a couple channels at your disposal. For one, The Highlander always welcomes student submissions, in whatever format you prefer to use, whether that be written, visual, or somewhere in between. Further, RUSGA has made it a priority this year to make everyone’s voice heard, especially our president, Madelaine Johnson. 

Contact Information: 

Editor in Chief, Morgan Jacobus: mjacobus001@regis.edu 

Student Body President, Madelaine Johnson: mjohnson048@regis.edu

Gunman On Campus

By: Charlize Woods, Staff Writer

On September 6th, at 9:20pm, an RU Alert was sent out to all students of Regis University notifying students that a lockdown had been placed on the campus. This lockdown was a result of a call about three men who were seen walking towards the field house, and one appeared to have a shotgun. As the lockdown persisted, it was explained that police had been dispatched to the campus and would be clearing buildings one by one. From 9:20pm to 12:39am, Regis remained in lockdown. 

In the little over three-hour lockdown, many students went through a great deal of emotions. Some students who live in Desmet Hall were stating how they have never had to deal with something like this, besides practice drills in high school, so they were at a loss of what was happening. My neighbor on the first floor stated that she was terrified and wanted to go home. She lives out of state so she was even more upset that she couldn’t be in the safety of her own home after the lockdown would end. 

While most were terrified, I talked to a few students who claimed to have been incredibly irritated by the lack of communication that was given. In my first year writing class the morning after, many of my peers were stating how the updates can not even be defined as such; they were redundant reminders to stay in a safe place and not to move. While this is good advice, it wasn’t helpful in knowing what was happening. 

Another issue that people had with the RU alerts the night of the lockdown was the text message alerts that were being sent out. It seemed to be a pattern of the full message being cut off. For example, one text message read, “DPD advises all Regis community members to remain where they are until they have finished clearing the campus. They do not want-” and then it cuts off completely until another message is sent out. 

In the end of this whole mess, none of the men were found, but the campus was cleared to end the lockdown. This experience was, for many people, terrifying, and also frustrating. Towards the end, many students stated that they were just tired, had to go to the bathroom, or were starting to just go to other rooms in their residence hall to talk about the whole situation. The only good thing that could come from such a terrible experience is the RU alerts being improved, God forbid something like this happens again.

ESAs vs. Service Animals: Are Emotional Support Animals Devaluing the Work of Certified Service Animals?

By: Austin Price, Staff Writer

I am sure all of us animal-lovers wished our pets could be with us 24/7 at some point in our lives. Perhaps it was because we were lonely or were feeling homesick. Maybe it was due to undiagnosed anxiety, and symptoms of depression. Or maybe we simply loved our pets as if they were our children and wanted them to be with us. But, in the back of our minds, we begrudgingly accepted that this was an unrealistic expectation of our pets, and a misinterpretation of the comfort of those around us. We understood that keeping an animal with us was inconvenient and a lot of work. However, we still secretly wished we could keep our pets with us, no questions asked. Well now, we can. 

The National Service Animal Registry is a for-profit organization that allows pet owners to register their pets, no matter the animal, as certified Emotional Support Animals. Due to the crippling stigma around mental health, Emotional Support Animals were originally undermined if not dismissed entirely. In generations past, physical illnesses were seen as more severe and debilitating than mental illnesses. However, Generation Z has challenged this theory using social media platforms to recognize their own mental illnesses, and advocate for accessible mental health services. 

In 2011, the National Service Animal Registry reported 2,400 emotional support animals in its registry. As of 2019, it reports over 200,000 animals registered. In the fight for mental health awareness, Generation Z has brought the validity of emotional support animals and their benefits to the forefront of discussion. However, critics argue that emotional support animals devalue the status of certified service animals and believe that such easy access to ESA certification leads to pet owners taking advantage of this process and using certification as an excuse to keep their animals with them in all situations. 

Officially, an emotional support animal is defined as an animal that provides relief to individuals with psychiatric disability through companionship. ESAs can be an animal of any kind, and do not require any specific training or receive an official certification that verifies their abilities. Qualifying for an emotional support animal requires a person to have a diagnosed emotional, mental, or psychological condition, such as anxiety, depression, panic disorders, post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, mood disorder, or other paranoias. ESA owners are typically asked to possess a doctor-provided ESA letter as documentation. Only a licensed professional can provide you with an official “prescription” for an emotional support animal, but the process is easily accessible and reasonably inexpensive with most ESA letters priced at around $100 to $200. 

In comparison, certified service animals are defined as a dog that is individually trained to perform tasks or do work for the benefit of a person with a physical or mental disability. In some circumstances, a miniature horse who is individually trained also qualifies as a service animal. A service animal may be paired with a person with visual impairment, seizure disorder, hearing loss, mobility challenges, diabetes, and other conditions. Service dogs participate in strict training that enables them to help their owners function daily, including completing tasks and alerting them to potential oncoming emotional or physical episodes. To be considered a service animal, training and certification must be achieved. This training ensures that they can serve the medical needs of their owner on a consistent basis. 

The main difference between ESAs and certified service animals is their level of recognition in the Americans with Disabilities Act or, the ADA. The ADA is a law that prevents any form of discrimination against disabled persons in various aspects of public life, including education, transportation, employment, and housing. The ADA makes provisions for certified service dogs, allowing them in public places, but because emotional support animals are categorized separately from service animals, they are not granted the same level of coverage. However, ESAs are covered by The Fair Housing Act which requires property owners and landlords to make a fair attempt to allow ESAs, regardless of “no pet” policies, as well as possible protection from pet rent and other additional housing charges because the law makes a clear distinction from regular “pets” and ESAs.  

Due to the surge in registered ESAs, certified service animals are often discredited and underappreciated. For example, the Air Carrier Access Act is a law that gives airlines wide latitude over how various creatures are handled in the aircraft, and until January of 2021, it allowed ESAs to accompany their owners in the aircraft cabin. However, due to public incidents involving ESAs bothering fellow passengers, airlines such as United Airlines and Delta Air Lines have banned ESAs from traveling in the aircraft cabin and instead requiring them to travel in the cargo hold, where luggage and freight is packed.

 In the United States, service dogs were not legally recognized until the ADA was passed in 1990. The ADA defines a service dog as any guide dog, signal dog or other animals individually trained to aid a person with a disability. Because of the long overdue passing of this law, service dogs have earned the right to be considered mandatory companions for their owners with their specific disabilities correlating with their dogs specific training. Service dogs require more funding and support than ESAs because of the varying needs their owners have. To a lot of service dog owners, ESAs are a way to cheat the system. However, ESA supporters advocate for their rights and their desire to keep their animals with them whenever they deem necessary.

This is a complex argument. When a person suffers a seizure, they need immediate medical attention, which in some cases, can be provided by a trained service dog. However, the same could be said for someone suffering a crippling anxiety attack or a manic episode due to a mental health crisis. They may need immediate attention and support from their ESA as well. Many questions are raised in the debate over ESA rights and service animal requirements. Why should those with personal ailments be discredited based on an internal, mental illness? How are physical illnesses recognized as more important, or more deadly? Why has the stigma of mental illness carried on into the justification of the need for ESAs and why are they not given the same rights that certified service animals are? Should ESAs be required to receive the same level of training as certified service animals in order to be covered by law and protected by the ADA? 

Personally, I believe in the validity of ESAs. As someone who struggles with mental illnesses myself, I understand how powerful the presence of a trusted and beloved companion can be. I recognize that both mental illnesses and physical illnesses are their own entity, and should be valued equally, despite what part of the person they impact. I see the need for support from animals and how emotionally impactful they can be on humans. 

However, I also see why advocates for certified service animals are against ESAs. I think that the bias of ESAs and the belief that they are cheating the system is due to the easy access to ESA certification. As a result of the magic of the internet, ESAs can be certified by a pet owner without ever showing the company the animal. I do not think ESAs should be granted certification with such little restrictions and with little to no actual connection between the pet owners and the companies providing ESA certification. I also think that ESAs should be required to complete a small amount of basic training, making them behaved, pleasant creatures to be around. ESAs should have enough manners and discipline that they do not negatively impact those around them, giving them more access to more public places and improving the situation for the owner, the animal, and the audience around them.