Michelangelo, a turtle; Louis, a bearded dragon; and Daisy, a rabbit, are some of the pets that moved in along with Delaware Valley University’s new students on Saturday, Aug. 24. The university welcomed new students and pets to campus with teams of volunteers who helped unload cars and set up rooms.
On the second floor of Samuel Hall, which has pet-friendly rooms, new students were setting up their pets’ habitats as they set up their rooms.
DelVal was an early adopter of pet-friendly housing and created its policy with input from students. While the university does not allow cats and dogs as pets, students can apply to have small pets from an approved list. The list of approved pets includes fish, hermit crabs, approved snakes, lizards and amphibians, hamsters, gerbils, guinea pigs, chinchillas, rats, mice and rabbits.
Cheyanne Brown, of Monroeton, Pa., a biology major who wants to be a veterinarian, brought Daisy, a rabbit, with her.
“I think it will be worth it to have a pet here,” said Brown of her decision to bring Daisy along to school.
Cassidy Vinal, a new student from Southington, Conn., will be majoring in zoo science. She said being able to bring her bearded dragon, Louis, with her was one of the reasons DelVal appealed to her.
“I chose Delaware Valley University for the majors that were offered and definitely for the fact that I could bring Louis with me,” said Vinal.
Arianna Taylor, who is from Edison, N.J., brought her turtle, Michelangelo, with her to campus this year. Taylor is majoring in biology with a specialization in zoology. She chose DelVal after visiting and seeing the campus.
“I liked seeing how the campus was set up. It’s small, but not too small,” said Taylor.
Her roommate, Nycole Hale, who is a counseling psychology major from Spring Grove, also took the opportunity to apply to have a pet. Hale brought her hamster, Kap, to campus.
Paisley Ashland from Lovettsville, Va., heard about the university from alumni in her field. She plans to major in zoo science and chose the university after talking with alumni about their careers.
“I was told about DelVal by a bunch of successful alumni, and that is what attracted me to the school,” said Ashland.
Fast Facts About the New Students:
- The top three majors for new students are animal science, conservation and wildlife management, and small animal science.
- There are seven new active/veteran military students this year.
- Students came to Delaware Valley University from 17 states this year.
