Shenandoah University welcomes new students, enacts new pet policy

Approximately 1,100 residential students are moving into their Shenandoah University residence halls this week as the university prepares for one of its largest incoming classes.

While it is too early to confirm the number of new students Shenandoah University will enroll this year, it is expected this will be one of the school’s largest incoming classes of new students ever with approximately 515 first-year students, 200 transfer students, and 450 graduate students. Fall enrollment numbers will not be finalized and official until a census is taken in early October.

In 2020’s final October tally of new incoming students, there were 518 first-time, degree-seeking first-year students, 207 transfer students and 565 graduate students.

Total student enrollment is 3,995 this year.

Shenandoah’s new pet policy

Shenandoah University has enacted a new pet policy, which starts this fall.

Pets are allowed in designated rooms in two residence halls on the main campus: South Campus Commons and Edwards Residential Village. Pet owners must complete and file a pet registration application and must receive approval before bringing the pet to campus.

“Shenandoah recognizes that pets can play a valuable role in helping students transition to residential campus life,” the policy states. “For example, pets can help students make friends by acting as an icebreaker. Pets may also be good exercise partners, or companions to alleviate homesickness.”

Residents are only permitted one pet, and each room in the residence halls can only have one pet in it. Pets can be large, such as dogs (weighing 40 pounds or less), cats, rabbits, birds (measuring 16-32 inches) and chinchillas, or small, such as fish, birds (measuring less than 16 inches), rats, hedgehogs, hamsters, sugar gliders, gerbils, guinea pigs, amphibians, and small reptiles.

Pets cannot be non-native or exotic.

Pet owners are responsible for protecting the rights of all community members as well as the physical beauty of the campus. The cost to register a pet is $250 for the academic year. These fees will be charged to a student’s account.

If an animal misbehaves, it falls to the Residence Life department’s discretion to determine the seriousness of the pet’s actions. As a general rule, if the pet misbehaves three times or becomes overly aggressive, the pet owner may be prohibited from bringing the pet to campus again. They’ll also be responsible for any expenses and cleaning resulting from their pet’s behavior.