Officials at the North Carolina School of the Arts may ban most dogs from campus grounds. The proposed regulation would mostly affect dog lovers who take their dogs for walks on the park-like college campus during warm weather months.
The proposal was partially prompted by concerns about allergies, said Beth Cox, NCSAs director of human resources. Its very important, for the people who come here to work or come to school, for us to keep them safe, Cox told the Winston-Salem (North Carolina) Journal.
According to a draft of the proposed policy, people seen walking dogs or other animals on the 67-acre, Winston-Salem campus would be asked to leave. Service animals and performing dogs would be exempted. Students, staff, faculty and visitors are already informally barred from taking pets to work and school.
NCSAs proposed policy isn't without precedent in North Carolina. Dogs on leashes are allowed at Wake Forest University, but across town at Salem College, they're limited to the campus perimeter.
The University of North Carolina at Charlotte has a policy limiting animals to service, research and animals that are bought on campus for a purpose specifically approved and under conditions required by the chancellor or a vice chancellor.
The NCSA proposal could become policy if school officials agree to forward it to trustees for a vote. The trustees next meet on April 6 and 7.
Posted: April 5, 2006, 5 a.m. EST