Disability and Access

Residential life at St. Olaf College is a strong, defining feature of the student life experience. St. Olaf College has a four-year residency requirement, and during the four years students live on campus, they will live or socialize within most of St. Olaf’s eleven residence halls.

The majority of campus living is comprised of double rooms. There are exceptions to this–some residence halls also have triples, some have pods with rooms opening onto a common living area. Some rooms are in townhomes or apartment-style living, and a very small amount of rooms are single rooms. Generally, students should expect to be living with a roommate.

There is no residency requirement for St. Olaf students during the summer sessions,  therefore disability housing accommodations are not a legal requirement under the ADA and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.  However Residence Life, in coordination with Disability and Access, seek to support students in their summer housing placement to the extent possible with the halls being used that particular summer. 

Please notify your Access Specialist by May 1, if you plan to live on campus during the summer so that options can be explored.

St. Olaf College has a no-pets policy. Animals allowed on campus are:

• Emotional Support Animals–animals that have been approved by Disability and Access as an accommodation to the no pets policy. We acknowledge that pets of all sorts provide a beneficial source of companionship for their owners. However, Emotional Support Animals are not pets. They are a prescribed, necessary part of the mental health provider’s therapeutic plan for the student to address very specific needs. Animals in the process of being adopted/acquired typically will not be considered for an emotional support animal.

ESA Policy

• Service Animals–dogs that have been specifically trained to perform one or more disability-related tasks for their handler. People with Service Dogs are protected/covered under the ADA.

  ADA Policy for Service animals

Minnesota statute 609.833: It is against the law to misrepresent an animal as a service animal and is punishable by fines and jail time. An emotional support animal is not a service animal, but their owners can be liable under this law.

Dining with other students is an important part of the residential experience. With this in mind, St. Olaf College collaborates with Bon Appetit, who serves as the college’s dining service vendor, to provide high quality, nourishing, and plentiful dining options to meet student dietary needs. The Meal Plan Accommodation Procedures page will assist students who have a medical need or request that requires a special diet or students whose religious practices require them to follow certain dietary requirements. 

If, after meeting with the student to discuss their needs, it is determined that Bon Appetit cannot accommodate the student for medical reasons, DAC will be notified and an accommodation can be discussed at that time.

Due to St. Olaf College’s location on a Hill, parking options for students are extremely limited! Parking permits are not guaranteed and they are available on a first-come basis.
Do not plan to bring a car to campus until your permit has been granted. Please review the full Parking Policy for more details, as well as the Parking Center’s FAQ.

There are some excellent transportation options for Northfield and beyond, which usually are sufficient to ensure prescriptions and specialized groceries can be obtained.

If you believe you have a need for a disability-related accommodation, please complete our Campus Life Accommodation Request Form. (Note: requires your St. Olaf email account.)