Today, I got a text from my suite mate saying that RA's had come into our room (with no warning) and searched all of our rooms. I was told that I would have to get "my little pet" out by Monday. The "little pet" that the woman was referring to is my guinea pig, Nugget.

Here's where my frustration begins: besides the fact that her words were super condescending, that living creature is not some pet. When a person decides to adopt an animal, that animal is not some toy to play with whenever you want. I signed up to always take care of her, that means waking up at 3am and feeding her, taking her to the vet, and making sure that she is happy all the time. When people treat animals like items, call them it, or neglect them, it really pisses me off. Every animal life is important, and should be treated equal whether its a dog or a hamster.

Another thing that bothered me was that she told me to get "it" out of there by Monday. I live five hours away from school, and I don't have a car on campus. So, for me to commit to a ten hour trip to bring a living creature back to my house (where no one would be able to take care of her) is a little impractical.

The final thing, I get that I go to a private university and that my rights don't necessarily follow the state laws, but I don't think it's acceptable to come into my room, with no warning, whenever you want. I am an adult, I can vote, go to war, get arrested. I can't drink alcohol, which I understand, but to be treated like a child, to be talked down to, and to be told to rearrange my life style because someone says so, is not okay with me. I was treated like a criminal, like I violated the law because I chose to adopt a guinea pig. And for those of you who don't know, I saved her life, because most guinea pigs are euthanized when they aren't adopted.

Conclusion: I didn't do anything wrong by keeping a living creature in my dorm room, I keep her happy and healthy. I'm going to be written up and fined if I can't find her a home, and that's really upsetting because I gave her an amazing home. I hope that Bryant University would consider changing the rules, because having Nugget has made me a better person, and I shouldn't be penalized for adopting her.

What needs to change: Instead of prohibiting animals, regulate them. Do screenings to make sure the student is able to take proper care of the animal. Register them, create a check up system to make sure that the animal is healthy and happy.