Appendix A — Barn Attendance and Continuity of Care

Student Handbook, 2026–27 edition · Issued August 2026 · Responsible office: Division of Animal and Agricultural Sciences, in consultation with the Office of the Dean of Students · Next review with the 2027–28 edition

This appendix states the attendance and care rules common to students assigned to animal care in Barn Complex B. Program handbooks state the requirements of each program and govern where they are more specific.

1. Care assignments

Students in programs and courses with an animal-care component are assigned care shifts by the instructor at the start of the term. A care assignment is scheduled instruction for attendance purposes.

Animal care continues every day of the term, including weekends, recess periods, and days on which the College is closed. Barn Complex B is checked at 6:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. daily. Students assigned to a morning shift report for the 6:00 a.m. check.

A student who cannot attend an assigned shift notifies the instructor before the shift begins. A missed shift is not made up by another student unless the trade has been approved by the instructor.

2. Authorized hours

Under Section 9.4(a) of the Student Code of Conduct, authorized hours are the posted hours of the building or area and the hours of any scheduled instruction or scheduled animal-care assignment in it. A student is in Barn Complex B outside posted hours only for an assigned shift.

Under Section 9.4(b), overnight presence in College buildings and on College grounds is prohibited, without exception for weather, scheduling, or program obligation. The prohibition includes Barn Complex B and vehicles parked in College lots.

Under Section 9.4(c), a student who has nowhere to go on a given night should contact the Dean of Students at ext. 2140 during business hours or Campus Safety at ext. 2911 at any staffed hour, and will not be disciplined for asking.

3. Recess periods and closures

Shop, barn, and clinical assignments may require attendance during recess periods where continuity of care or process requires it. Affected students are notified by the program. See the Academic Calendar.

Recess assignments are made by the instructor. Animal care in Barn Complex B continues on its regular schedule during weather and emergency closures; see Weather and Closures.

4. Distance, trades, and accommodation

Students living more than 30 minutes from campus should discuss the care schedule with the Division Chair before enrolling. Students may trade care shifts with classmates under an arrangement approved by the instructor; the Division office keeps an informal list of students willing to trade.

A student whose disability affects an early-morning or recess assignment may request accommodation through Disability Services. Accommodation is not retroactive, and students are encouraged to request before the term begins.

5. Biosecurity and zoonotic disease

• Wash hands with soap and water before leaving Barn Complex B and before eating or drinking.
• Food and drink are not consumed in the stalls, the feed room, the tack room, or at the wash rack.
• Closed-toe footwear is worn in Barn Complex B at all times.
• Report to the instructor, the same day, any animal that appears ill or injured, and any bite, kick, scratch, or crush injury to a person. First aid kits are maintained in Barn Complex B.
• A student who becomes ill after animal contact should tell the health care provider that the student works with livestock.
• A student who is pregnant or whose immune system is compromised is encouraged to consult a health care provider about animal contact, and may contact the Office of the Dean of Students regarding adjustments.
• Program animals are handled only under the protocols of the Division. Enrolled animals are not permitted outside Barn Complex B, Pasture 4, and the conditioning course except under an instructor.
• Program-specific immunization requirements, including tetanus documentation, are stated on the program’s page and in the program handbook; see Health Services.

The Division’s zoonotic disease and biosecurity protocols are issued with each program handbook.

6. Animal emergencies

Do not approach or attempt to capture an escaped animal. Notify Campus Safety and the Division of Animal and Agricultural Sciences, ext. 2410, and keep others away from the area.

7. Minors and visitors

• Children may not be brought to barn areas as an alternative to childcare (Policy 6.55).
• Minors present for a College program are supervised at all times by a designated adult, at a ratio of 1:6 in any barn setting regardless of age.
• Children under 12 are not taken into Barn Complex B on campus tours.
• Animals brought to campus by visitors are permitted only by prior arrangement. Pets are not permitted on campus or in College lots at any time, including in vehicles (Policy 6.40).
• Service animals are governed by Policy 6.40.
• Barn Complex B is a fire hazard area under Policy 4.16. A personal defense spray is not carried in Barn Complex B (Policy 4.14).