GWU students demand firing of professor who wouldn’t let service pitbull into class

According to The Hatchet, Professor Marie Matta argued with student Liza Malinsky in class late last month about the dog’s (named Charlie) presence in class.

Malinsky, who describes herself as a “disabled Black woman with a history of trauma” and “crippling anxiety,” claims on her Instagram page that Matta “humiliated” her and acted illegally by “expos[ing] confidential information about [her] accommodations and disabilities in front of all of [her] peers.”

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One of Malinsky cheerleading teammates, Carly Shaffer, started a Change.org petition on February 1 calling on Matta (left) to be fired for engaging in “racial and ableist injustices.”

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In response to a Facebook comment which claimed Charlie isn’t actually a service dog and that she trained the dog herself, Malinsky said “all legal under [Americans with Disabilities Act] law.”

While it is true service animals do not have to be professionally trained, the ADA specifically notes “emotional support, therapy, comfort, or companion animals” do not qualify as service animals. There is an exception, however, for “psychiatric service animals” which serve to calm those with anxiety attacks.

"Emotional support pitbull" 📯📯