WHO MUST SUBMIT A CLEARANCE FORM FOR THE USE OF ANIMALS?

A. INTRODUCTION

1.   It is the policy of CWU that all research and instruction involving animals will be reviewed by the IACUC. The involvement of animals in research and instruction activities conducted by faculty, staff or students is not permitted until the IACUC has reviewed and approved the research protocol.

• Faculty members who intend to have students collect data from animals as part of course activities or requirements shall follow the CWU Guidelines for Student Research and Class Projects ; see Part C below for a copy of these guidelines.
• Research that takes place at another institution that falls under the jurisdiction of the PHS, the USDA, and/or the Animal Welfare Act may be exempt from review by the CWU IACUC. Such determination will be made by the IACUC Chairperson.

2. Pilot studies, pretests, and other "preliminary" investigations are considered research, and must be reviewed.

3. The following activities are exempt from the requirement for a Clearance for Animal Use and Care:

• Use of dead animals or parts of dead animals obtained from a USDA certified facility.

B.  UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS

The University's PHS Assurance requires the institutional review of all animal care and use, regardless of the funding source. All members of the university community who conduct research or teaching with living vertebrate animals must submit a Clearance Form for the Use of Animals for prospective institutional review and approval before proceeding with either the purchase of animals or the collection of data.

C.  COURSE LEARNING ACTIVITIES

CWU Guidelines for Student Research and Class Projects with Animals

Review of Student Projects

Students may participate in course-related research projects and/or directed studies that are designed to provide students an opportunity to practice various research methods as well as data analysis. Within the quarter system, it can be difficult to complete a research project in a timely manner, but the IACUC wants to encourage such activities. Therefore, an effort is being made to expedite review of student projects.

If live, vertebrate animals are to be used as part of a class project which must be completed within one academic quarter, two options are available to expedite the IACUC review process in order to receive appropriately prompt approval:

1.  Individual students (or teams of students, with one acting as the Principal Investigator (PI)) may submit Clearance Forms with 'Expedited Review' indicated on the coversheet, along the class for which the research project is assigned.

a. When expedited review is chosen, the response period for members of the IACUC to request a full committee review will be two days from the time that copies of Clearance Forms are received by all IACUC members (assumed to be two days from the time the copies are mailed).

i. If no full committee review is requested, the review process will default to Designated Review (see Section 5 for review process).

ii. If a full committee review is requested, a meeting will be convened at the earliest possible convenience of members, keeping in mind the time constraints of the quarter.

b. Approval is NOT automatic; class projects are still subject to the same review process as are any research projects involving animals. To ensure prompt approval, the onus is on the PI to submit full information, ensure that all relevant federal and state regulations are met, and to promptly submit any additional information requested by the IACUC.

2. An Instructor may submit a Clearance Form for the class projects in advance of the term during which the projects are to be completed.

a.  If this option is chosen, the instructor is advised to submit the Clearance Form well enough in advance to allow for the normal review process, including the possible request for and submission of additional information.

b.  The submitted Clearance Form must specify all possible species and procedures, and combinations thereof, that could be conducted by students, along with the usual justification of numbers of animals that could be used and the justification for the species, procedures and numbers. Projects involving procedures not covered on an approved Clearance Form are not allowed.

Responsibility of Faculty Sponsors for All Student Projects/Research

• Faculty sponsors of both undergraduate and graduate student projects or research must have appropriate training in the care and use of animals which can be documented for the IACUC.
• It is the responsibility of faculty sponsors to ensure that classroom instructional activities involving animals are conducted according to the relevant ethical standards.
• When student research activities are not covered by clearance for class projects, it is the responsibility of faculty sponsors to assist students in preparing review materials for the IACUC and to ensure that the research is conducted in accordance with CWU's agreement with the federal government (the Assurance) and with applicable CWU policy.