Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

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The Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee’s (IACUC) primary responsibility is the oversight of procedures used for teaching and research involving the use of live animals.

Student holding a crayfish up to the camera.

The IACUC consists of representatives from select departments on campus in addition to an outside community member and the attending veterinarian. A faculty member from the Natural Science Division chairs the committee, which is overseen by the Provost and Dean of the Faculty.

Live Animal Use in Teaching and Research

The IACUC must review and approve all procedures for any teaching or research involving the use of live animals. Submissions to the committee can be made by filling out a protocol form and submitting it to the Committee Chair. Templates for writing a protocol are provided here: Colgate University IACUC Forms.  After submission, the protocol will be reviewed by all committee members and will either be approved or disapproved. If the protocol is disapproved an explanation as well as guidance on protocol improvement will be given to the submitting party, who can then update the protocol and resubmit it for review. Any questions regarding the submission of a protocol should be sent to the Committee Chair:

jmeyers
Jason Meyers
Associate Professor of Biology and Neuroscience, University Marshal
324 Olin Hall

Training Requirements

As a standard policy, any person involved in the use of animals for teaching or research must complete the required training prior to handling any animals. In most cases, this consists of viewing training videos on the proper handling of live animals. Additional training may be required dependent upon the scope of the teaching or research activity. Any inquiries regarding the training should be sent to the Laboratory Animal Technician:

clbaker
Cynthia (Cindy) Baker
Head Technician
144 Olin Hall

Other training may be required as part of the Occupational Health Program for Animal Handlers.

 

Reporting Animal Welfare Concerns

Colgate University is committed to the humane care and use of all animals in teaching and research. Our facilities are inspected by the New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) each year to ensure programmatic compliance. We take pride in keeping our facilities up to the standards set by both the NYSDOH and USDA to ensure the best animal care practices are being utilized.

If for any reason you suspect that an animal is being harmed or mistreated in any way, you are encouraged to report it. Although reports can be made anonymously, we encourage you to leave your name in case there are follow-up questions. All reports will be treated with confidentiality to the extent reasonably possible. To make a report, the Animal Welfare Concern Reporting Form should be filled out and submitted to either the IACUC Chair or the Laboratory Animal Technician.