Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee

The purpose of the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) at The College of St. Scholastica is to provide oversight and regular review of research activity involving animals as required by the National Institutes of Health regulations (Public Law 99-158) and U.S. Department of Agriculture regulations (Animal Welfare Act, 9 CFR 2.31).

St. Scholastica employees doing research that involves live vertebrate animals (no matter the funding source) and/or teaching a course that involves live vertebrate animals must complete an animal use protocol that will be reviewed and approved by the IACUC before such research/coursework can be conducted.

Instructions for Submitting an Animal Use Protocol

1. Copies of all forms are available via email from the IACUC Chair Jenean O’Brien
2. All applicants must submit the Main Protocol Form as well as the Protocol Addendum.
3. Applicants may need to submit one or both of these addenda:
   • Occupational Health and Safety Addendum (if the research involves the use of radioactive or biohazardous materials)
   • Surgery Addendum (if the research involves survival surgeries on any animals)
4. All completed forms must be sent to the IACUC chair Jenean O’Brien for review by the Committee.

IACUC Membership

1. One practicing scientist faculty member experienced in research involving animals (Jenean O’Brien, PhD, Chair)
2. One Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (Justin Dahl, DVM)
3. One practicing scientist, academic faculty and/or staff member (Pamela Freeman, PhD, Associate Professor of Biology)
4. One community member who is not affiliated with St. Scholastica (Sara Post)
5. One non scientist faculty and/or staff member (Alexa Lee Johnson, Grants Management Specialist)

All IACUC members and federally-funded researchers (employees and students) must complete online training through the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) program. Please contact Jenean O’Brien for specific instructions.

IACUC members and federally-funded researchers (employees and students) that come into direct contact with live vertebrates must complete an Animal Healthcare Questionnaire. Please contact Jenean O’Brien for specific instructions.

To report any animal welfare concerns, you can contact any member of the Committee and/or the IACUC Institutional Official and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Ryan Sandefer.

All employees of The College of St. Scholastica are covered by the Minnesota Whistleblower Act (Minnesota Statute 181.932) which provides procedures and protections for employees who may wish to disclose information about a suspected or planned violation of any state or federal law or rule or regulation adopted pursuant to law. Protections covered by this Act include anonymity, if it is reasonably possible to do so. Information on this Act can be found on the website of the Minnesota Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

Students may report concerns through The College of St. Scholastica Student Complaint Process; complaints are received by the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The procedure for using the Student Complaint Process is contained in the student handbook.