October 3, 2005
Dr. Lloyd Fleisher, Chairman of Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee
Dear Dr. Fleisher:
Earlier this year, the Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approved a motion to allow visitors to attend semi-annual inspections. This letter serves to intervene and promulgate additional measures to ensure the safety and wellbeing of not only the animals subject to inspection, but also the visitors endeavoring to accompany the IACUC on the inspection.
Although I admire and respect the fundamental objective of the motion and subsequent approval, this action is outside of the scope of the IACUC’s responsibilities because it is inconsistent with the intent of Chancellor Oblinger’s memorandum appointing the Committee. That memorandum defines the scope of the IACUC to institute those policies necessary to comply with federal regulations, the standards and guidelines of various accrediting bodies and the policies and procedures of the institution, including those that the IACUC develops and implements itself, as may be necessary at times, to ensure compliance with federal and accrediting body expectations. As such, I am promulgating this directive to cover visitors endeavoring to join an IACUC inspection, either by invitation or their own request.
Only those students enrolled in the Veterinary Medicine lab animal rotation or residents in laboratory animal medicine would be allowed to attend inspections outside of the procedures promulgated in this directive, provided they are pre-screened by the Director of the College of Veterinary Medicine Laboratory Animal Resources unit. Additionally, federal, state or accrediting agency personnel visiting for the express purpose of animal care and use regulation oversight are exempt from this directive.
Directive Governing Visitors on IACUC Animal Facility Inspections:
All visitors (faculty, staff, students or external visitors) not serving on the IACUC during the period of the inspection, or not otherwise serving in a capacity to have access to the facility under inspection, either through managerial or programmatic purposes, may accompany an IACUC facility inspection with prior pre-screening and execution of the IACUC Visitor Memorandum of Understanding version 10/02/2005 attached to this letter. This directive may be unilaterally modified by the Associate Vice Chancellor for Research Administration or myself provided it does not depart from the intent and form of this directive. All visitors must have a prearranged host who is authorized to be on the IACUC facility inspection and through whom they may request authorization to attend the inspection provided. Such authorization must be granted at least 2 weeks prior to the inspection itself, unless otherwise granted by the Associate Vice Chancellor, the Vice Chancellor for Research Administration or an executive officer of the institution.
The IACUC continues to impress me with its extraordinary customer-service orientation and careful deliberations on some of the most sensitive issues faced by the NC State University research enterprise. The Committee’s hard work and diligence under your leadership is much appreciated.
Sincerely,
Cc: