The College of New Jersey is committed to the humane care and use of all animals used for teaching, research and demonstration purposes. If you observe or have knowledge of activities which you believe constitute inappropriate animal care or use, you are encouraged to report such activities.
Inappropriate care and use may include but are not limited to inhumane treatment, lack of food or water, unsanitary housing conditions or use of unapproved procedures. The TCNJ Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) is required by the Federal Animal Welfare Act (the ACT) to investigate all such reports fully and confidentially. The Act further stipulates that “No facility employee, Committee member, or laboratory personnel shall be subject to any reprisal for reporting violations of any regulations or standards under the Act…”.
Please be aware that persons not familiar with animal research may misinterpret some procedures as causing pain or distress, when in fact that is not the case. However, if you believe an activity is inappropriate, you have the option of speaking directly to the people involved (e.g., professor/principal investigator, student researcher). If your concerns are not alleviated after trying this approach or, for any reason, you prefer not to speak to the people involved, you are still strongly encouraged to pursue the question within the College. Appropriate concern for animal care and animal welfare should be a basic responsibility shared by all.
Questions or concerns about animal care and use may be made known to any of the following persons:
TCNJ IACUC (contact any member)
Dr. Jeffery Erickson – IACUC Chair – (609) 771-2673
Dr. Lauren Bright – Attending Veterinarian – (848) 445-7327
Dr. Sunita Kramer – TCNJ Institutional Official – (609) 771-2724
Any questions may be directed via email to: iacuc@tcnj.edu
A more detailed description of the guidelines for handling concerns involving the care and use of vertebrate animals at TCNJ may be found in the Guidelines for Concerns Involving the Care and Use of Vertebrate Animals and Noncompliance PDF