POLICY ON ACCESS TO ANIMAL FACILITY
Department of Biology
Eastern Washington University
2006
Animal Facility Operating Hours
The normal Animal Facility operating hours shall be on Monday through Friday, excluding university holidays, from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Access to Animal Facility Outside Normal Operating Hours
At times other than the normal operating hours, people are allowed to be in the Animal Facility only if they are authorized to have a key to the Animal Facility outside door, if they are accompanied by someone with this key, or if they have a current Animal Facility Access Approval form on file in the Animal Facility office and are admitted into the facility by the EWU Police.
The Animal Facility Director ensures that the EWU Police always have a current list of the people who have keys to the Animal Facility or who have a current Animal Facility Access Approval form on file in the Animal Facility office.
Keys to Animal Facility (176 Science Building)
Keys to the Animal Facility outside door (176 Science Building) may be authorized for the following people:
Current employees of EWU who work in the Animal Facility: veterinarian, faculty, staff.
Graduate students who are using the Animal Facility for Master’s Thesis research.
Graduate students who are teaching or assisting with teaching labs that use the Animal Facility, and who are authorized to have a key by the Animal Facility Director.
A key card for the Animal Facility outside door may be signed only by the Department of Biology Chair or Animal Facility Director.
Animal Facility outside door keys must be relinquished as soon as employment by EWU ends, a master’s thesis is finished, or a teaching obligation is finished.
Approval for Animal Facility Admittance by EWU Police
The EWU Police are authorized to allow entry into the Animal Facility only to people who have a current Animal Facility Access Approval form on file in the Animal Facility office (or who have an Animal Facility key, but don’t have it when needed) and who also have an Animal Facility access code. The EWU Police must look at a photo ID first.
Requirements for a current Animal Facility Access Approval form are described in the “Training Required for Animal Facility Access” policy. This approval normally is intended for students who are assisting faculty with research and for students conducting their own research for coursework.
Access Codes for Animal Facility Security System
Access codes for the Animal Facility security system (inside door of 176 Science Building) may be authorized for the following people:
Current employees of EWU who work in the Animal Facility: veterinarian, faculty, staff.
Graduate students who are using the Animal Facility for Master’s Thesis research.
Graduate students who are teaching or assisting with teaching labs that use the Animal Facility, and who are authorized to have an access code by the Animal Facility Director.
Graduate and undergraduate students who are working on a project that uses the Animal Facility.
Animal Facility access codes are assigned by the Animal Facility Director.
Animal Facility access codes are deleted at the end of each academic quarter for students using the facility for projects, for graduate students when they finish their master’s thesis research, and for faculty and staff when their employment ends.
Role of Animal Caretakers
When students do not have approval for Animal Facility access outside of normal operating hours, Animal Caretakers are expected to perform tasks for student projects that need to be done on the weekends. These tasks include, for example, changing food dishes or water bottles. Students are expected to prepare items such as food dishes and water bottles for the Animal Caretakers, as well as leaving clear instructions for the Animal Caretakers.
Photoperiods
Animal room photoperiods may be changed to allow students to perform procedures with animals during normal Animal Facility operating hours and during appropriate times of the animals’ circadian cycles.