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About The daily Nebraskan. ([Lincoln, Neb.) 1901-current | View Entire Issue (March 15, 1989)
UNL research animals to be centrally located in future By David G. Young Siaff Reporter Future need for animal care facili ties will be determined by a survey distributed Feb. 23 by Vice Chancel lor for Research John Yost, Yost said. The survey comes after a gradual increase in the number of University of Nebraska-Lincoln projects requir ing animal research, not because of an increase in the number of animals being used, said Gene White, director of UNL’s institutional animal care program. UNL researchers arc conducting 220 projects requiring animal speci mens now. He said that although the number of projects has increased, each project uses fewer animals than before. Because the projects are con ducted by many different depart ments, the animals arc spread out over many different buildings, White said. This high dispersion makes ani mal care less efficient, he said. One solution to this problem, which will be discussed after the re sults of the survey arc analyzed, is the centralization of facilities on cam pus, Yost said. “As we assess the needs, it cer tainly will involve expense,’’ he said. “That will also be true if we need to provide central facilities on campus. (The) centralized facilities initiative would be taken by this campus with respect to efficiency with research.” The results of the survey will ad dress how UNL can best comply with federal animal care regulations with out impeding research efforts, he said. ‘‘We’recertainly interested in the amount of funds that will be needed to keep us under federal guidelines through the Federal Animal Welfare Act,” he said. Under regulations initiated by the U.S. Office for Protection from Re search Risks, UNL is eligible for federal research grants involving animals if researchers comply with the “Guide for the Care and Use ol Laboratory Animals,” White said. Yost said he is required to sign an assurance form each year, to state that UNL is in compliance with these regulations. UNL received SI.5 million in federal grants for research with ani mals in the 1987-88 term, Yost said, and receipts arc expected to be higher this year. “We will comply, no question about it, because we would not want to lose that funding through the Na tional Institute of Health,” he said. White said the “Guide for the former student arraigned tor counts of theft by deception From Staff Reports A former University of Ncbraska Lincoln student was arraigned in Lancaster County Court Tuesday for two counts of theft by deception, said John Colbom, deputy Lancaster County attorney. Sean D. Foster reportedly used an acquaintance’s student ID in late October and early December to falsely obtain two short-term loans through the Office of Scholarships and Financial Aid, said Sgt. Mylo Bushing of the UNL Police Depart ment. The loan checks were for $500 each and were later cashed, he said. Foster was sentenced in Douglas County Court last Friday to six months probation for a Class I misde meanor forgery charge, according to a court spokesman. In late January, Foster reportedly had attempted to cash a $600 short term loan check in Omaha that had been obtained from the UNL finan cial aid office, Bushing said. This loan also was secured by falsely using an acquaintance’s student ID, he said. Bushing said the department was investigating the October and De cember forgeries when the Omaha Police Department contacted them. He said a UNL investigating offi cer visited with Foster in Omaha, who admitted committing the Octo ber and December forgeries. Bushing said documents obtained in the inves - ligation support Foster’s statements. Foster, a UNL student in the fall of 1988, will return to court for a docket call March 20, according to court records. At this lime, Foster will re quest or waive the right to a prelimi nary hearing, Colbom said. Dead week changes proposed By Julie Dauel Staff Reporter An AS UN senator proposed to the Faculty Senate Tuesday that the Uni versity of Nebraska-Lincoln hold no classes the Thursday and Friday of dead week. Sen. Carmen Currey of the Asso ciation of Students of the University of Nebraska said students could use those two days to “catch up” on studying before finals week. Currey, a Teachers College sena tor, also proposed that professors fol low dead week policy more closely. She said a survey given to more than 400 UNL students indicates that students do not disagree with the current dead week policy, but with the way it is followed. “Students don’t see why it’s a dead week because they still take quizzes and write papers,’’ she said. John Braeman, a history profes sor, said a lot of students and faculty do not have an understanding of the policy. He said students have a legiti mate complaint about the way the dead week policy is followed and enforced. William Lewis, a mathematics and statistics professor, said he sees a “certain loss’’ for students if they do not attend classes those two days. 4 ‘There are other ways to improve academic excellence than to not have class,” he said. The senate voted to send the pro posal to the Calendar and Exam Committee and will take action at a later date. • 1 /» rarties attacK opposing piatjorms DEBATE From Page 1 But, Gestring said, it is important to realize that not all students want to get involved in AS UN. The debate heated when Rock was asked about a PRIDE poster hung in the Harpcr-Schramm-Smith resi dence hall complex. The poster said residence hall students need to work together to defeat IMPACT and al leged that IMPACT is a party4 4 run by greeks and funded almost entirely by grecks.” Rock said PRIDE represents resi dence hall students because he, as AS UN president, would compensate for the lack of representation of resi dence hall students by ASUN sena tors. Marc Shkolnick, IMPACT Teach ers College senatorial candidate and current RHA vice president, said he loutiu uic rruun, poster oi tensive because it “slams" greeks and works against efforts for cooperation. One member of the audience asked how the parties would handle the issues of tuition surcharges and funding for the Committee Offering Lesbian and Gay Events. Bowman said SLUMBR would stop increases in tuition and sur charges by intensive lobbying. The surcharges are due to “a lack of money from the stale," he said. SLUMBR would reverse the deci sion to deny money for COLAGE, Bowman said. Both Rock and Hill said they sup port the decision to deny money to COLAGE. Gestring said all students should be help pay for equipment to avoid surcharges for specific colleges. “It may be your own college next time," he said. Care and Use of Laboratory Ani mals” has explicit guidelines for proper animal care, including recom mendations for the number of ani mals to place in various sized cages. The guide also requires proper light, heal and humidity conditions. “These arc recommendations you can vary a little bit,” he said. “If we get off too far that’s where the IA CAUC (Institutional Animal Care And Use Committee) comes in.” The committee is a group of 11 university officials and one external member that oversees the treatment of animals in research facilities on campus. Otis Young, minister of First Ply mouth Congregational Church and the committee’s external member, said he has never seen any significant problems at any of UNL’s animal laboratories. “Unannounced inspections arc done twice a year by our commit tee.” he said. “Any standards that were significantly not up to what they should be have been corrected. Our committee is very impressed.” In addition to the committee’s inspections, the U.S. Department ol Agriculture inspects the facilities once a year, and the National Institute of Health can slop in anytime for a spot inspection, White said. ■■■■■■■■■■■I UNL research facilities currently have about 4,6(X) mice, 3(X) chickens, 130 rats and 280 other animals, in cluding rabbits, cattle and prairie voles, said Corinna Trcsslcr, animal care supervisor for UNL. While said there arc no regula tions that explicitly state what types of experiments can and cannot be performed on animals. Some prac tices, such as multiple surgeries on one animal, are discouraged, but can be allowed if it is essential to the research, he said. Reduced expense is not an ade quate reason to perform multiple surgeries, While said. “It’s a judgment call whether ihe pain the animal will endure will be worth what you will get out of it,” he said. The decision not to allow certain types of experiments rests with the committee, he said. “The use of animals in research has been a tremendous bonus to the U.S., and the world in general,” White said. “In the U.S. we expend only 15 percent of our personal income on food, and that enables us to enjoy color television. This is true because we have been able to do research on animals.” ■■■■■■■■■■■■■ Despite these benefits, White said, increasing pressure has been put on the government by animal rights groups to eliminate all research done on animals. While this pressure has not ended animal research, it has made signifi cant changes in federal regulations on animal care, he said. These changes include the creation of IACAUC committees at all facilities receiving animal research grants. White said Columbia University recently lost $30 million in federal grants after the National Institute of Health found violations in Colum bia’s treatment of research animals. Yost said the future of animal re search may be reduced by alterna tives currently being developed. The National Research Council presented a report last year discussing altcrna lives such as chemical reactions which simulate biological processes, computer-oriented research and mathematical models. “That could reduce particularly the number of mammals in re search,” he said, “I think this is a significant development having to do with animal research. 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