Governance Handbook > Part 3: Academic > 3.2 Committees > 3.2.20 Ethics in Research Committee

3.2.20 Ethics in Research Committee

(Bylaws)

1. The Ethics in Research Committee (EIRC) is responsible to the Vice President for Academic Administration.
2. The committee consists of a faculty chair, appointed by the Vice President for Academic Administration; the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies; three faculty members with experience in animal or human subject research appointed by the Nominating Committee in consultation with the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies; and one faculty member who teaches in the area of philosophy and/or ethics appointed by the Nominating Committee.
3. The term of membership is two years but may be renewed for a total of four consecutive years. The term of membership for other faculty is three years.
4. The work of the committee is to
   1. Establish principles, policies, and procedures for ethics in data research
   2. Review research proposals that include the use of human subjects prior to participant recruitment and data collection
   3. Prepare application materials
   4. Maintain the EIRC website (see Ethics in Research Committee)
   5. Review EIRC policies annually.
5. The committee meets when called by the chair.

(Procedures)

1. Protocol
   1. The agendas are developed by the committee chair.
   2. Actions are taken by majority vote.
   3. Committee workload (average in clock hours per quarter):

      i. Chair: 30 hours

      ii. Members: 15 hours

   4. Proposal Review Procedures

      i. The chair conducts an initial review of the application and determines if the application qualifies for exempt, expedited, or full committee review.

      ii. Once the level of review is identified, the chair distributes the application to the committee members as appropriate for that review level.

      iii. The committee members review the application and vote to approve, deny, request additional information, or request a change to the proposal.

2. Communication

   1. The chair notifies the principal investigator of the committee's decision in writing.

   2. Copies of minutes are sent to the committee members for approval.

   3. Current EIRC policies and forms for research proposals are made available on a website maintained by the office of the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies (see Ethics in Research Committee). 

3. Documentation
   1. Results of each review and copies of the committee minutes are kept in a secure electronic location for a period of five years.
   2. Copies of current and previous policies and forms for research proposals are maintained by the Associate Vice President for Graduate Studies and by the committee chair.