The Board of Regents support the use of animals in research, education, and as agricultural resources,
providing that the usage is reasonably expected to advance knowledge about human or animal welfare. It
is the policy of the Board to meet or exceed all federal and state standards and regulations applicable to
animal use. It is both a unique characteristic of human beings and the mission of universities to seek
knowledge and understanding of all disciplines, including the biology and behavior of man and other
species. An important part of the mission of a land-grant university is to conduct appropriate research to
optimize the use of animals in the service of man, and to advance human and animal welfare and basic
research. It is clear that for the foreseeable future, human civilization will continue to require animals for
food and fiber, for education, and for biomedical research. Alternatives to the use of living animals in
research often exist, and these are widely employed at the university. However, the complexity of living
organisms prohibits the substitution of alternative systems for many critical problems (e.g., animal
research during the early eighties at the university led to the first vaccine for serum hepatitis). Other
animal research has supported the development of synthetic growth hormone to treat stunted growth in
children and has led to the approval of the current drug of choice for treating heart attacks.
 

All use of vertebrate animals must be reviewed and approved in advance by an Institutional Animal Care
and Use Committee to ensure the necessity of animal use and high standards of humane treatment.
Animal research must be conducted by adequately trained persons using all necessary measures to
prevent or minimize distress to an animal. The university defends the right of free speech, and genuine
concerns regarding the use of animals by the institution should be addressed to the Institutional Animal
Care and Use Committee. However, coercion, intimidation, and unlawful acts will not be allowed on
university property and will not influence university policy.