Up to $850,000 in funding from NIU is needed to update the facilities where the university’s lab animals are kept.

The animals are used in research projects and studies and reside in Montgomery Hall and the Psychology Building. The $850,000 would go to updating the heating, ventilation and air conditioning in those facilities to ensure NIU meets standards of care for the animals.

The university houses several hundred mice, 30-40 chickens and three or four rabbits, said Barrie Bode, chair of Biological Sciences. Attending veterinarian Corrina Kashuba said NIU also also rats, prairie voles and reptiles.

“… The animal facilities we have currently were kind of built retroactive to our building here in Montgomery Hall. It was built and opened in 1968,” Bode said. “And, so the animal facilities were added to the building several years later and they’ve served us well, but trying to stay in compliance with federal guidelines for animal care in terms of humidity and temperature control is rather problematic when you have an old HVAC system.

“Because we are bound to housing animals in compliance with federal guidelines, we have to upgrade the facilities to ensure that can happen in a reliable and consistent manner.”

NIU’s system is not yet noncompliant with animal care standards, so the renovations are “proactive,” Kashuba said. The requested $850,000 budget must be reviewed and approved by the Board of Trustees at its Sept. 18 meeting before renovations can be started.

The funding is necessary to ensure NIU receives research grants, Bode said.

“… It’s extremely important that it be renovated up to contemporary standards because without those renovations we would not be competitive or even eligible for federal funding in terms of any sort of research that involves animals,” Bode said.

Animal research projects bring in $1-2 million every year, said Lesley Rigg, vice president for Research and Innovation Partnerships. NIU’s failure to comply with animal care standards — which are set by the federal Department of Agriculture and other agencies — could result in grants being lost or not awarded in the future.

Caring for the animals is also important, Kashuba said.

“We’re always trying to ensure and pay attention to animal welfare and make sure that we’re providing an optimal environment …,” Kashuba said. “Animal welfare is a big focus, though; that’s kind of what this is all revolving around.”