Membership shall be reported to the University Research Ethics Board. Applications may be made by E-mail attachment or by submitting 5 hard copies. In reaching its decisions, the Committee will be guided by the principles outlined in the Tri-Council Policy, especially the ethical framework described in its introductory section, Sections 2 on Free and Informed Consent, and Section 3 on Privacy and Confidentiality. Applications will be approved only for the academic year in which they are made. If the project will continue in a subsequent year without any change, the applicant should request renewal, in the form of a letter directed to the Chair of the Departmental Committee, of the approval.
Approval requires at least three approving votes.
However, it is anticipated that the committee will normally reach a consensus and, if necessary, will work with the applicant to improve the initial proposal. The Chair of the Department shall supply clerical support for the Committee. The Committee s Chair shall prepare an annual report for the University Committee about the proposals reviewed and approved. The Departmental Committee may refer an application to the University Research Ethics Board. Examples of situations in which referral would be appropriate are research that the Departmental Committee thinks may be of more than minimal risk, research involving ethical or legal issues for which it does not have adequate expertise or in such cases for which conflicts of interest reduce its size to fewer than three members.