General User Policies & Rules:

• Access to CASSEL - In order to enter CASSEL, you must either make an appointment with the administrative staff or be a subject signed up for an upcoming experiment.


• Computer Availability and Priority of Use - Computers in the lab are for experiment and class usages only. However, individual usages can be granted at the discretion of the CASSEL directors and the lab manager.


• Copyright and Licensing Restrictions - The user is responsible for observing all copyright laws. The software and documentation made available in the lab is for use only in the lab and is not to be duplicated for use elsewhere. Duplicating a copyrighted program or documentation is illegal and violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.


• Liabilities - CASSEL makes no guarantees regarding equipment, programs, documentation or other materials in the computer lab. The lab is not responsible for loss of data due to faulty programs or equipment.
  
• Data Storage - Users should not store their files on the hard drives of the individual workstations in the lab. The workstations are periodically reformatted for updates and patches without any prior notice. Users logged in as 'subject' may NOT save their personal settings on individual workstations.


• Reporting Equipment Problems - Report any PC or printer problems, such as paper jams, toner replacement, backed-up print jobs, projectors, audio system, etc. to the lab Technical Manager, Walter M. Yuan. Do not attempt to fix any lab equipment yourself.


• Food, drinks (including water) and tobacco use are not allowed in the lab

 Experimenter Guidelines:

• Eligibility - The California Social Science Experimental Laboratory (CASSEL) is dedicated to laboratory experiments in the social sciences. It is open to faculty and researchers at UCLA and other academic institutions, and (by arrangement) to researchers not associated with any academic institution.


• Projects - Projects at CASSEL require approval of the director, William Zame. You should contact him prior to contacting the lab manager or other laboratory employees. Generally, once your project is approved, you will work with the lab manager to schedule laboratory usage.


• Research Assistants - If you are a graduate student or not affiliated with UCLA, you will need a UCLA faculty sponsor in a Social Science department. Where appropriate, the UCLA director, William Zame, may serve as your faculty sponsor. In all cases you will need Human Subjects Committee approval for your research. You should consult with the directors about the appropriate way to obtain this approval.


• Human Subjects in Research -
  
  • Prepare the Form HS-1, Application to Involve Human Subjects in Research, the legal document requesting Human Subjects Protection Committee (HSPC which is also referred to as the Institutional Review Board [IRB]) review of the proposal, and submit application to Office for the Protection of Research Subjects (OPRS) for approval.
  
  
  • Certify that all key personnel have received education on the protection of human research subjects. The UCLA Office for the Protection of Research Subjects will require, beginning September 1st, 2009, that all key research personnel obtain Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) certification. The previous UCLA Training Program Certificate will no longer be valid. If you have not completed the CITI certification, please do so if you plan to run more sessions at CASSEL in the future. Also, in order to renew your protocols on an annual basis, CASSEL will need to have a current CITI approval on file.
    
    More information regarding the CITI certification can be found at: http://oprs.ucla.edu/human/certification . The course can be found here: https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp .
    
  
  
  • Check that the IRB protocol is identical to the proposal for funding for extramural or intramural support, inform the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of any updates or modifications to the protocol, and ensure that the protocol is in compliance with Federal and University regulations.
  
  
  • OPRS provides specific guidance on how to prepare the Application to Involve Human Subjects in Research (http://www.oprs.ucla.edu)
    
  • Subject Pool: The CASSEL subject pool consists of undergraduate students from UCLA.
    
  • Scheduling Experiment: To schedule an experiment in CASSEL, you must first obtain approval as described above and provide a training certificate (https://www.citiprogram.org/default.asp). All individuals who are involved in the experiment must provide a training certificate. After obtaining approval, send an email to Estela Hopenhayn requesting a reservation for the date and time you will need the laboratory. The following information will be necessary to schedule your experiment:
    • Date and time of Experiment
    • Type of Experiment
    • Person running Experiment
    • Number and type of subjects that need to be recruited
    • Method of paying subjects
    You can view our calendar through the web site for available openings to schedule an experiment.


• Reserving Time in CASSEL - Investigators may reserve time to use CASSEL by contacting the Lab Manager, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . As a general rule, reservations will not be accepted until all software has been tested and all necessary IRB approvals have been obtained.  In order to maximize the availability of CASSEL to all investigators, CASSEL reserves the right to adjust requested session times to allow multiple sessions in a day.  Reservations may be made up to 6 weeks (30 business days) in advance of the experimental session, and must be reconfirmed 2 weeks (10 business days) in advance. (Exceptions must be approved by the CASSEL Co-Directors.) If subject funds are to be provided through CASSEL, investigators must allow at least 2 weeks (10 working days) for paperwork processing. Reservations that will not be used should be cancelled as soon as possible, and no later than 4 weeks in advance. Please remember that CASSEL is a shared resource and that late cancellations impose serious costs on other investigators. Demonstrated lack of concern for the research plans of other investigators may be grounds for denial of privileges.
  
• Laboratory Usage Fee- Effective January 1st, 2007, CASSEL will charge fees for use of the Laboratory Facilities and Personnel. The schedule of fees is below:
  • Lab Use Charge: $27.50/hr
  • Subject Charge: $1.50/subject
  • Staff (Assist.1 &2): $22.16/hr
  • Program Manager: $76.54/hr
  • Program Technician: $51.70/hr
  • Program Technician: $25.01/hr
  • Lab Manager: $32.57/hr
  • Investigators (especially students) who cannot afford these fees may apply for reductions or waivers.


• Laboratory Access - It is our policy to keep the doors to the laboratory locked and alarmed outside of normal business hours; they are generally unarmed during working hours. You can obtain a key and alarm code for the laboratory by contacting Estela Hopenhayn at: 310.825.7703. If you are running a long-term project, we will generally authorize you for laboratory access; otherwise we will typically check you out a key for a single use.
  
• NOTE: CASSEL must be locked and alarmed at all times when not occupied.