The Humanities Council wrote a letter of recommendation to the administration during the break about Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe's strategic planning analyses and proposals, saying that some of his ideas would be beneficial while others "extremely harmful" to the university.In the letter, the council writes that it is "delighted that the dean is undertaking a systematic review of the arts and sciences as part of the University's integrated plan." The council also states that they are supportive of leaves for junior and contract faculty and appreciative of efforts for more competitive stipends for graduate students.

But the letter expresses apprehension that Jaffe's proposals may harm the core of a liberal arts education.

The council acts as the oversight body for the humanities at Brandeis, approving courses in the humanities by considering syllabi and the purposes of instruction.

The letter argues that multiple cuts in Near Eastern Judaic Studies would "either close down or very adversely affect a strong graduate area," and that the creation of additional tenure-track positions in other departments should not hinder the availablity of foreign language faculty.

"I believe that the Humanities Council statement is a constructive contribution to the ongoing discussions," Jaffe said in an e-mail to the Justice. He could not be reached for further comment

Provost Marty Krauss said that while she does not wish to comment on the letter at this time, she does not expect complete agreement from the community in regards to the dean's proposals. She also said that it is "healthy" for the community to scrutinize the issues.

"I don't want to be naive about the pain and the upsetedness that a lot of the faculty members very legitimately and understandably feel," Krauss said. "I mean, I'm not underestimating that at all and I would feel the same way if my program was on the block."

The letter states that "some savings might accrue by reconsidering the USEM requirements" and that Prof. Richard Lansing's (ROCL) proposal on reforming the program deserves serious discussion (see related article, this page).

The elimination of the teaching of ancient Greek would make Brandeis "anomalous among our peers," the letter argues. According to Prof. Ann Koloski-Ostrow, chair of classical studies, every major university with a classical studies department offers this language because of its importance to understanding and appreciating large amounts of scholarly material.

Koloski-Ostrow said that her colleagues felt the retention of ancient Greek was the most important aspect of the letter, and that she was delighted by the act of support.

"This was not because I wanted it, but because my colleagues wanted it," Koloski-Ostrow said of the council making the teaching of ancient Greek a priority in the letter.

Prof. Leonard Muellner, who teaches ancient Greek and has taught at Brandeis since 1970, said that he continues to be thankful for those inside and outside of the community who offer him and the department their support.

He said that he is also pleased with how the Faculty Review Committee for the arts and sciences portion of the Integrated Plan are conducting their duties.

But Muellner is still worried.

"We will see what happens," he said. "I would like to be fully confident. I think I've tried as vigorously and in as many ways as possible to [retain] the teaching of ancient Greek."

Provost Marty Krauss said she created the committee in collaboration with the faculty senate to review Jaffe's proposals for the arts and sciences. The report is expected to be submitted by Feb. 15 and will be posted on University President Jehuda Reinharz's Integrated Planning Web site. (See related story, this page).

Many students and professors questioned the dean's proposals about the elimination of teaching ancient Greek, linguistics and the graduate program in music composition during a forum on Dec. 9 in which faculty and students gathered in the Levin Ballroom,

"It's vitally important that students at Brandeis have the opportunity to be prepared the best they can in their fields of concentration and I was wondering how you would respond to this if ancient Greek was not taught in classical studies," one student said.

Jaffe said he had no direct response to this question at the forum. But he later said that he respects that people are willing to share their feelings and that he wanted to assure the audience that he is "listening very carefully."