The classical studies department made a counter-proposal late last November to Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe's proposal to eliminate the instruction of ancient Greek.Professors in the department say they are willing to teach certain courses for free.

"We do this because of the joy in offering things we love to teach and it's just trying to point out to the dean what I wasn't sure he understood about us," chair of the classical studies department Ann Olga Koloski-Ostrow said. "He really has a cost effective faculty in classical studies."

Koloski-Ostrow said she told the dean that her faculty would be willing to offer, without financial compensation, language courses enrolled with fewer than eight students and additional courses aimed toward appealing to undergraduates in return for him rescinding his proposal to eliminate ancient Greek.

According to Koloski-Ostrow, the dean told her that the counter-proposal is out of his hands until the Faculty Review Committee (FRC) submits its report to the provost on Feb. 15. She said that the dean has also not offered a detailed response about the Humanities Council letter sent to him over winter break, outlining points of support and concerns in response to his curriculum proposals-like the elimination of ancient Greek.

"We expected a little bit more of a response," Koloski-Ostrow said, referring to the council's letter and to her department's counter-proposal.

Jaffe said that he might have had an informal conversation with Humanities Council Chair Marc Brettler (NEJS) about the letter, which the dean called a "constructive contribution" in an e-mail to the Justice. Brettler said that he has received informal feedback only about the letter and that he did not expect formal feedback because the letter is out of the dean's hands.

"I will consider the classics department's proposals, along with the FRC's comments on those proposals, after the FRC issues its report," Jaffe said. "As I said, I am not taking any actions before then."

Prof. Leonard Muellner, who teaches ancient Greek, is a "hidden treasure" and offers independent study courses most semesters to suit the needs and interests of students, Koloski-Ostrow said. She also said that the dean omitted including independent studies in his proposal in tallying the total course offerings in the department.

Koloski-Ostrow said that faculty in her department have traditionally offered more courses than each are contractually obliged to provide. She said her department does not mind the additional work and is willing to "step up another notch" because it is important to teach small numbers for more effective learning.

Muellner is now teaching three courses and three independent studies, totaling 18 hours of classroom instruction per week. He said he is willing to teach so many courses because of their importance.

"I am quite busy," Muellner said. "I don't know if many other professors teach for as many hours as I do."

Asking for the retention of the current classics curriculum, Thomas M. Falkner, director of the classics advisory service of the American Philological Association, sent the dean a letter on Dec. 27, 2004, informing him of the department's prestigious reputation. He wrote that classics here is regarded with national distinction and that he himself has surveyed the department, finding it to be "academically strong and rigorous."

According to its Web site, the classics advisory service exists to "help college and university teachers maintain and strengthen their programs in classics (broadly understood to include Greek and Latin languages and literatures, history, archaeology and all other aspects of classical civilization.)"

Brandeis has also produced impressive graduates, Falkner's letter states, who attend some of the best graduate programs in the county. He also writes that the classics faculty is well known professionally, with published works in leading classical journals and presses. Falkner, also dean and provost of McDaniel College in Westminster, Md, wrote that like Jaffe, he too faces "financial and programmatic challenges on a daily basis."

"I understand-and intimately appreciate-the challenge of making such decisions and I know all too well how difficult these times are for colleges and universities," the letter states. "But I am convinced that those universities that remain true to the best traditions in the arts and sciences will be the ones that will flourish in the 21st century."

Jaffe said that if Falkner sent him a letter, he received it and responded to him that issues are still under consideration. Jaffe said he probably did not focus in detail on the letter because he is not making any further decisions or recommendations until after the FRC issues its report.