The Diversity Steering Committee, established by Provost Marty Krauss, is implementing several initiatives, including the appointment of new faculty, the creation of the "Diversity Texts" project and the creation of a diversity mission statement for the University.Krauss impaneled the committee last spring to focus on concrete methods to "deepen faculty awareness of the dynamics of racial, religious and social class differences among ourselves and our students."

According to the minutes from the committee's March 7 meeting, the drafted diversity mission statement "has been reviewed by most senior administrators...and working groups on race and gender at the Heller School had reviewed or were reviewing it."

At the meeting, it was also announced the statement would circulate among select faculty, graduate and undergraduate students for feedback.

Professor Susan Lanser (ENG) is part of the Brandeis faculty and is on the sub-committee which last summer began drafting the statement.

"It is so difficult to write a mission statement for a university because many people must assent to it," Lanser said. "It had to be read by several groups of people and has to relate to its public."

In addition to the statement, a curricular sub-committee is organizing the Diversity Texts Project, a Web site providing professors with a list of texts that discuss racial conflicts.

"The Diversity Texts project focuses on identifying materials that could be incorporated into already-existing courses," said Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe, who heads this sub-committee. "So that particular project is not focused on new courses or new faculty hires. We are continuing to look at hiring where we can."

Jaffe categorized course offerings from the 2004-2005 Arts and Sciences academic bulletin by "Gender and Sexuality," "Religion, Race, and Culture," and "Global Perspectives." He said this would "help keep track of where the curriculum stands in relation to diversity initiatives."

The sub-committee is also creating a fellows program for undergraduates who have expressed an interest in diversity-themed courses.

Directed by Profs. Govind Sreenivasan (HIST) and Marya Levenson (THA), the narrative sub-committee is conducting interviews with students of different races, cultures and religions to compose a more personalized account of minorities on campus.

Sreenivasan said a co-existence study conducted two years ago drew him to join the sub-committee. A survey of seniors revealed that those who are either not white or Jewish, or from a prosperous background, enjoyed their experience here significantly less, he said.

"I found it personally disturbing," he said.

Jaffe has also authorized departments to hire several new professors, including Joseph Lumbard for classical Islam, Nadia Kim for women's studies, Shilpa Dave for American studies and Mellon Fellow Harleen Singh, who will begin as assistant professor next year focusing on gender and race in post-colonialist America.