In the midst of the end-of-term academic scramble to get things done, a flurry of activity at a local public housing facility near campus has quietly achieved a different kind of success.A coalition of students, faculty and tenants received approval last month from the Waltham Housing Authority to proceed with plans to establish a community center at Prospect Terrace, a state-owned development located off of Prospect Hill Road. It's an achievement that deserves the recognition and financial backing necessary to capitalize on the momentum.

A semester of outreach to Prospect tenants has proved the dedication of the activists heading the community center initiative. In perhaps its most vibrant partnership, the group of students, led by Prof. Mark Auslander (ANTH) and Prof. Ellen Schattschneider (ANTH), participated this fall in two "work days" at Prospect, cleaning up the run-down property and working alongside tenants and their children to paint a mural on what was once a drab concrete facade.

But good deeds alone are not enough to kickstart the community center.

Although the project has the go-ahead from local officials, it has yet to pass a hurdle that rears its head far too often in the realm of public housing: a lack of consistent and reliable funding. Approval from the Housing Authority means only that the space will be available and does not guarantee funding. The money, whatever its source, would certainly be well spent. Several initiatives for the new space are under discussion, including a computer center, student-run classes and a free legal clinic for tenants.

There's no arguing that the center isn't a worthwhile investment as a tool for the kind of social justice on which the University prides itself. Bentley College, the other private institution in town, has for years run a successful volunteer computer center at another Waltham public housing facility. With sturdy connections and a hoard of eager activists at the ready, there's no reason Brandeis and its wunderkind fundraisers couldn't gather the money to do the same.

At last week's housing forum, Marci Diamond '91, president of the tenant advocacy group WATCH, put forth a philosophy that captures the spirit behind much of the recent activism at Prospect Terrace. "Public housing isn't just a building," she said. "For us, it's about the neighborhood and community."

As a neighbor to the Prospect tenants and now a participant in their community, Brandeis should support the project and put up the funds for meaningful change in the lives of those who reside nearby.