To the Editor:I disagree with Matt Lawrence's column on our recent film events ("Film major should be promoting film, not fluff," Dec. 9 issue). From Brandeis' founding, its philosophy has been that our University is committed to the study of making art, not just its history. This is reflected in the School of Creative Arts where, for example, we teach painting and sculpting alongside art history. The Brandeis value system is that one informs the other.

Brandeis offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in acting. For our acting students, the opportunity to hear accomplished stage and screen actors discuss their creative process is an extraordinary educational opportunity. Offering insight into the craft of acting and the challenges of film making is not just celebrity gossip. I hope we will have more events like this.

-Scott Edmiston

The writer is the director of the Office of the Arts.