One of the new budget-aiding initiatives proposed by the Committee on Academic Restructuring is the introduction of a mandatory semester-long experiential learning program called the Justice Brandeis Semester. The administration should implement this plan. It gives students insight into real-world situations, provides them with practical knowledge and can reduce potential overcrowding in the future. Brandeis can already provide the infrastructure and resources necessary for such an initiative. However, if the administration goes through with this they ought to take into consideration the changing of class requirements.The Justice Brandeis Semester would require all students entering Brandeis in the fall of 2010 to leave campus for one spring, fall or summer semester to apply their academic expertise to areas outside of the classroom in the form of an internship, extended project or specialized coursework. Two proposed examples are an intensive creative project that culminates in a Brandeis Summer Arts Festival and a Brandeis Environmental Studies Intensive Semester that would allow students to observe the effects industry and tourism have on specific ecosystems.

I think that if these plans and the logistics associated with them are properly handled and implemented, they will make for a great addition to the overall Brandeis experience. Learning about concepts and theoretical ideas in a classroom is essential to one's education, but equally important is how to make those facts come to life while at the same time preparing students for a full-time career. What good are abstract ideas if students don't know how they are applied or what they can actually accomplish?

In addition to the benefits of practical experience, this initiative solves problems for Brandeis itself. Since students participating in it will be living off campus, the administration will be able to house more students, allowing it to increase the size of the student body and bring in more revenue in the wake of a tightening budget. This will be beneficial as long as the University maintains its standards for applicants while it fills out a larger student body.

Also, the school already has found success in providing similar experiences. The Hiatt Career Center has been able to grant students access to internships in major companies for majors and minors as diverse as International and Global Studies, Education and Business. This resource will fulfill a similar function in handling this aspect of the Justice Brandeis Semester.

Also, the Office of Study Abroad has served its titular function very well and will give students the ability to fulfill a Justice Brandeis Semester elsewhere in the world. With more staff and resources at hand, both Hiatt and the Office of Study Abroad will be able to better serve more students and offer more exciting opportunities for a semester-long learning experience.

However, the administration should consider that one potential consequence of this proposal is a reduction in the amount of time students have to fulfill their requirements. With the Justice Brandeis Semester, students will have fewer terms to gain the number of credits that they need for majors, minors and University requirements. As a result, the University should find a way to reduce requirements for students. This could mean changing around the major and minor system in a way that not only makes students feel less pressured to take certain courses but also grants them more flexibility to choose classes under tighter time constraints. Considering that the school is already contemplating actions such as these to reduce general academic costs, these changes can complement the Justice Brandeis Semester.

The Justice Brandeis Semester has the capacity to distinguish our school. While other colleges resort primarily to classroom-based learning and cramming theoretical knowledge into the minds of their students, ours could be more experimental and innovative. Brandeis could become known for not only providing a top-quality liberal arts education but also for offering an entry into the professionalized world for all students, regardless of their areas of interest. As other schools face the unfortunate need to sacrifice academics with the declining economy, ours can serve as a bastion for both theoretical and practical knowledge.