A Justice Brandeis Semester committee will be formed to solicit proposals from students and faculty for up to 12 pilot programs that will begin in the summer of 2010 and continue through the academic year. An additional JBS committee consisting of faculty members and administrators will be formed to begin reviewing proposals on a rolling basis Sept. 8. The Undergraduate Curriculum Committee must next approve of each individual JBS program. The final approval for the JBS program will come from Associate Dean of Arts and Sciences Elaine Wong.

Justice Brandeis Semesters will form an experimental, immersion-based instruction program taught by Brandeis faculty that allows students in small groups of eight to 15 to earn 12 to 20 credits over eight- or 10-week summer programs or over regular semesters.

The JBS program was approved Feb. 26 by the UCC. The programt was then passed at the March 4 faculty meeting.

Many debates occurred at town hall meetings held by the Student Union and administration on several occasions last spring. Debates concerned how tuition would be covered by the students attending a JBS program, whether it would be run by the summer school and how faculty teaching these programs would be compensated for their time.

In a recent interview with the Justice, Student Union President Andy Hogan '11 voiced his concerns about personal finance issues students would face due to a summer JBS program, such as housing costs.

"There are still a lot of things that need to be worked out, such as personal student expenses and financial aid. I hope that throughout the year these things are examined," he said.

Justice Brandeis Semester proposals will be reviewed for approval based on the following criteria: academic coherence, excellence and feasibility, expected appeal to undergraduates and financial viability, according to the JBS Web site. Proposals are due no later than Oct. 1 for summer programs and Dec. 1 for those meant for fall and spring semesters.

Each JBS program must meet for 39 instructional hours both in and out of the typical classroom setting and will have a $20,000 maximum budget. Additional proposal format and submission information can be found on the JBS Web site.

In an interview with the Justice, Wong explained what types of experiences will be included in the JBS program: "The Justice Brandeis Semester will be offering a range of programs from all four schools of the University (Creative Arts, Humanities, Social Sciences and Sciences), with a wide range of experiential learning opportunities from conducting ethnographic fieldwork to providing services to a greater Boston community to completing an internship or scientific research, to writing and performing a one-act play."

Nelson, chair of the faculty JBS committee, said that in order for a student to craft a proposal, he or she must cooperate with a faculty member. "The best way for students to get involved is via faculty they know or via [an Undergraduate Department Representative]. The process for students helping to develop a JBS proposal would be very much like students arranging an independent study or internship; they would need to get a faculty member to agree to work on it with them."

Regarding the student proposal process, Wong advised, "They should start by discussing ideas with a faculty member and offering to collaborate. Some faculty and students will want to work together, and others will probably not."

Although Hogan stated that he will not base a Union project on encouraging students to submit proposals, he said that he wants students to take the initiative on their own accounts. He added that he hopes Union senators will support and publicize any important JBS-related news to their constituents.

Taking inspiration from his summer experience at a legal aid clinic, Hogan told the Justice that he plans to take advantage of the JBS program and propose the creation of a similar experience with the cooperation of the Legal Studies department. Hogan hopes that students follow his example of designing a JBS program based on personal interests.

In an interview with the Justice, former student member of the CARS committee and JBS subcommittee and current Director of Student Rights and Advocacy Lev Hirshhorn '11 said, " It is very much in the interest of the student body for JBS to succeed as a mandatory or exceedingly popular program. This will only happen if it is successful, which means that we need a lot of strong programs."

Hirshhorn further explained that he feels this is the only solution to an overcrowded campus that would be caused by an already approved increase in the student body of approximately 400 students.

"This is an opportunity for students to have a strong influence on the curriculum. If a student is passionate about a topic or idea, I hope they get involved and create [a proposal]," Hogan said.