Consider other uses for finances

To the Editor:

I am writing to you with regard to the article "A gilded goodbye for many private college leaders" by Todd Wallack, which appeared in the Nov. 17 issue of the Boston Globe.

As I'm sure you and your readers are aware, the central figure investigated in the article was former Brandeis president Jehuda Reinharz, who has continued to receive a six-figure salary from the University since his retirement, on top of the even larger salary he is drawing from the Mandel Foundation despite an apparent lack of any duties as a professor or mentor to the campus community.

To say I am dismayed at this would be an understatement. Reinharz was already a divisive figure during my time on campus, and only became more so after the Rose Art Museum debacle. With the costs of higher education continuing to spiral out of the reach of many students, it seems unconscionable to me that Brandeis would offer him such a generous and long-term severance package, not to mention continuing to accord him the respect of membership in the faculty.

I was a beneficiary of a Presidential Scholarship as a student, which was the only thing that allowed me to attend the University without accumulating crippling amounts of debt. How many more of those scholarships could have been distributed this year without the drain of Reinharz's salary? How many more academically deserving students could have become part of the Brandeis community?

My wife and fellow alum also points out the irony of having students staffing the Phonathon solicitation efforts, working to shave off a bit of the financial burden of attendance at Brandeis, while the money they raise goes in part to line the pockets of a man who makes no tangible contribution to the University.

Having recently worked as an adjunct college instructor, it's also disturbing to me to think of the many courses that graduate students and adjunct faculty are teaching at Brandeis right now, barely making ends meet, while Reinharz draws a salary and takes up a position that could both go to a deserving scholar who might actually interact with a student every once in a while.

I have a great fondness for Brandeis and its mission, and have looked forward to the day that I could afford to donate to the institution where I spent four wonderful years. As long as this situation persists, however, I not only cannot in good conscience give to the University, but feel as if the pride I hold in my education has been somewhat misplaced. Doubtless there are any number of my fellow alumni who feel similarly.

I am hopeful that other alumni and current students will make their feelings known to the administration with regard to this matter. With any luck, President Lawrence and the Board of Trustees will find a resolution that takes the best interests of the Brandeis community-the entire Brandeis community, not just one man-into account.

-Patrick Hume '07
*