The faculty passed a unanimous motion last Thursday to establish a committee to consider by March 1 changes to the Arts and Sciences curriculum, cuts to the Arts and Sciences faculty, an increase in undergraduate enrollment and the establishment of an expanded summer session in the face of enormous budgetary constraints, according to several professors and administrators. The decision came at an emergency faculty meeting marked by student protests and described by professors as the best-attended faculty meeting in years. Students were not allowed into the meeting.

According to Provost Marty Krauss, the committee will consist of nine people appointed by the Faculty Senate and herself. She explained that the committee will be able to set up subcommittees so that there can be representation beyond those nine members, including members of the undergraduate and graduate student bodies. "We're trying to think of the best structure to keep it organized and focused but also inclusive," she said.

Faculty representative to the Board of the Trustees Steven Burg (POL) wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that he was appointed to the committee by the Provost. "While it is impossible to "restructure" the entire University in six weeks . the committee called for by the Faculty Meeting will work assiduously to develop ideas to do as much as is possible and reasonable in the short term" as well as in the medium term.

At a special Board of Trustees meeting that took place yesterday, Burg said that the faculty and student representatives to the Board offered their perspectives on the budget crisis and the Board expressed confidence in the process started by the administration and the faculty.

The emergency faculty meeting was scheduled after senior administrators and the Faculty Senate Council proposed several long-term changes to the undergraduate academic curriculum including the replacement of the current 43 majors and 47 minors with fewer interdisciplinary meta-majors.

"Right away, [Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe] said that he was not wedded to that idea [of the meta majors]," Prof. Sarah Lamb (ANTH) told the Justice about the meeting, noting much faculty skepticism to the proposal. "We thought it wasn't clear that it would save a lot of money for the University and it wasn't clear that if we rush into it was something that could be successfully done," she said. Lamb said she sent an e-mail to the faculty listserv the night before the faculty meeting to discuss the proposals and to suggest changes to the curriculum from the bottom up.

Another major topic discussed in the faculty meeting was the addition of new academic programs to attract more applicants. Prof. Mark Hulliung (HIST) explained that many faculty believe that "perhaps we should have something like a Business major because that would be, the thought is, a great marketing tool." University President Jehuda Reinharz wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that he supports the idea of a Business major.

Prof. Joseph Lumbard (NEJS) expressed concern that, "in attempting to address the desire of some to have a more practical application for their University education, that we may sacrifice the heart of a liberal arts education, which is that of knowledge for knowledge itself."

Other faculty saw potential for connecting a business program with the liberal arts curriculum. Prof. Dian Fox (ROM) pointed out that there was a suggestion for a business and ethics proposal "because clearly, in these days, we're finding out that a lot of business lacks ethics."

Lamb said that since the reduction goal is still quite modest there is no need "to radically change our structure and throw out all departments and have these meta-majors." She said she suggested in her e-mail that departmental and interdepartmental programs could consider necessary cuts. "And these were all ideas that would not weaken the educational mission of Brandeis, but in fact in some ways strengthen it," she said.

For example, the South Asian Studies program, which she co-chairs, very small program and could join with East Asian Studies to create an Asian Studies program. "Feminist theory is taught in both Sociology and Women's and Gender Studies; maybe they could share that course," she said.

Lamb explained that Professor David Hackett Fischer (HIST) agreed with her proposal and added lines to the proposal praising the administration for its work. Fischer also supported the summer session to help create the final motion.

Hulliung said Thursday that during the meeting Fischer stood up and said, "'If we just talk about having a committee, maybe we should charge the committee that they should discuss [points] one, two, three, four and five,' and that got a round of applause because that was a way of moving forward," Huilling said.

Lamb said that most faculty believed the summer session should be optional. "Many, many faculty members felt very relieved .[about the motion] because we think Brandeis is doing well as it is . .there's no educational crisis, its tough economic times," Lamb said. "The sense of the meeting was that we don't want radical restructuring," she said.

Reinharz established 11 principles in a document drafted for the meeting, including that Brandeis "will continue to pursue excellence by being a research institution with an outstanding faculty and a smaller graduate school than we now have." In an e-mail to the Justice, he wrote that the emphasis of the graduate school should be on "excellence, not size" and that faculty would help guide any changes to the program. "Graduate education and research are critical to Brandeis' future," he wrote.

Many faculty noted how well-attended the faculty meeting was. "I've never been to a faculty meeting that had so many faculty there, ... you know, people sitting on the floor, standing room only."

-Hannah Kirsch and Jillian Wagner contributed reporting.