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Justice
Volume LXII, Number 12
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POWERFUL WORDS
FACULTY
Univ to look at faculty tasks
ACADEMICS
Learning goals drafting process begins
■ The Faculty Workload
■ Individual departments will formulate learning goals on the major, minor and syllabus levels.
Committee will look at work distribution among Arts and Sciences faculty. By MIRANDA NEUBAUER
By MIRANDA NEUBAUER
JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
The new Faculty Workload Committee will examine the distribution of workloads among Arts and Sciences faculty in an effort to implement a recommendation made by the Curriculum and Academic Restructuring Steering committee last spring, Provost Marty Krauss and Faculty Senate Chair Prof. Sabine von Mering (GRALL) wrote in an e-mail to faculty last Wednesday. Dean of Arts and Sciences Adam Jaffe will chair the committee. Its other members are Profs. Marc Brettler (NEJS), Bulbul Chakraborty (PHYS), Jerry Cohen (AMST) and Richard Parmentier (ANTH). The committee held its first meeting last Wednesday. “As we strive to deliver our ambitious curriculum with fewer faculty, it is imperative that the workload be shared,” states the final report of the CARS committee, which was released last April. The report notes that the Faculty Handbook designates the responsibilities of faculty as teaching, advising, scholarship and creative activity and service. “While the number of courses taught is specified in each department, expectations regarding the other activities are more qualitative. Nonetheless, if a faculty member’s contributions in any of those areas are significantly and consistently below expectations, there should be an adjustment of responsibilities in another area to compensate,” the report states. The report recommends that the dean of Arts and Sciences work with the Faculty Senate “to develop a policy for adjustment of teaching loads and other work responsibilities for faculty whose contributions in any of our areas of responsibilities are below expectations.”
See FACULTY, 5 ☛
Waltham, Mass.
Tuesday, November 17, 2009
ROBYN SPECTOR/the Justice
An Israeli perspective
health center has administered 700 seasonal flu inoculations, and that she expects the last shipment of 300 doses to arrive in December. Poaster wrote in her e-mail that the health center had ordered 3,000 vaccinations. Sawyer said that after the first two dosages were distributed, he hoped to open H1N1 clinics distributing the vaccination to all who wanted it after Thanksgiving. Sawyer added that opening these clinics would likely entail bringing in additional medical help to facilitate, explaining that there is simply not enough staff to operate the clinics. He did not say where the medical help would come from. He added that outsourcing could potentially result in additional costs to students receiving the vaccinations but that the costs would be minimal. The Health Center is particular-
University academic departments are starting the process of drafting learning goals for all majors and minors by spring 2011 as the University prepares to submit an interim report to the New England Association of Schools and Colleges on its progress in meeting the group’s accreditation guidelines. The Provost’s Advisory Committee on Assessment of Student Learning has been holding workshops and meeting with individual departments to encourage them to formulate learning goals on the major, minor and syllabus levels in accordance with the NEASC’s standards. The standards state that an institution must “[develop] the systematic means to understand how and what students are learning and to use the evidence obtained to improve the academic program.” After visiting campus and examining a study the University conducted itself in 2007, NEASC concluded in its report that Brandeis “does not have a systematic, broadbased and integrated approach to assessment of student learning.” Earlier this year, after consultation with various community members, the Provost’s Advisory Committee formulated Universitywide learning goals with an emphasis on core skills, knowledge and social justice. Among the core skills are communication skills, quantitative skills and critical thinking. Examples of knowledge are demonstrating the ability to engage in research and scholarship as well as demonstrating intellectual flexibility and creativity. Examples of social justice are participating as informed citizens in a global society, demonstrating an understand-
See HEALTH, 5 ☛
See GOALS, 5 ☛
Prominent Israeli writer Amos Oz, left, came to Brandeis as part of the Schusterman Center for Israel Studies’ annual program of invited artists and scholars. Oz spoke about his views on the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict. See story in Arts, page 19.
HEALTH CENTER
Vaccine given to students with pre-existing conditions ■ The University gave most
of the initial allotment of H1N1 vaccine to emergency and health care personnel. By ALANA ABRAMSON JUSTICE EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
The Health Center has received its first dosages of the H1N1 vaccinations from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, which have been distributed to University emergency and health care personnel, said Rick Sawyer, the dean of student life, in an interview with the Justice. The extra vaccinations were distributed to approximately 20 students with pre-existing health conditions, he said. Sawyer sent an e-mail to the Brandeis community Nov. 7 in which he explained that the department of public health recommended inoculating emergency and
health personnel first, and that there would be a gradual increase in the number of dosages. He wrote in the e-mail that after the health and emergency personnel were inoculated, the subsequent round of vaccinations would be provided to those students with pre-existing health conditions. In his e-mail, Sawyer cited the qualifying conditions: pregnancy, acting as the caretaker of an infant, as well as suffering from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, neurological conditions, cancer or pulmonary diseases like asthma and cystic fibrosis. He told the Justice, however, that there could potentially be some ambiguity as to what constitutes a pre-existing health condition. “It gets a little gray when considering who is high-risk and who is risky,” Sawyer said. Dr. Deborah Poaster, the health center medical director, wrote in an e-mail to the Justice that the
JUSTICE SENIOR WRITER
Early Music players
Al-Quds students visit
U.N. appointment
■ Students play pre-Baroque music in preparation for their Nov. 22 concert.
■ Students from Al-Quds University spent a week at Brandeis.
■ Brandeis benefactor Elaine Schuster will serve in the United Nations general assembly.
ARTS 21 For tips or info call Let your voice be heard! Submit letters to the editor online (781) 736-6397 at www.thejusticeonline.com
INDEX
FEATURES 9 ARTS SPORTS
17 16
EDITORIAL FEATURES
10 7
OPINION POLICE LOG
11 2
COMMENTARY
11
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