Brandeis Dean Resigns Post

The Brandeis dean charged with handling minority student concerns resigned his post this month, charging that he was not receiving enough support from the administration to do his job.

In an October 23 letter to the Brandeis Justice, the student news paper, former dean Charles Alexander wrote that the university needed to spend more money and devote more administrative attention to minority affairs.

"Brandeis has to seriously consider whether or not it can effectively address issues of cultural diversity given the current state of affairs," he wrote.

Going to Wisconsin

In his letter, the former dean also charged that there was a "strained relationships between students and administration" on campus. He also said that Brandeis needed to appoint a minority to the Board of Trustees.

But Steven P. Burg, dean of Brandeis College, said that Alexander left the Waltham university to better his career. Alexander will take a similar position at Marquette College in Wisconsin November first. Burg also said that Alexander has family in Wisconsin.

"These were important considerations. I knew he was resigning," Burg said. He said he was aware of Alexander's "unhappiness being here," and said that his new position was a higher ranked one.

While some students at Brandeis have called Alexander's departure a symbol of administrative neglect of minority concerns, Burg said that the university intended to find a replacement to fill the position quickly, despite a hiring freeze. "We do have a commitment," he said.

Alexander's position was created two years ago along with an Intercultural Library at Brandeis in response to demands of minority students, Burg said. Alexander was hired in August, 1989.