Lazerson close to final decision on cuts

Interim Provost Marvin Lazerson said he hopes to hand down his recommendation on the proposed elimination of three School of Arts and Sciences' departments within the next month. "I'm considering it," Lazerson said last week. "[Interim President Claire Fagin] and I will reflect on it and make a recommendation sometime over the next month." While Lazerson would give no concrete indication of the how he stands on the proposals, which Stevens forwarded to him early last week, he said they appear fair. The debate over the proposed cuts dates to September when Stevens announced she would cut the departments, merge the Astronomy and Physics departments and place the Slavic Languages Department into academic receivership. Since then, many faculty members and students have come out against the cuts. At a faculty meeting last month, SAS faculty voted to recommend further review of two of the departments by outside committees before Stevens forwarded her recommendations to Lazerson. – CHARLES ORNSTEIN