“This
month, university students across the state will begin their latest academic
year. But even though they’ll be paying a lot of money to attend a college or
university, many will sit in classes with teachers who are not paid a living
wage and are given few benefits.
“This
teaching staff will have no reason to be loyal to their school’s mission, dash
between several institutions to pay bills, and are often denied backing to
conduct research or apply for grants. They also have no opportunity to receive
teaching awards and other recognition for academic achievements.
“This
is the
world of adjunct professors like me, contracted teachers hired only when main
faculty members are away or the census expands at the last minute. We
constitute more than half of post-secondary faculties nationwide, according to
the American Association of University Professors. But we can be discarded just
as quickly as we are hired, the intellectual Kleenex of academia.
“Most
adjuncts receive no benefits or health insurance, and only limited access to
the services accorded full-time faculty, if that. We are often assigned classes
at the last minute, paid by the course or credit hour, but are not compensated
for holding office hours, grading, or course prep.
“Nevertheless,
departments expect us to keep up with research in our field, publish, and
receive excellent student evaluations. When was the last time you ever heard of
university administrators taking a cut in pay? As institutions reduce the
number of full-time faculty and starve their adjuncts, they bloat higher-ups’
compensation and numbers. All this, despite the outcry from citizens and
politicians that higher ed is too expensive.
“So
why don’t I apply for a full-time position, get a job in the private sector, or
join a union? I’ve tried all three paths. To begin, tenure-track jobs in
academia are becoming as rare as a Sizzler steak. I’ve worked in the private
sector, but have spent a lot of years developing my knowledge base and refining
my teaching skills. Why should I be compelled to give up my passion to sell
futures at Goldman Sachs because of a system that takes advantage of an
overcrowded market for teaching staff?
“As
for unions, some adjuncts have unionized, but it is a tough slog. Resistance
from administrations is ferocious, as they stand to lose a lot of money to pay
us a decent wage and provide job security, a cost that would certainly be
dumped on parents and students.
“Adjuncts
receive scant comity from departmental colleagues, rarely a permanent desk or
dedicated computer, yet we are expected to do everything a tenure-track
employee would. We are rarely consulted about class syllabus or departmental
decisions. We are notified—sometimes only days in advance—when we are needed,
and then have texts and class lists shoved at us. We do our best to cope and
shine for our students.
“Pupils
may never see me again after the course ends, never mind if they need a
recommendation or just talk about their grade or receive career guidance,
because I can’t afford to stay on campus when I’m not teaching. That fact
frustrates me to no end, since consulting with students is rewarding for both
them and me. In the end, we all get cheated.
“Yes,
teaching at the university level is a career choice, but even more important,
it’s also the education that will prepare students for their careers to come.
If you or your child will set sail on the U.S.S. University this fall, you’d do
well to find out who’s actually pulling the oars.”
This article is from Crosscut.
and who's at fault? Those hideous, uncaring executives and coaches at the top of the money pile. You and the students and their families and their massive loans, in which the profits go to the top, simply don't matter to them. After all, that's the Ayn Rand free market and that's today's America.
ReplyDeleteHere in Florida adjunct instructors are paid $20 to $25 per class hour. $60 to $75 per week per semester for a three hour credit course. Three days of commuting to and from work.
ReplyDeleteInstructors often tutor their own students to help them pass the courses they themselves teach. The tutoring payments and locations are agreed upon between individual students and the tutors/adjunct instructors.
It is a gross conflict of interest lawsuit waiting to explode under the feet of adjunct instructors.
Online courses are often considered desirable by students in comparison to this expensive class instruction and tutoring combination.
What qualifications are demanded of adjuncts? Good question with vague and varying answers. That is a long story in itself.
Who is to blame? The entire institutional corruption disguised as higher education.