“Universities, colleges and
community colleges make heavy use of part-time professors and lecturers, known
as ‘adjuncts.’ Chances are very good that if you’re a current college student,
you’ve taken a class taught by an
adjunct.
“Although they make up a large
chunk of college instructors, adjuncts are paid only a tiny fraction of what
full-time professors make, often with no benefits and no say in institutional
decision-making. Adjunct professors may hold doctorates but are paid on average
only $3,000 for each
course that they teach. If (and this is a big if) an adjunct somehow
manages to secure five courses to teach during the academic year, which is on
par with (or exceeds) the load of a full-time professor, they could be bringing
in a whopping $15,000 a year…
“Adjuncts fear that if they ask
for a raise, they will just be replaced with someone else who is more desperate
for work and less argumentative. Adjuncts are also often caught in a cruel
catch-22, where they can’t afford to strike for higher pay because their
current pay is so low that striking would leave them unable to pay
rent or other living expenses.
“Historians Kristen Edwards and Kim Tolley sum up the current adjunct situation quite well in The
Chronicle of Higher Education: ‘Many colleges claim to advance social justice
or develop democratic communities, but few have acted on their own principles
when it comes to giving adjunct faculty a living wage and a real voice in
decision-making. Everyone who cares about the quality of higher education
should demand they do so. Since the founding of the nation, the purpose
of higher education has been to develop skilled, thoughtful citizens capable of
contributing in meaningful ways to society. This purpose will never be realized
with a professoriate composed predominantly of instructors who work without the
protection of real academic freedom, and have no role in shared governance, no
job security, no benefits, low wages, and no real hope of ever finding a
full-time position.’
“Given that our institutions are uninterested in
paying these professors what they are worth; given that they are uninterested
in allowing adjuncts to participate in college decision-making; given that
adjunct professors are in such a tenuous position that they are by and large
unable to bargain; given that even successful bargaining brings modest gains at
best, and given the staggering amount of money that students pay in tuition,
the solution is for students to go on strike until our institutions agree to
pay adjuncts a fair wage.
“[We
should] argue that $12,000 a course would be much more on par with the value
these professors provide. This should come with benefits, job security and
participation in institutional decision-making.
“…[Remember]: These adjuncts create courses,
give lectures, answer questions outside of class, spend hours grading, help
thousands of students learn to think critically and to move toward a better
future, while getting paid less than some people make working in the fast food
industry. Maybe it’s time we do something for them. Do we care about fair pay?
Do we care about fair benefits? Do we care about fair representation? Do we
believe that our adjunct professors are worth more than $15,000 a year?
“If we do, occupy lecture halls. Get into the
auditoriums. Take over the labs. Sleep in those weird tiny rooms for the
upper-level classes that only fit 10 people. Bring mattresses, bring blankets,
bring food, bring games, blast music. Make big signs. Bring call-and-response
chants. Discuss injustice. Demand justice. Tell our friends at other colleges
to do the same. Make a difference for the people who are helping us make a
difference in the world” (Peter Jacobs at Press Herald).
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