NATIONAL ADJUNCT WALKOUT AND AWARENESS DAY

February 25th, 2015

“The Rise of the Hyper-Educated Poor”

Developed and prepared by Dr. J Smith, Adjunct in TX

WHO ARE ADJUNCTS?•“Part Time” professors•“Contingent faculty”

What does this mean?

The college did not have enough full time faculty to

cover all its classes

They hired people to work ‘part time’, with equal qualifications, to teach other scheduled classes

THE MAJORITY OF CONTINGENT FACULTY DO NOT HAVE PROFESSIONAL

CAREERS OUTSIDE OF ACADEME.

Most teach basic core courses, rather than narrow specialties in which they are highly trained.

WHO ARE ADJUNCTS?•On average, 76% of professors at most US colleges are hired ‘part time’ or non-tenure-track

So, you’d think that these professors have the same pay, benefits, opportunities and job security as full-time faculty, right?

WRONG

ADJUNCT WAGESAdjuncts are paid based upon how many classes

they teach, or ‘contact hours’.

Adjuncts are limited by the state to 9 ‘contact hours’

(3 classes) per school, maximum.

Full time faculty are salaried employees

Full time faculty are given a maximum of 15 ‘contact

hours’ (5 classes)

Most adjuncts must get jobs at multiple schools (with maximum

hours) to have a decent livable wage, typically

18-24 contact hours (6-8 classes).

ADJUNCTS ARE PAID $2,700 PER COURSE,

ON AVERAGE.

(NOT PER MONTH, FOR THE WHOLE SEMESTER…)

WHEN CALCULATED PER HOUR THAT ADJUNCTS

ACTUALLY WORK, IN AND OUT OF CLASS,

THIS FIGURE IS LESS THAN MINIMUM WAGE.

IF AN ADJUNCT TAUGHT ONLY 9 CONTACT HOURS

PER SEMESTER (3 CLASSES),

THEIR INCOME WOULD FALL BELOW THE POVERTY

LINE.

Average yearly income of an adjunct with a Ph.D. and equivalent experience, teaching at 2 institutions (9 hrs at one school, 6 hrs at another):

$22,500*Does not include summer teaching appointments

Average yearly income of a full time professor with a Ph.D., teaching 15 contact hours:

$84,000** at community colleges this figure is around $60,000*full time professors can get raises, adjuncts cannot

Many adjuncts are on food stamps, welfare, Medicaid, or

unemployment benefits, WHILE STILL WORKING.

ADJUNCT AWARENESS

Adjuncts are not eligible for health care – many go without

Adjuncts are not offered retirement benefits

Adjuncts do not get sick days or paid time off – they have money deducted from their paychecks

if they have to miss class

Full time faculty get healthcare

Full time faculty get retirement and 401k

Full time faculty can cancel class or find a sub if they are sick with

no deduction to their salary

ADJUNCT CLASSES

Full time faculty can often choose their class times

Full time faculty can often choose WHAT classes they teach

Adjuncts must accept classes they’re offered, or risk losing their jobs

WHAT HAPPENS IF A CLASS HAS TOO LOW ENROLLMENT FOR THE SEMESTER?

Adjunct:

Loses that class, and that pay, for the entire

semester, without warning

Full time:

Is given another section of the same class, often at

the expense of an adjunct who loses that class

ADJUNCT EDUCATION

Many adjuncts have equal education and training to their full-time counterparts

Since they get paid so little, most adjuncts cannot afford

to pay student loan debt, putting them further behind

Adjuncts get no payment for time spent

commuting to their different campuses,

often on the same days

JOB SECURITYAdjuncts are hired ‘per semester’ and given

no guarantee of employment after that

Adjuncts are often told what their class assignments are DAYS

BEFORE THE CLASS BEGINS, but are expected to provide the

same level of educational experience for their students

Full time faculty are given ‘contracts’ for years at a

time, or permanent employment (tenure)

Full time faculty know months in advance what classes they’ll teach and

at what time

SCHOOL PARTICIPATION

At most campuses, adjuncts have no voice or say in administrative

proceedings of their colleges

Adjuncts are typically not invited to departmental meetings

Adjuncts cannot serve on department committees for

selecting textbooks, hiring, planning, or serve as advisers

Full time faculty have representatives in the ‘faculty senate’

Full time faculty are required to attend department meetings

Full time faculty are expected to participate in department

committees and advise students

OVERUSE OF CONTINGENT FACULTY HURTS ALL FACULTY

•Responsibilities like advising students, setting curriculum, and serving on college-wide committees are divided and assigned piecemeal to instructors, lecturers, graduate students, specialists, researchers, and administrators.•Proportionally fewer tenure-track faculty means fewer people to divide up the work.

OUTSIDE OF CLASS…Adjunct faculty do not have private

office space, and at some campuses, no office at all

Full time faculty have private offices

OUTSIDE OF CLASS…

Adjunct faculty are not paid for office hours for students, though they

are required for each class

Adjunct faculty are not paid for time spent grading or preparing for class

Full time faculty are compensated in their salary

Full time faculty are compensated in their salary

MANY CONTINGENT FACULTY MEMBERS ARE

EXCELLENT TEACHERS AND SCHOLARS.

But no matter how qualified and dedicated, contingent faculty members are hobbled in the performance of their duties.

HEAVY RELIANCE ON CONTINGENT FACULTY HURTS STUDENTS (YOU).

•Adjuncts:• have little ‘down time’ – their time is spent commuting or working.•Never having ‘down time’ means a lower quality of life

• can offer few office hours, and are never easy to find on campus.

No matter what, adjuncts NEVER let their own struggles affect the

QUALITY of education you receive.

YOU are our TOP priority.

CONTINGENT FACULTY HAVE HIGH TURNOVER…

•This means that some students:

•may never have the same teacher twice

•may be unable to find an instructor who knows them well enough to write a letter of recommendation. 

THE TURN TOWARDS CHEAPER LABOR IS

LARGELY A MATTER OF PRIORITIES RATHER THAN ECONOMIC NECESSITY.

WHILE MANY INSTITUTIONS ARE CURRENTLY SUFFERING BUDGET CUTS…

THE GREATEST GROWTH IN CONTINGENT FACULTY OCCURRED DURING TIMES OF

ECONOMIC PROSPERITY.

Full time employment has decreased in the past 25 years…

While employing

adjuncts has skyrocketed.

ADJUNCTS ARE THE ‘FACULTY OF THE FUTURE’

Unless you do something about it…

MANY INSTITUTIONS HAVE INVESTED HEAVILY IN FACILITIES AND TECHNOLOGY

WHILE CUTTING INSTRUCTIONAL SPENDING.

Though incoming students may find finer facilities, they are also likely to find: fewer full-time faculty with adequate time, professional support, and resources available for their instruction.

WE, THE ADJUNCT FACULTY OF THE UNITED STATES,

are taking a stand for working conditions deserving of the level of

academic preparation and commitment of adjunct faculty.

SO WE ASK YOU, TODAY, WITH ONE VOICE:

“What would you do if your professor was not here? What if he/she got fed up with the conditions, and left you to learn alone? Or with someone with lesser qualifications, or less desire to see you succeed?”

IT’S NOT JUST ONE VOICE… Sources:

•New Faculty Majority

•Chronicle of Higher Education

•Inside Higher Ed

•Vitae

•Adjuncts in Action

•Adjunct Faculty Union

•AdjunctNation.com

•Adjunctsauras

•Association of Governing Boards

•American Federation of Teachers

•AAUP

•National Center of Education Statistics

•Various news outlets• Washington

Post• New York Times• Huffington Post

YOUR FACULTY, FULL-TIME AND PART-TIME, STAND BEHIND YOU. WE HAVE DEDICATED OUR LIVES TO HELPING YOU SUCCEED AND

ACHIEVE YOUR DREAMS.REMEMBER US NEXT TIME YOU

PAY FOR YOUR CLASSES.

I’M ONE OF THE LUCKY ONES…

Your campus has a great support system of administrators and supervisors that care about contingent faculty, from working with my schedules, to providing temporary offices, and other necessities.

But not all are that lucky…

GET EDUCATED ABOUT HOW YOUR TUITION AND FEES ARE SPENT, AND DEMAND THAT IT

IS SPENT FOR THE THINGS YOU WANT.

Ask me if you’d like to write a letter or talk to someone about this issue.

We cannot have change without YOU!

SIGNED…

One of the thousands of adjunct faculty that love you, who•Has been on food stamps•Been forced to receive unemployment benefits•Cannot pay back anything on 5-figure student loans •Has no health, dental, or vision insurance•Has no retirement benefits or personal savings•can’t afford to live alone•Worked, at one point, for 4 colleges simultaneously to make ends-meet•Has no office•Buys clothes at thrift stores (not by choice)•Currently teaches 18 contact hours (6 classes)•Got an advanced degree, just so she could teach you at the highest level •Has a Ph.D., loves teaching you every day, and would do anything to make sure you succeed.

Someone come to the hallway to get me!

Thank you for standing

with me!