Con Job screening at The Madison
A documentary by two Saint Rose professors about the rise in the use of adjuncts in higher education -- Con Job: Stories of Adjunct and Contingent Labor -- will screen at the Madison Theater May 12 at 7 pm. After the screening there will be a discussion with some of the people in the film. Tickets are free.
We talked with the two professors -- Megan Fulwiler and Jennifer Marlow -- last year as part of AOA's Work Week. As Marlow said to us then about higher education's increasing reliance on instructors who are paid relatively low wages and have little job security:
I think we like to think of higher ed as protected from or different than that corporatization. That higher ed is not a space that's supposed to be driven by the bottom line and the way that other businesses are. But ultimately it's here and it's happening in the same way it's happening in many other sectors of the economy for the very same reasons. That it's flexible, that it's cheap, that it's ultimately about the bottom line.
This issue has been simmering for a long time, but it's really started to get attention over the last few years as non-tenured faculty have assumed a majority of the teaching load in higher ed. [The Atlantic]
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There are more and more poorly-paid adjuncts and teaching assistants in colleges but the tuition keeps rising faster than inflation. I don't get it.
... said Lu on Apr 29, 2014 at 9:37 PM | link
As a adjunct myself, there is much to be said and brought to the public.
Now with Affordable Health Care kicking in, Colleges are using it as a way to pay adjuncts even less and give them just the bare minimum of teaching hours to avoid having to pay health care on their part-time employees. Give them 1-2 classes, pay them meager amounts of money, and force them to work in multiple locations just to make ends meat.
Many schools haven't hired full-time instructors in YEARS and (in their minds) why should they if they can get away with hiring more part-time employees?
Must be a nightmare too for human resources and for the Department heads.
... said Adjunct on Apr 29, 2014 at 11:04 PM | link
Two brief items:
- I worked as adjunct faculty at Maria College in the mid-1970's. It appears that things have changed precious little since then.
- The current plight of adjunct faculty is simply a continuation of a trend begun in Retail. I had a close friend who worked at Sears, and then the only full-time person in her department was the dep't. manager. All others were kept part-time to avoid having to pay benefits. This became a trend wherever businesses could use it to control costs. Unfortunately, the altruistic nature of many teachers pre-disposes them to accept these conditions, just as elementary grade teachers often lag behind their secondary-level colleagues in bargaining for their Union benefits.
... said Mary Bryan on Apr 30, 2014 at 12:07 AM | link
I was an adjunct at several local colleges for almost three years. I may make enemies with my sentiments here, but I never once complained about the situation I was in. I do not intend to start here. Sure, I had to drive to multiple campuses on any given day, but there are perks to the flexibility of academic life. I always had holidays off. Summers are ‘lighter’ than the fall and spring (adding to the flexibility). And of course, the broad spectrum of students always kept me on my toes during the busy times. Plus, I love my field and I love introducing others to it.
Take a look at Adjunct’s comments above and note the word ‘force.’ Take that perspective and quickly find it spiraling into a negative abyss. As I mentioned before, I worked at several colleges and had a tough time saying ‘no’ to offers. While I certainly did not become rich, I was able to stay well above the poverty line and live a comfortable life. Healthcare was a concern. At one point, I was paying a lot for minimal coverage. Still, I’m not complaining. If anything, the ACA makes it EASIER for individuals in these situations to find affordable care.
I am no longer an adjunct and have successfully secured full-time employment. That is the way it was intended to be. No one forced me into higher education and I wasn’t given faulty information by mentors and graduate professors. An adjunct is ’a thing added to something else as a supplementary rather than an essential part.’ Also, I spent lots of time in the adjunct faculty office of a local college where I held office hours. This is purely anecdotal, but it was mostly abysmal. Many of the colleagues I interacted with spent their time mindlessly surfing the Internet and complaining every time a student came in with a question or concern. I resorted to bringing headphones so I could do the work I was tasked with in peace (or is it piece?).
Final thoughts: Take the route of arguing for increased job security and the fact that a majority of the teaching load in higher education has shifted to adjuncts. That is the real bottom line.
... said Former Adjunct on Apr 30, 2014 at 11:58 AM | link
Oh great Mr. Former Adjunct is a contrarian - YAWN
"Force" isn't the right word, but if we are going to take on a majority of the teaching load - I think health care and sick time should at least be offered (that was what the health care act's intentions were) not cutting the amount we can teach so they don't have to pay for health care (we are paid by class hours not by time spent doing work grading, office hours, class prep) so that the only way to pick up more classes is to apply to other schools and drive all across the Capital Region and beyond for work to make an honest wage.
There was a hope once for putting in your time as an adjunct to get hired as a full-time instructor. The last full time instructor hired in my department was 7 years ago! And there has been many retirements of full-time faculty members
I think there is something wrong with the the "more with less" mentality that is plaguing are country right now.
I also contend that many adjuncts are thus not being fully prepared, trained, lacking office hours (even and office) and insecure in their next semester's future makes for less effective instruction for the students who are paying more and more money each year to go to school.
... said Adjunct on Apr 30, 2014 at 5:59 PM | link