Part-Time Faculty Members Sue for Better Pay and Benefits

By ERIK LORDS

A legal battle in Washington State reflects tensions evident throughout academe

After 22 years of teaching German at North Seattle Community College, Eva R. Mader is approaching retirement without a nest egg.

For most of her academic career, she has been shut out of the state retirement plan. College officials always told her that, as a part-time instructor, she didn't work enough hours to qualify for a pension, she says, adding, "I never thought about suing, because I despise