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Adjunct Emergency Fund

August 2, 2011, 1:57 pm

By Isaac Sweeney


A strange thing is happening in this country. Highly educated, highly motivated, intelligent people are struggling. We know the economy is in turmoil. While many in academe feel the blows, some are feeling it worse than others.

Chris LaBree and Debra Leigh Scott have been interviewing adjuncts across the nation for an upcoming book and documentary project, called ‘Junct. They have come across many adjuncts living in poverty, some of them homeless or on the verge of homelessness. Which is why they have set up the “adjunct emergency fund.”

The ‘Junct blog lists three disturbing cases, in particular:

… one adjunct is about to move into a sister’s basement. Another, a Ph.D. in African-American Studies, is living in a homeless shelter in Philadelphia that is supposed to be for recovering drug addicts. She is subject to a curfew and to disciplinary action, as if she, too, was a drug addict. Her only crime was to study for over a decade to earn a Ph.D., and to teach for poverty wages. The third adjunct, whose case is the direst right now, is an artist and educator living in California, who will be homeless as of August 15. Even worse, he now faces the possibility of losing his life’s work. Most of his paintings and artwork, 30 years worth of work, is stored in a facility that will not give him access because he is several months behind in rent. They have not discarded or destroyed the artwork yet, but that is becoming a real possibility as the month comes to a close.

I can already foresee some of the comments here: that those three adjuncts need to find permanent work elsewhere, that adjunct work is meant to be part-time and temporary, that it is the adjuncts’ fault that they are in this situation. Some of that may be true. But the strange thing is, those adjuncts work, and many of them work full-time hours, teaching as many courses, or more, than instructors with full-time status. What has happened to the college instructor? What are we doing to students when their instructors can’t make a living wage?

Click here if you would like to find out more information about the “adjunct emergency fund” or if you would like to make a donation.

This entry was posted in Adjunct Life, The Two-Year Track, Work and Life. Bookmark the permalink.

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  • angustias

    I was an adjunct for 3 years, teaching at multiple institutions of varying quality and making just barely minimum wage.  By the grace of God, good Karma or just plain Luck, my performance at one of the adjunct places got me in the top three candidates and eventually an offer for a full time tenure track position.
    That was 20 years ago. 
    In the meanwhile my SLAC hires more and more adjuncts who are fully as qualified – sometimes more so- than the F-T faculty.  We are begging a colleague to delay retiring b/c the rumor is that his F-T TT line will be lost to our dept and we’ll have to hire more adjuncts in his place. 
    My Dept goes out of our way to give raises where we can, schedule around their classes at the public university (that pays more and gives them health insurance), give them an office, computer, code for the xerox, but they are grossly underpaid.  I am ashamed of the uncollegial way faculty in other depts treat some of their adjuncts, especially the long-term adjuncts. 
    Any requests for more money for them is answered with a suggestion that we use departmental funds (which we did for an ill colleague- paying him while we covered his classes).  The Admin tells us if our long-time adjuncts won’t take it, we can always get ABDs on the cheap from the big state R1 university in town.
    The treatment of adjuncts is the dirty not-so-secret of academia.
    Even with out ridiculous salaries, I’m going to donate, and I ask my full time colleague to do likewise- even a small amount.  Unless you are one of the “Star” professors out there, these stories could be about you or me.

  • http://whytheology.wordpress.com/ Trey Medley

    The insidiousness of it all is that the adjuncts are often led on, made to believe if they’ll just tough it out one or two more years that FT TT position will open up and be offered to them.

  • http://who-will-kiss-the-pig.blogspot.com Richard Grayson

    Oy vey.

  • wilkenslibrary

    Many thanks to Isaac Sweeney for bringing this to everyone’s attention.  If all of us who read his column were to make just a small donation to the adjunct emergency fund, Chris and Debra could begin to make in difference in many people’s lives.
     
    Betsy Smith/Adjunct Professor of ESL/Cape Cod Community College

  • missoularedhead

    I plan on donating, despite being on the dole (food stamps are my life line right now…that and a very understanding landlord are all that stand between my daughter and me living in my car).  Maybe it’ll only be a dollar, but that could be me, too.  

    As for the critics who tell me to get another job…believe me, I’ve tried. I’ve even applied for jobs at Wal Mart and the local grocery store…problem is, they see the education I’ve had, and their response is that I’m overqualified.  I was told by one potential employer that “you’d be bored.” Well, maybe…but paying bills beats bored any day.

  • profmurph

    Surely you jest! Are we an entitlement nation or what! An adjunct is a part time employee that works at will of the employer. There is no welfare program for an adjunct. Try working at McDonalds.

  • http://twitter.com/jistudents JOI Students

    sad to know the poor situation in the US. Wish it would be as ever, the land of opportunities

  • http://www.facebook.com/pbeigbeder Philip Edgar Beigbeder

    follow the money…..if you recall employees took this hit 100 years ago, but now money has little value as an added feature…we all know what happened

  • dallenarts

    Institutions long ago decided that adjunct work was not “meant to be temporary:” they decided as cost saving measures that hiring part-timers to work for no benefits was a huge positive impact on their bottom-line. And, in a field where supply far outstrips demand, they have had no problem making this an integral part of their business.

  • nykol

    As an academic, I have witnessed first hand how adjuncts are ill-treated in my department. I have been aggressively outspoken about the low pay, no health insurance, and no real respect for my fellow colleagues. Specifically, on of my colleages have been an adjunct for 7 long years and he has complained in silience to his students about how he has to “fetch” coffee for our Chair. And, notwithstanding the fact that the Chair has simply ignored this adjunct, but gives him the impression that he will simply be “promoted’ some day. Yeah right. Promoted to what, I ask? Now that I have vehemently spoken out against these discriminatory practices inflicted upon my adjunct colleagues, my future in the department has now been called into question. But, I am not worried because I know I did the right thing in speaking out against and challenging the status quo.

  • shariyat5

    I have been teaching as an adjunct for the last 14 years. I have been outspoken on adjunct rights and been told repeatly,” You have no rights! ” I was teaching 3 colleges when one by one I was not assigned new classes. So I borrowed money and finished my dissertation. Even the then the dept chair tried to stop my research. Its a hugely exploitive time for adjuncts,especially in California where the admin is making 6 figure salaries and adjuncts are  being laid off to balance the budget.When will someone take the time to explore and investigate such practices?

  • http://twitter.com/AHGinCLE AHG in CLE

    I taught adjunct and once I figured in the prep time (which included silly things like pulling slides and not so silly things like grading) it worked out to $10/ hour. Some retail jobs pay more than that.

  • helpmelord

    Profmurph, did you understand Missoularehead’s response? Evidently, not! People discriminate against indiviuduals with an extensive educational background! Their favorite line is….you  are over qualified! Now, talk to the nation about that!

  • helpmelord

    Finishing your dissertation was a smart move! A door will open for you soon!

  • helpmelord

    You are right! A substitute teacher makes more as well.

  • helpmelord

    Maybe yoiu should try substitute teaching. They usually make more than adjuncts depending on where you are located. And, I suggest sticking to high schools since these students are getting prepared for college. This will give you classroom/academic experience to add to your resume. It could be beneficial.

  • missoularedhead

    Oh, I’m on their list, but unfortunately, the economy where I am is worse than the nation at large, and there are plenty of fully credentialed HS teachers also subbing.  But….a girl can hope.

  • missoularedhead

    I did, profmurph.  I was turned down for being ‘overqualified.’ Same with every other fast food joint in town.

  • dpmccain

    As an adjunct, I hope the study reflects more on the realities of adjunct life, and less on the plight of three who selected courses of study where gainful employment would be marginal.  The days of the artist with a patron seem to be long gone, and a PhD in African American Studies causes me concern.  But then again, who am I to speak?  I majored in Fashion/Textile Design, then credentialed in English and Multiple Subjects, then earned a Master’s Degree in Education.  Worthless where I am an adjunct, having stupidly retired early from the public school system, (but that’s another story). 

    I am going to donate.  Something about a penny on the tide for the flood or some such antiquated expression. 

  • southerntransplant

    Egad.

  • http://www.facebook.com/people/Kathleen-Flacy/1721996494 Kathleen Flacy

    Victor Villanueva, who is now a Professor and English Department Head at Auburn University, went through the same thing back in the 70s, which is to say that the starving scholar is not a new trend. Read his (very readable) book, “Bootstraps” to get an idea of the kind of grit it takes to “make it” in academia.

  • kgodwin

    I may be skewered for suggesting this, but perhaps those of you at graduate institutions could also consider this the next time you’re reviewing applications for your graduate programs…and maybe scale back a student or two, too.  Where’s the sense in churning out a bunch of folks with graduate degrees who can’t get jobs?  

    Hopefully the fund can help the folks who’ve already made it thru grad school…

  • skepticalteach

    I will donate too.  Please consider joining the New Faculty Majority.  They have a new program (reasonable) for insurance too.  It costs nothing but a donation to join.  Also adjuncts, form a group on your campus and take your causes to your administration or your faculty senate as a group.  There is power in numbers. Even saying this, we struggle with trying to make our F-T faculty association understand the power of adding three times the voices to their association.

    Bottom line, graduate programs have to take less students… Oh, forget that, who would teach section?!!!!!

  • gsudduth

    True grit……that’s right…..spend a lifetime in Education and this is the reality of the return. It is not just with higher ed either. I think I am where I am because of my age, background, location; and I trusted folks like a fool. Inspire! Inspire what? My own folks were right…………the arts? We’re the first to go. Everyday reminds me of the first adjunct position I had in the mid 80′s and how after developing a course the Pres said,’ take away that or another class, We can’t afford another full time person!’ I went to profit schools………………..holy ^&*$#…..You fill it in……….

  • http://twitter.com/IsaacSweeney IsaacSweeney

    I’m pretty sure part-time employees pay state and federal taxes and are, by law (at least in some states), entitled to unemployment benefits.

  • tcolb01

    Adjunct teaching at the college level has been around for decades and will continue to be around for decades to come.  If you are presently teaching in this capacity, be patient, very patient.  After 6 years in my first job, I was denied tenure, but was allowed to remain on the faculty full time for the next year and a half.  Then, for years, I pieced together part time teaching jobs, concentrating, however, on the institution where I felt I had the best chance of earning full time status.  To make a very long story not so long, I did, in fact, eventually land a regular position and was finally granted tenure.  This process, from adjunct to tenure, took a total of 14 years.  But, I remained patient, very patient.  I ultimately retired 10 years ago, following an extremely satisfying 29-year career in higher education.  Yes, even the adjunct years were satisfying.  Why?  Because I enjoyed what I was doing, I chose not to get involved with any of the politics and I made enough money to get by. 

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