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[mignon]

Friends (esp. in arts/humanities fields),

Do you work at a college or university that treats its contingent faculty well?  If so, what (concretely) do they DO that makes your job easier/better?  I know "reasonable wages" is the #1 issue, but are there other perks/practices that make a difference?

I am on a task force that is trying to improve the situation on our campus, and by example, the situation more broadly.  The problem, of course, is $$:  the administration loves part-timers b/c they're less expensive.  If we can't get them to pay more money (we're trying that, too), are there other things we could ask for?

[anthroma]

for me (really quick off the top of my head)...

• private office/ computer
• same access to supplies and resources
• partial benefits
• year long (instead of semester long) contracts
• possibility of course development

[watermarkup]

The place where I felt best treated as contingent faculty was also the place that paid me the least and offered no benefits. Money is very, very important, but a lot comes down to department-level attitudes.

* As I have a Ph.D., years of teaching experience, and a stronger publication record than the tenure-track faculty in my area, please accord me the same respect you have for them. Don't treat me like a trainee.

* I expect to enjoy as much autonomy in the classes I teach as possible, and the same amount as TT faculty teaching at the same level. Departmental standards are great. Standard textbooks are fine. Dictating a minute-by-minute lesson plan is not.

* Recognize my career aspirations and support them. If my contract ends in May, then I expect you to supply a LOR in September, and to wish me all the best with my current job search. If you want my loyalty to last longer than May, offer me a longer contract.

* Do not create a culture of surveillance, where classroom innovations are treated as deviations from the assigned curriculum.

* I recognize that TT faculty get more research support. But offering generous support to them and nothing to contingent faculty makes me grumpy. A few hundred bucks in departmental support makes a ruinous conference merely expensive, and helps me feel like the department wants me to succeed as a scholar.

* I understand that TT faculty get first pick of teaching assignments. I'm flexible. But assigning courses so that I have a needlessly high number of preps is incredibly irritating.

[msparticularity]

This is second-hand, but according to my term colleagues, knowing whether or not (and what) they would be teaching for the following semester ASAP was of the greatest importance. Having to sweat it out until the last minute is just incredibly stessful.

[zuzu_]

This is second-hand, but according to my term colleagues, knowing whether or not (and what) they would be teaching for the following semester ASAP was of the greatest importance. Having to sweat it out until the last minute is just incredibly stessful.

That is stressful, but, IMO, this is more respectful than "giving" someone a course and snatching it back at the last minute.


The best practive I've seen is to create positions that are full-time temporary with year-long contracts and benefits. They may be paid less, and/or they may have a higher teaching load, but they do not have service expectations UNLESS they are compensated separately for these responsibilities.

And there is NO REASON to treat these people as second class citizens, ESPECIALLY when little or no money is involved. For example, at my CC, all FT faculty have laptops. There was recently a big brou-ha-ha because adjunct faculty weren't allowed to check out laptops for more than one day. One of my PT colleagues drives from the campus across town and makes it on campus ten minutes before class--she was having trouble completing the laptop check out process and making it to her class on time. There were plenty of laptops available; we successfully argued that there was no reason why the adjunct faculty members shouldn't be trusted to check out a laptop for the full length of their contract.

One time, I taught at a campus where I had to check out a laptop from the library--just like students. The maximum time was four hours--I had two two-hour classes in a row (for which I needed a computer on a Smart Cart), and I would be fined if I didn't get it back on time. One time, they were out of laptops. It was so humiliating and demoralizing.

So what I'm saying is to examine all of these stupid little policies. Behind this policy, I think there was a subconscious mistrust and NOT a logical reason. At a bare minimum, make sure your adjuncts have equal access to keys, copiers, mailboxes, phones, etc.

[mignon]

Thanks!  These are great suggestions.  If anyone else has ideas, do weigh in.  (& I'll let you know how it goes when we try to strong-arm our administration into making things better for PT faculty . . . )

[compdoc]

I mostly agree with what others have said, but I do have a few other ideas.

1. Have the full-time and contingent faculty interact. It may mean just inviting the adjuncts to the department Christmas party, but being considered part of the group rather than an outsider has made one of my colleges far more enjoyable.

2. The more enjoyable college treats me as a competent member of the faculty. I'm fairly new there, but I get to choose my own books. There is a standard syllabus, but not a day-to-day one, just major points.

3. When something came open in another department that I was qualified for (still part-time), they sent my CV over with a recommendation. The other department pays more and they all encouraged me to work for them.

4. At my other college, I have "seniority" among the adjuncts. That's built by time-in-grade and student evaluations. When I wanted to move from night classes to day classes, the chair worked to accommodate me. The idea that eventually I could have more flexibility was a big deal... Of course, I have also worked for that college when they were in a bind, teaching an extra course or one where the professor left in the middle of the semester.

5. I like that my chairs know my name.

[msparticularity]

This is second-hand, but according to my term colleagues, knowing whether or not (and what) they would be teaching for the following semester ASAP was of the greatest importance. Having to sweat it out until the last minute is just incredibly stessful.

That is stressful, but, IMO, this is more respectful than "giving" someone a course and snatching it back at the last minute.

I think if it's done transparently, and the possibility that things may change is out there, it can be done quite respectfully. Term faculty know that the class schedules are set way, way in advance, and that there are X number of sections to be covered. Making it clear what is planned, and also that it might have to be changed at the last minute if sections do not make enrollment, at least offers the assurance that one has been tentatively "plugged in" for the coming term. When this is not done, term faculty are left with no idea at all how likely it is that they will be used.

[gratefulgrits]

I am treated VERY WELL in my new position as a "lecturer" (my position isn't called that, but I am a contract (ever-renewable) FT faculty member.  Here's some of the things that have made my gig great:

1.Big, well-lit, clean office, all to myself (same as TT)
1A. My name was on a permanent name plate on my office door--2 weeks before I officially started!
2.New computer upon arrival (same as TT)
3. Good Benefits and pretty good pay
4.TRANSPARENCY--about the position, its possibilities, its raise schedule (yes, there are raises), its stability, and so on. Concrete proof of longterm stability of the position.
5.Treated like an important new hire--introduced at the College of Liberal arts overall meeting as new faculty.
6.Monies available for professional development, conferences, my own writing submissions paid for by dept.
7.Rank is downplayed overall here, so tenure/non tenure is not so starkly portrayed.
8.Adjuncts, lecturers, and TT all work together on course development.  TT and lecturers collaborate on papers, textbook development, etc.
9.TT faculty willing to adjust their own schedule (switching classes etc) to help ME get a good (2 day!!!) schedule.

The little things--the name plate, being introduced, etc--made a surprisingly big difference in my attitude and sense of comfort.  That stuff is cheap for the department but makes a huge difference.

[lotsoquestions]

If you can't supply real and meaningful compensation, please don't attempt to make yourselves feel better by supplying us with some trifle as a token of thanks.  The article this morning quote a department chair who was congratulating himself for having given each of the adjuncts a zipdrive this year.  So that set him back approximately nine dollars per adjunct?  What exactly was he hoping to buy with that nine dollars?  Their undying loyalty?  Llikewise, do not provide the adjuncts with:
-a coffee mug
-a t-shirt
and don't under any circumstances use words that suggest that they are there for experience, an internship of sorts or because they enjoy volunteering in the community.  They are professionals who are there for the same reason the full-time faculty are -- professional advancement and financial compensation.

Also, I was once given an office to use during my teaching that belonged to a professor on leave.  Professor Boxes (as he was called in my house) apparently didn't want to pay for a storage locker while he was gone, so he had put the contents of his apartment into about 90 boxes -- which he then packed into the 'office' in question.  You literally could not move in the office, there was no room for students, it was musty and it smelled and I was afraid something was going to fall on me.  I guess since he was the senior guy this was his prerogative -- but it's that kind of arrogance on the part of full-time factulty that demoralizes the adjuncts. 

[educator1]

My School treats contract faculty very well. I have:

1. Annual contract with benefits (most importantly health)
2. An office (shared with another instructor whom I respect and who teaches on different days)
3. Access to supplies
4. Mutual respect and sharing between all faculty members (the tenured faculty respect my teaching ability and work experience - I respect their knowledge of the latest developments in my field). They use me as a teaching resource and I use them as a knowledge resource.
5. I have developed the curriculum of the courses that I teach and now specialize in the intermediate and advanced level courses for undergraduates (specific accreditation problems have interfered with my continuing to teach at the graduate level).

While I would love more money, as everyone would, my pay, on a daily basis, is not bad.

[envisioneer]

The school at which I was treated best as a contingent faculty member offered the following:

• Paid professional development opportunities
• Invitations to departmental meetings and events
• An adjunct "ladder" (assistant adjunct prof, assoc adjunct prof, adjunct prof) with corresponding pay raises
• A pay bonus after teaching x number of credit hours for the university
• An online classroom, including news and discussion forum, to keep us informed of issues affecting adjuncts

[mrsodetts]

Background: I'm an adjunct at a private university, and have been for several years. Before that I worked full time in the corporate world. I accept low pay, non-inclusion in faculty meetings or events, no benefits, no office and no phone number for the freedom of part time work. At this school, adjuncts teach approximately 70 percent of undergrad classes. On the plus side, we have no advising or committee responsibilities, paid or otherwise.

I can't imagine ever receiving a free t-shirt or coffee mug. I'd have to buy them from the bookstore.

What would I like? I'd like a key. I'd like to be able to enter my classroom a few minutes before class starts, without tracking down a maintenance or security person to unlock the door for me. There is no place, designated or undesignated, for adjuncts to meet with students. The library? Sorry, you can't talk there. Conference rooms? Sorry, all locked and reserved for committees, meetings, etc. The lobby? Not a good place for privacy. Same for hallways. This leaves the outdoor courtyard (weather permitting) or my classroom. A key to my classroom would be nice, but we adjuncts apparently are a security risk.

[janewales]

Friends (esp. in arts/humanities fields),

Do you work at a college or university that treats its contingent faculty well? 

I'm ttf in a humanities field. Our contingent faculty are on renewable contracts, with benefits; they have a right of reappointment which in practice is a kind of de facto tenure, though it's funding dependent (but funding has never collapsed, in the years since this status was granted through negotiation). They have several collective votes in department meetings (that is, not a one-person one-vote system; there's a pool of voting contingent faculty that equals about a third of their total number in the department). They get basic computer support (ttf don't-- we're supposed to use our research grants for that), but they don't have access to travel money. They do get a very modest annual professional allowance. They share offices. They occasionally get teaching assignments beyond the first-year grind (so, every now and then, a senior in-field course), but most of the teaching is pretty introductory (lots of comp). They are in complete control of the syllabus etc for those courses. The pay is low.

So, we're a mix of good and bad, and I don't know that all the "best practice" in the world can make up for not being paid well, and not being ttf. This isn't to say we shouldn't strive to make conditions as good as possible, but the system is broken, and even the best-intentioned departments can't really fix it.

[bms2000]

I just had to add: not all of us adjuncts WANT to be ttf. I know, it's your dream, and it is hard to understand, but not all of us share that dream. I personally have no desire to be tenure track, ever. If I had to break down and get a 'real job', it would much more likely be in industry, rather than as a ttf. I've seen the tenured folk in my (engineering) department stress themselves into health issues, even after they are tenured. I've seen them work long hours, never see their family, traveling constantly, etc. I don't want any of that.

Really, all I would like is
-Office space to park my stuff and meet with students
-Secretarial support
-A little common courtesy and respect. Don't treat me like I am a mental deficient because I have different priorities. Don't walk by me like I am invisible. I've got a Ph.D. same as you. I've published same as you. I teach classes and mentor students, same as you. I'm the one who took over that intro class so you could spend a semester doing research or being on sabbattical. So just give me a break, and get off your high horse. You don't walk on water because you are tenure track, last time I checked. In return, I won't even grumble too loudly about my lack of pay and benefits.