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[10027]

Has anyone had this happen?

I arrange to meet several groups of students to discuss their upcoming economic policy analysis presentations.  My school (large, NYC, well-funded, graduate program with its own building) only provides ONE small room for adjunct-student meetings, out of 10+ floors of offices, conference rooms, etc., so I am crossing my fingers, well aware that if another adjunct is using the room I will end up meeting with my students while standing up in the hall, on the couch in the student lounge, or worse (the room is not reservable, thank you administration).  

However, I am NOT prepared for what I find- my University has casually given the room away to an off-campus fund-raiser group, who sit in the room all day long waiting for donaters to stop by!!  When I call my administrator's assistant, she simply repeats, over and over, it's just for one day--it's just for one day!  Please note that as an adjunct, I am only on campus each week FOR ONE DAY!!!!  And for full disclosure, please note that this is the second time this has happened this semester, as well as one additional occasion where actual adjunct offices are closed so that the space can be donated to a telethon!

My instinct is to tell my students that we need to re-schedule, but one look at their panic-stricken faces and I am a pool of jelly.  The next 45 minutes look like a farce out of a 3 Stooges Movie--I roam the building by elevator, floor by floor, followed by a trail of student clusters, looking for space.  In desperation I end up on the 6th floor (where faculty services are located-what a misnomer) and tell my administrator's assistant that we need space and can we use her (larger by far than the room no longer available for multiple adjuncts) office, or, alternatively, the lovely conference room on her floor?  

Absolutely not! she tells me in an indignant and shocked voice, however I have reached my limit and we overtake the conference room by fiat.  I rush my students through their meetings, and manage to disappear from one end of the conference room just as a pair of (tenured) professors come in at the other end to casually use the room for a pleasant afternoon chat.

How can my department expect me to teach my students when they can't even provide me with the physical space necessary to do so??

Frustrated on the Upper West Side

[larryc]

Outrageous. Your best bet is to get the students to complain to the dean about this.

[zuzu_]

And read this thread. It will make you feel a little better.

http://chronicle.com/forums/index.php?topic=44416.0

[10027]

Thanks, I agree. It's complicated by the fact that my students are in the last semester of their program, so are more likely to simply try to get through to graduation without rocking the boat, for which I can't blame them!

And to zuzu_ thank you! I have come home!!  that thread is hysterical--and I thought I was the only adjunct who borrowed a key for one itty bitty file drawer and "forgot" to return the key, thus clandestinely preserving a file drawer in the adjunct room for -gasp- multiple semesters!!!  Never have I felt like such a criminal and a scholar...

[ellaminnow]

I feel for you, 10027...been there.

Maybe you can find solace in this (ref. to high school, but still relevant to your situation):

"I'll fight you for the library"

[bluezebracat]

What did the head of the program say?

[infopri]

Maybe you can find solace in this (ref. to high school, but still relevant to your situation):

"I'll fight you for the library"

That was great, ellaminnow.  Thank you!!

[motormouth]

Yes I have had this happen.

Final exam day last semester I scheduled a computer room in September for the students to take their exam in December. The whole campus goes through one person who searches in the software and finds a time, date, and location and puts a reservation in the software.

I get to the room and there are people in the room with a class in session. I politely ask who they are, and what are they doing in the room I was supposed to be in that day. They tell me that the Community Ed Division of our school told them to just "take any room that is open that day". They were doing some free training for a local business.

That room was the only free computer room on campus that day. I go to the C.E. Division and ask who is in my room and how were they able to just "take a room" without scheduling. They replied that they were able to just take any room at any time! I blew a gasket, turned three shades of red, and told the person "I scheduled the room over 90 days in advance for my final exams". All she could say was "too bad, we wanted the room". It didn't seem to make a difference to her that my students had paid tuition for my class and her program was a free one.

After searching the building for anyplace with open computers I ended up in the part-time faculty office. The students had a huge disruption, lost time on the exam, and were in an office that was not appropriate for them. The next day I had another exam, and the same thing happened again due to this group.

This building was special built for underwater basket weaving, and the C.E. Division had one small office in the building when it was built. Now they have taken over about 40% of the building, and displaced much of our program. How am I supposed to properly weave baskets in the hallway, or in a non-dedicated room somewhere else? I had a good basket weaving lab before it was pilfered. We have a revolving door in the Dean's office and every few months we have a new Dean. When a new one leaves or arrives we seem to lose another room get our budget cut or something.

[badgerbadger]

It is inexcusable for schools to treat students this way. In the academic hierarchy an adjunct is lower than the dirt. However, the students deserve the education that they paid for, regardless of who is teaching them. The school's behavior, when dealing with students in this manner, should be reported to their accrediting body.

Just my two cents.

[10027]

I feel for you, 10027...been there.

Maybe you can find solace in this (ref. to high school, but still relevant to your situation):

"I'll fight you for the library"

Thanks!  And, sadly, so true that it's a high school reference and yet still relevant.

[adjunctprincipessa]

My solution to dealing with the myriad of adjunct problems is to shrug and say,  "I can only do this job as well as possible given the resources that exist."   

Since I have no space to meet with students, I cancel office hours and respond to student concerns via email.  I don't have any space to store material so I can't xerox ahead of time. If the xerox machine is broken, sometimes I need to let class out early.  If the school does not give me an adequate classroom with technology resources, then I cancel one class and have the students review the materials on BlackBoard.  Most of the students are thrilled to have cancelled/shortened classes, and the administration appears to be happy with my work since I submit my grades on time and they don't have any student complaints.

If your university does not provide you with adequate space to meet with your students outside of class, I would simply eliminate that assignment.  You can choose to lead a fight to demand adequate resources (which you completely deserve), but please keep in mind that the #1 goal for many administrators is to hire adjuncts who don't create any problems.

[untenured]

My solution to dealing with the myriad of adjunct problems is to shrug and say,  "I can only do this job as well as possible given the resources that exist."   

Since I have no space to meet with students, I cancel office hours and respond to student concerns via email.  I don't have any space to store material so I can't xerox ahead of time. If the xerox machine is broken, sometimes I need to let class out early.  If the school does not give me an adequate classroom with technology resources, then I cancel one class and have the students review the materials on BlackBoard.  Most of the students are thrilled to have cancelled/shortened classes, and the administration appears to be happy with my work since I submit my grades on time and they don't have any student complaints.

If your university does not provide you with adequate space to meet with your students outside of class, I would simply eliminate that assignment.  You can choose to lead a fight to demand adequate resources (which you completely deserve), but please keep in mind that the #1 goal for many administrators is to hire adjuncts who don't create any problems.

I reluctantly agree.  If an institution insists on having unfair/silly/inefficient practices, then the institution suffers by the sub-optimal results you deliver as a result of those practices.

There have been a number of initiatives (some significant, some minor) that I wanted to pursue, but my U is so laden by red tape that the effort is not worth the result.  If that's what the U wants, there's not much I can do.  Too often it's the students that suffer, and that is of course troubling.

Use the time lost to work on your research agenda to get a full-time job, if that's possible.