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Feb. '99

Advocate Online

They're talking on campus...

On the Road

Action Line

In the Know

From Capital to Campus

NEA Affiliates in Action

Thriving in Academe

Higher Education News

Money Savvy

The Dialogue

Speak out

Speaking Out

Exploitation is Everyone's Problem

Part-time faculty exploitation! Where does the buck stop? With all of us -- if we're to believe the conclusions of a part-time faculty issues conference held recently by the Oregon Education Association.

Recognizing that the problems of part-time faculty are a threat to the entire higher education community, the Association invited part-time and full-time faculty, from both union and nonunion campuses across the state.

Those attending were full-time tenured, full-time nontenured, and part-timers, those both new to the profession and those teaching 30 years.

Working in small groups, participants first identified the threat that the proliferation of part-time employment poses to the traditions of higher education.

The most important of these, they agreed, was the erosion of faculty influence in academic affairs. This in turn weakens the quality of higher education and dampens creativity and innovation.

Another area of concern was the quality of the academic life, especially in the areas of salary and workload. If paying low salaries "works" for one segment of the academy -- part-timers -- why not extend the concept to the rest of the academy? The loss of collegiality created by the existence of a two-tier faculty was another concern. All faculty want academic freedom, quality courses, equitable working conditions, and financial security. The academic life suffers when there is equity and justice only for some.

After identifying some of the problems facing higher education, we devoted the rest of the conference to deciding what we can do about these problems. Some of our plans: Educate our academic and larger communities about the good work our community colleges are doing. Do more and better research on the employment situation of part-timers and develop long-range plans for equitable working conditions for everyone in higher education. Develop a legislative program for improving the salaries and working conditions of all faculty and staff. Do periodic evaluations of the progress we are making in improving the fairness and quality of life in the academy.

Finally, work with the public, students, our campus and K-12 colleagues, and other citizens to beat back this attempt to fragment and destroy our academic heritage.

Caroline Shook, an NEA member in Washington State, has been a member of the part-time math faculty at Bellevue Community College for 26 years.

I'd like to Say...

I find your "In the Know" column from the December '98 issue of the Advocate to be disturbing and offensive.

It opens: "Despite apparent gains by the political movement against affirmative action, groups and individuals committed to diversity in education have some cause for cheer."

The knee-jerk assumption that those who are against "affirmative action" are somehow opposed to those who favor "diversity in education," is simplistic, reductive, and divisive.

Many of my colleagues favor a "diverse" and challenging education for our students while opposing quotas, preferences, entitlements, and other forms of "affirmative action."

-- Michael Given
University of Southern Indiana

The Advocate looks great and has really good content. The student evaluation pieces are well done.

I'm also in Bob Fitrakis's corner on free speech. I prefer to know the enemy rather than send them into hiding.

-- Terry Fitzpatrick
Spokane Community College

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