Betsy
Smith will be distributing buttons to her colleagues and raising
awareness of the issues. She wrote the following article that was
published in the Cape Cod Times.
My
View
by Betsy Smith
The Times' editorial of July 2, 2003 ("College efficiency")
regarding the fiscal health of Cape Cod Community College considers
many facets of the situation; however, it ignores one essential
component: the adjunct (part-time) faculty. As attrition and early
retirements thin the ranks of full-time faculty members, the college
has been replacing them with adjuncts. Since there are currently
only sixty-eight full-timers, down from eighty in the late 1990s,
and since there has been an increase in both the size of the student
body and the number of courses offered, it is not surprising that
there has been a commensurate increase in the number of adjunct
faculty. At present, there are approximately three part-timers for
every full-timer.
It is certainly financially advantageous for the college to rely
on the source of cheap labor that adjuncts supply. While all faculty
salaries at 4Cs are low, a comparison of the salaries of adjuncts
(with similar and sometimes better qualifications) to those of the
full-time faculty reveals that the earnings of the part-timers are
disproportionately low. Whereas a new full-time faculty member would
have a starting salary in the high-$30,000-to-low-$40,000 range,
a new adjunct earns only $2145.00 for a three-credit course. As
an adjunct at 4Cs, I now earn half of what I earned in a similar
position in California six years ago, in 1997. With a Ph.D. and
many years of experience added to my resume, I earn less today per
course than I did in California in 1981,
over twenty years ago.
The college saves money not only because our salaries are low, but
also because it incurs no costs for benefits. Since the institution
provides no health or dental coverage for part-timers, many of my
colleagues are among the uninsured. Since it does not contribute
to a pension plan for part-timers, many of my colleages are unable
to retire.
Monetary savings notwithstanding, staffing courses with part-timers
has costs for both the students and the full-time faculty that cannot
be ignored. Adjuncts are not expected to keep office hours and are
not remunerated for time spent with students outside of class. Many
of us do make time to see students before or after class, but many
others are unable to fit additional help and counseling into their
schedules. Since there are fewer full-timers every year, the burden
of advising students grows ever larger on those who remain. In addition,
college committees must be staffed from a smaller pool, so full-time
faculty find themselves with more committee assignments each year.
It is indeed commendable that Cape Cod Community College has found
ways to keep tuition at last year's level. However, it is disingenuous
not to take into account the costs of doing business as usual. And
it is inconsiderate not to take into account the central role played
by the adjuncts who make possible many of the opportunities of which
the Times approves so wholeheartedly.
Contact:
Betsy Smith
<bsmith@eastgate.net>