Critique of David C. Levy's Editorial "Do College Professors Work Hard Enough?"

The Wordpress blog, Virtual Paper Balls, has published a March 25, 2012 post titled "The Shelf Life of Total B.S." The post reviews David C. Levy's editorial published in the Washington Post, titled "Do College Professors Work Hard Enough?"

Levy spews forth one misconception after another, without considering the entire educational hierarchy of administrators, tenured professors, and untenured faculty who labor on poverty-level wages.

The poster composes a classical argument essay, in which Levy's editorial is sliced and diced to reveal the less-than-freshman-level of Levy's argument. The replies to the post provide food for thought about the entire country's issues with injustice, economic woes, and still trying to keep the American dream alive for all.

http://virtualpaperballs.wordpress.com/2012/03/25/the-shelf-life-of-total-b-s/

P.D. Lesko on New Faculty Majority Faces Same Old Problems and Offers Same Old Solutions.

http://www.adjunctnation.com/?p=4112
New Faculty Majority Faces Same Old Problems & Offers Same Old Solutions

By P.D. Lesko

"...[Jack] Longmate wrote to the president of the NEA and received a form letter in reply. It was a display of bullying that would have gotten most fourth graders suspended, but instead the NEA allowed its Washington State affiliate to bully a member for exercising his right to free speech....

In Washington State, HB 1631 College Faculty Increment Funding discriminates against the majority of faculty.

In Washington State, a bill before the House would fund increment pay increases only for faculty who are called "full-time." In the Washington State community college system, the majority of faculty are termed "part-time." Thus, HB 1631, called the College Faculty Increment Funding, should really be called the College Faculty Increment Funding Discrimination bill. This bill treats faculty as being unequal, with a minority of faculty due to receive raises, and the majority of faculty due to receive nothing for their teaching efforts.

Whatever your feelings are about HB 1631, please use our democratic process to contact Washington State legislators in the House of Representatives in Olympia, WA, to share your ideas regarding this legislation.
Frank.Chopp@leg.wa.gov ; Richard.DeBolt@leg.wa.gov ; Jan.Angel@leg.wa.gov ; Mike.Armstrong@leg.wa.gov ; Cathy.Dahlquist@leg.wa.gov ; Deb.Eddy@leg.wa.gov ; Roger.Goodman@leg.wa.gov ; Tami.Green@leg.wa.gov ; Bob.Hasegawa@leg.wa.gov ; Norm.Johnson@leg.wa.gov ; Troy.Kelley@leg.wa.gov ; Joel.Kretz@leg.wa.gov ; Marcie.Maxwell@leg.wa.gov ; Jim.Moeller@leg.wa.gov ; Tina.Orwall@leg.wa.gov ; Eric.Pettigrew@leg.wa.gov ; Tim.Probst@leg.wa.gov ; Ann.Rivers@leg.wa.gov ; Cindy.Ryu@leg.wa.gov ; Joe.Schmick@leg.wa.gov ; Shelly.Short@leg.wa.gov ; Larry.Springer@leg.wa.gov ; Pat.Sullivan@leg.wa.gov ; Kevin.VanDeWege@leg.wa.gov ; Judy.Warnick@leg.wa.gov ; Eileen.Cody@leg.wa.gov ; Joe.Fitzgibbon@leg.wa.gov

Hours for Teaching and Preparation Rule of Thumb: 2-4 Hours of Prep for 1 Hour of Class

Many instructors may wonder how much prep time to spend on a class. Prep time can mean different things to different people. Many instructors assume prep time includes only the time spent getting ready for a particular class. Other instructors include meetings with students, advising, meetings with other faculty, professional development, and the numerous tasks and responsibilites of teaching.

The University of California at Berkeley included a discussion of actual preparation hours for class.
The newsletter contained the guidelines that distinguish between a class a teacher has taught before and a new class. For a class taught before, the teacher should plan to spend 2 hours out-of-class for each hour of class for preparation and grading. For a new class, the teacher should plan to spend 4 hours out-of-class for each hour of class.
The Office of Educational Development. Office of the Vice Provost for Teaching, Learning, Academic Planning and Facilities. "Instructor Preparation Time." 

Other experts concur. The DeCal site answers the question: "Developing a Course: How Much Planning Time Should I Allow for Getting a Good Class Together?"
"Most teachers spend at least two hours in prep time outside class for every hour spent inside class. Most teachers working with material for the first time spend three or more hours in prep per every one hour in class."»

Teaching and the Case Method Harvard Business School Press. "Spend a maximum of two hours prep time for each class hour."

Mader v State of Washington

Mader v State of Washington
http://204.200.167.203/pastcases.html

This information, via the attorneys' website, of Bendich, Stobaugh, and Strong, explains the successful lawsuit brought against the State of Washington by faculty who are called "part-time," and whose work hours were "mischaracterized."

Mader v. State of Washington, et al., No. 98-2-30850-8 SEA (King County Superior Court
Class action on behalf of part-time community college instructors who worked half-time or more, but who were denied retirement benefits because their work hours were mischaracterized to give the appearance of working below half-time. Settled in 2002 for $12 million.
News articles re Mader v. State:

• Seattle Post-Intelligencer Story: Agencies knew about part-time faculty inequities 11/9/99
• Puget Sound Business Journal: Judge approves $12 million for part-time profs
• Seattle Post-Intelligencer: Part-time instructors win on retirement benefits.

Mader v. Health Care Authority

This links to the case Mader v. Health Care Authority, also referred to as "Mader II."
"Supreme Court of the State of Washington Opinion Information Sheet
Docket Number: 72273-1
Title of Case:
Eva Mader, Teresa Boyden (aka Knudsen) v. The Health Care Authority
File Date: 06/05/2003
Oral Argument Date: 11/13/002"

Mader v. Health Care Authority
h:tp://www.appeal-law.com/appeals/mader.html

Additional Sources:

State of Washington Appropriations for Mader II
http://leap.leg.wa.gov/leap/budget/lbns/2004sa.pdf

Reference to Mader v. Health Care Authority in a Law Book
http://books.google.com/books?id=0pjru3veKjMC&pg=PA192&lpg=PA192&dq=mader+v.+health+care+authority&source=bl&ots=sSAlFEsp15&sig=Qqr0uKEWykLJUc2Sqmv7K2wDxho&hl=en&sa=X&ei=DWYPT--zOqOLiAKK5eXBDQ&ved=0CB0Q6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=mader%20v.%20health%20care%20authority&f=false

MLA Modern Language Association Convention and Timelines

Modern Language Association 127th Annual Convention, Seattle, Washington, Jan. 5th - 8th, 2012.
The Modern Language Association is holding its 2012 Convention in Seattle, Washington.
The 2012 MLA convention begins Thursday, January 5 and ends Sunday, January 8, 2011.
The call for papers is now closed for the 2012 convention.
MLA guidelines to registration and hotel reservations are available online.
Register first, then make hotel reservations.
As always, the sooner, the better. The hotel reservation deadline is early December 2011.

Modern Language Association's 128th Annual Convention will be in 2013, in Boston, Massachusetts
The MLA 2013 deadline for the call for papers is February 21, 2012.
MLA 2013 Convention in Boston Call for Papers
http://www.mla.org/