Requiem Article for Adjunct Faculty : Professor Margaret Mary Vojtko of Duquesne University September 19, 2013

University's cold hearted policy toward its adjunct faculty leaves professor out in the cold.

"Underpaid 83-Year-Old Professor Died Trying to Make Ends Meet by Working Night Shift at Eat an' Save." By Daniel Kovalik, Attorney and Adjunct Professor. September 18, 2013. Alternet.

Professor Vojtko was thrown out of her job, just at the old horse in Animal Farm was sent to the glue factory. This professor was professional until she died. The university bears the shame.

"She could no longer keep her electricity on in her home, which became uninhabitable during the winter. She therefore took to working at an Eat 'n Park at night and then trying to catch some sleep during the day at her office at Duquesne. When this was discovered by the university, the police were called in to eject her from her office. Still, despite her cancer and her poverty, she never missed a day of class.

http://www.alternet.org/economy/underpaid-83-year-old-professor-died-trying-make-ends-meet-working-night-shift-eat-save

UPDATE Forum Discussion on Higher Ed.
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/19/newspaper-column-death-adjunct-prompts-debate#.UjsZUpQ_odA.email

"Keith Hoeller, an adjunct instructor of philosophy in the Seattle area and co-founder of the Washington Part-Time Faculty Association, said ... the story illustrates the "meanness" of a two-track faculty system, which is particularly vicious late in an adjunct's career. Instead of retiring with benefits and pension like tenured colleagues,... adjuncts end up with neither and, in all likelihood, little to no savings. In other words, in poverty."

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/09/19/newspaper-column-death-adjunct-prompts-debate#ixzz2fUxQte3e
Inside Higher Ed "

Eastern Washington University News Story Cites Faculty Raises, with No Mention of Faculty Classified as Adjunct or Part Time September 13, 2013

EWU is broadcasting a new faculty contract:
"A novel faculty contract at Eastern Washington University focuses on bringing everyone up to the national salary averages in their fields.

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP"

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2021820596_facultycontractxml.html

At present, the AFA website is waiting for clarification to see if the new contract excludes faculty who are classified as "adjunct" or "part-time."

Overtime Limit Legislation "Ceiling or Incentive?" Article and Discussion

"Faculty groups in California are divided over legislation that would set a limit on how many overtime courses full-time faculty members can teach at community colleges. Adjuncts and full-timers are divided on whether a cap would help or hurt part-timers -- and students."

Read more: http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/08/13/faculty-groups-california-disagree-whether-proposed-overload-law-would-limit#ixzz2cBrhERPQ
Inside Higher Ed

"Ceiling or Incentive?" By Coleen Flaherty. Inside Higher Ed. August 13, 2013
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/08/13/faculty-groups-california-disagree-whether-proposed-overload-law-would-limit#.UgpAUmz9vII.email

Article "Adjunct Faculty of America, Unite!" by Kay Steiger of The Nation

Kay Steiger's July 15, 2013 article "Adjunct Faculty of America, Unite!" beats a familiar drum to scholars working for poverty wages at America's colleges and universities.

 "A recent analysis conducted by the Coalition on the Academic Workforce found that the pay for adjunct faculty lagged far behind that of their tenured peers, averaging just $21,600 while tenure-track positions averaged $66,000 a year. "

Adjunct Faculty of America, Unite!
http://www.alternet.org/adjunct-faculty-america-unite

The article mentions the efforts to unionize on the East Coast. Here on the West Coast, specifically Washington State, "part-time" faculty are forced into the same unions, or non-union associations, with "full-time" faculty, who serve as de facto supervisors. The Washington State Public Employees Relations Commission has turned down every request for a separate bargaining unit.

The Olympian Publishes Dr. Keith Hoeller's Editorial Against Washington State Plan to Replace State-Paid Health Insurance with Obamacare , Published June 13, 2013

The Olympian
June 13, 2013

Adjunct faculty would be hard hit by health care plan

Keith Hoeller

"...Senate Majority Coalition Caucus passed its budget (SB 5034)...abolishing a decades-old law that provides state-paid health insurance for state employees who work 50 percent or more. The bill would end state-paid health insurance for part-time state workers and force them to purchase health insurance in the new state exchanges. [Obamacare].

Dr. Keith Hoeller, a professor of philosophy in Washington State, co-founded the Washington Part-Time Faculty Association. He has received numerous awards for his work.

Read more here: http://www.theolympian.com/2013/06/13/v-print/2582904/adjunct-faculty-would-be-hard.html#storylink=cpy

 

Green River Community College Abuse Complaint Is Rejected by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities . Faculty Will Appeal the Decision. May 28, 2013 Chronicle of Higher Education

The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities has made a rejection of the complaint by faculty classified or misclassified as "part-time" that they are suffering abuse at Green River Community College. The faculty will appeal this action by the NCCU.

Accreditor Rejects Adjuncts' Complaints Against College in Washington State. By Peter Schmidt. May 28, 2013. The Chronicle of Higher Education.

http://chronicle.com/article/Accreditor-Rejects-Adjuncts/139491/

"Adjunct Faculty Bear Brunt of Higher Ed Cuts." By Jack Longmate. Tacoma News Tribune. December 31, 2010.

"Adjunct Faculty Bear Brunt of Higher Ed Cuts." By Jack Longmate. Tacoma News Tribune. December 31, 2010.