Show Readers Reader's Forum Letters I To The Editor Adjunct Faculty Promotion Having been an adjunct for an equivalent of 39 semesters I can appreciate the uniqueness of the adjunct lifestyle Like all salaried adjuncts I have become an expert at time management and in my ability ability ability abil abil- ity to be flexible I have learned to wait with patience for each semesters semester's semesters semester's semesters semester's semes semes- ter's assignment and to hold my breath that I would not be bumped out of my adjunct assignment In spite of the few obstacles that adjuncts face as they work at or at any other college for that matter matter matter mat mat- ter I know first hand that adjuncts at bring to their lectures a unique perspective that enriches the students' students educational experience in inmany inmany inmany many ways Adjuncts provide students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents an opportunity to learn from someone who is actively practicing his her profession and provide students students students stu stu- stu- stu dents with that rare glimpse into what work life is beyond the classroom classroom classroom class class- room doors Adjuncts allow students to see the practical applications of their classroom assignments We as adjuncts are an important resource to the college and our students For many of our students we their adjunct instructors are Salt Lake Community College and for most of our students the fact that any of their teachers are adjuncts is vant We are their instructors or professors professors professors pro pro- Unfortunately some of us tenured adjuncts who have served and its students for many years lack the recognition weve we've earned and deserve Some of us started as early as 1991 as adjunct instructors at and what do you know we are still adjunct instructors today Should faculty recognition and promotion for part- part time faculty as is practiced at other community colleges be denied to your dedicated and sometimes overqualified overqualified overqualified over- over qualified adjunct faculty Some of ofus ofus ofus us are teaching at this college because we love to teach Yes we may be fully-employed fully elsewhere making good earnings however we love the college and our students and andare andare andare are excited to teach Our yearly evaluation evaluation evaluation eval eval- records should tell you who amongst us us is good at what they do doand doand doand and deserve recognition Finally since adjunct faculty comprise approximately sixty per cent of faculty should they not be given due recognition for serving the college and its students Therefore in order to rectify this 1 t propose th the following amendments to faculty advancement and promotion timeline timeline timeline time time- line Suggested Adjunct Faculty Promotion Timeline The guideline for an adjunct faculty faculty faculty fac fac- fac- fac member to be considered and recommended for promotion in academic academic academic aca aca- demic rank is service at Salt Lake Community College in his her present present present pre pre- sent rank for the following number of semesters with accumulation of the following number of teaching hours in the academic discipline in which she he will be considered for promotion a. a for promotion to Adjunct Assistant Professor Ten 10 semesters semesters semesters semes semes- and thirty-nine thirty 39 teaching hours as Adjunct Instructor b. b for promotion to Adjunct Associate Professor Fourteen 14 semesters or four fifty-four 54 teaching hours as Adjunct Assistant Professor c. c for promotion to Adjunct Professor Eighteen 18 semesters or sixty-nine sixty 69 teaching hours as Adjunct Associate Professor C. C Murphy MD PhD In addition to the uncertainty of future as an adjunct which I can understand and with which I had a problem problem lem is the problem of tion The problem is amount of compensation but the schedule of compensation are paid 4 to 5 weeks into each and every semester As to why not been addressed in the past and no no better process process' that reduces this time has been implemented to date confounds confounds confounds con con- founds me The argument has been and one I disagree with is that the classes are not cemented until a few weeks into the semester I suppose it is after this cementing that the compensation process is finally engaged and the- the first paycheck is launched a few weeks thereafter Once the schedules schedules schedules sched sched- ules are locked down the process can be speeded up I think there resistance on some bureaucratic level rather than some violation of physical laws going faster than the speed of light perpetual perpetual perpetual ual etc that is preventing this from happening Additionally those of us who Would like td to teach more than 11 are unable to do so so Im I'm told because a number of years ago faculty member was given by his her request a time full-time load of classes without the attendant benefits to which time full-time faculty By law now adjunct faculty cannot cannot cannot can can- not teach more than 11 credit hours per semester except by special approval I cannot understand why common sense has been replaced by legislative fiat Persons requesting extra credit hours to teach without benefits could simply be asked a contract that articulates the nature of the agreement after is the adjunct who is requesting a favor of the college not the other way around namely that the employment is an adjunct position without if you dont don't like it it dont don't ask for it Arguments against this usually invoke some machiavellian plan by bythe bythe bythe the college to reduce all positions to adjunct positions so that no benefits are to be paid to anyone Ill I'll leave it at that rather than legitimize this slippery slope argument Jeffrey Gold GoldI I agree that adjunct faculty are an important resource for the college that adjuncts are grossly underpaid and that something along the lines of what you recommend to remedy the situation is long overdue But I question your assumption that only adjuncts bring to the classroom a rare glimpse into what work life is beyond the classroom doors I have had years of and postdoctoral postdoctoral postdoctoral post post- doctoral research before coming to And like many other full- full time faculty here I have had a rich life of experience in many facets of life academic and otherwise Many of us timers full-timers are working working working work work- ing toward improving the plight of adjuncts but implying that full- full timers live in ivory towers and are myopic with regard to the real world while only adjuncts bring practical knowledge to the classroom classroom classroom class class- room is pushing your otherwise very good case a little into oncoming traffic traffic fic I know that Im I'm making a small point but it needed to be said if we weare weare weare are to join ranks with you on the themore themore themore more important concerns that you have raised Harry Hughes t a va |