To the Editor:
It’s that time of year. Many of us are thinking about going to college, or back to college. Conveniently, we have local options: the University of Maine at Augusta’s centers in South Paris and Rumford, and nearby community colleges. They treat students well. Faculty not so well. Adjunct faculty (part-timers) are a key to the flexibility and broad diffusion of higher education. Some adjuncts are young, seeking a toehold in the academic world. Some are older but still enjoy teaching. All are underpaid. There are no health or retirement benefits. Their jobs may disappear at any moment.
Unfortunately, exploitation doesn’t stop there. Preparing a course involves work done well in advance; keeping up with new knowledge, preparing new syllabi, sometimes designing or redesigning a course. That work is part of what regular faculty are paid for. But the adjunct is only paid when she teaches; if a course is cancelled, there’s no pay, and often little chance of finding other work at the last minute. It’s the sort of chancy employment that people go to college to escape from.
Don’t hesitate to enroll in a local college. Make the most of it. Do please spare a thought for the adjunct faculty.
David R Jones
Bethel
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