skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Campus Equity Week: Full-Time Respect for Part-Time Professors

play audio
Play

Monday, October 28, 2013   

SEATTLE - This is Campus Equity Week, in recognition of adjunct or part-time faculty members who are teaching most college classes today in Washington. They have all the responsibilities, but few of the perks, that come with being a professor. Some have no health insurance and work at more than one school to piece together a steady income.

Annette Stofer calls herself fortunate to have two part-time jobs at the same institution, South Seattle Community College. She said many adjuncts don't know from one semester to the next what or where they'll be teaching, which makes it a lot like being a substitute.

"Sometimes, we'll go to the office to say, 'Oh, I need some whiteboard markers, or I need this...', and we're told, 'Well, you can have one.' Sometimes there's a stinginess around tools and equipment that are just basic tools for our job," she said.

Colleges say using adjuncts gives a school greater flexibility, although it also means they don't have to pay for these workers' benefits. While some people choose to work part-time, Stofer said others long for the stability of a full-time position.

The teachers' union, AFT Washington, sees part-timers as more evidence of a longtime trend of disinvestment in public education. Stofer said adjunct teachers often have the same academic qualifications as full-timers, as well as bringing experience from the business community into the classroom.

"The part-time faculty often have a connection with industry, so they may be more up-to-date than some of the full-time faculty," Stofer noted. "The newer faculty coming in are very technologically savvy - they're teaching online and using the most up-to-date tools."

Gov. Inslee has declared this Wednesday "Adjunct and Part-time Faculty Recognition Day." His proclamation says they should be "fully appreciated for their dedication and service" to the state.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021