more about adjuncts [HAPP-L]

[Pam Langley <plangley@xxxxxxxxx>]

Having been on all sides of the adjunct question (long-time adjunct at
multiple schools simultaneously, full-time colleague of adjuncts, and
department chair responsible for hiring and evaluating adjuncts), I can
only say this. If your department has good adjuncts, do everything in
your power to keep them!

The HAPS messages about adjuncts have been coming in while I was busy
working on the minutes of our last Department Head meeting, at which we
discussed some ideas of "best practices" for orienting and keeping good
adjuncts. We are in the process of creating an adjunct manual; some
departments have their own manuals to cover their own "rules" (such as,
"make sure these things get locked up when you're done"); most
departments use some sort of mentor system for new adjuncts, generally
agreeing that frequent contact (tho' not necessarily intrusive contact)
is important; etc. We also held an "Adjunct Fair" back in August where
day and evening adjuncts (and full-timers) from all areas could come and
get information about all aspects of the campus. For example, the
Registrar's Office had a table with information about rosters and
grading; the Financial Aid Office had information about types of
financial aid and the impact of student attendance (or lack thereof) on
the college and the individual; the Learning Center had a table showing
what services they provide; the Civil Rights Coordinator (that would be
me...) had a table with information about how to avoid complaints of
harassment and discrimination; and so on. It was very well-attended, and
evaluations showed that both adjuncts and full-timers found the fair
valuable.

If you are not responsible for hiring or evaluating adjuncts but you
"hear stuff," you really should discuss it with whoever IS responsible.
They won't necessarily know unless someone tells them. If they are
informed and take no action, then shame on them, but you've done what
you can. Over the past several years, we have taken the bull by the
horns and insisted, for example, that each department head be the one to
approve anyone teaching a course from his/her department through
Community Education.(And just because someone is approved to teach one
course doesn't mean they are approved to teach any course!) Previously,
the Community Ed folks hired whoever they wanted. In fact, it was my
outrage at the poor quality of some DCE hires (more than 10 years ago)
and their lack of supervision of any kind (the supervisor was a math
teacher) that led to my crossing over to the "dark side" of
administration - a case of the squeaky wheel getting the dirty job, I
guess...

I have been in the position of having to settle for "a warm body" (as
one previous respondent said), and that's when you might catch me saying
the dreaded, "They're more trouble than they're worth." To avoid that, I
have also overloaded myself or others by taking on uncovered sections or
by going to a team-teaching scenario in order to avoid canceling
sections.

Finally, I don't know too many places that have much control over what
adjuncts get paid, and I've never heard anyone say that adjuncts get
paid anything other than some "abysmal" wage. However, the happier you
can make them in other ways by making them feel a part of the department
and college, the more likely they are to meet departmental expectations
for instruction.

And everyone has to start teaching somewhere - often as an adjunct. So,
remember that you probably weren't all that great when you started out
teaching either! I know I wasn't!

pam




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