ADJUNCTS ADVOCATING — English instructor Geoffrey Johnson explains an adjunct’s schedule and the stress it involves. He shares that the lack of attention adjunct instructors receive prevent them from giving students adequate attention.
One-quarter of Southwestern College instructors are full time, with three-quarters part timers. Adjunct English instructor Geoffery Johnson says it should be the other way around.
Johnson organizes Campus Equity Week on SWC’s main campus each year to inform teachers and students about academic and social justice issues. He said he has had many struggles as an adjunct and has seen colleagues being treated unfairly.
Campus Equity week was held this year at the end of October. Among the activities was one in which attendees made a timeline of a day in an adjunct’s shoes. Johnson said they have to travel a lot to other campuses for classes, fight rush hour and often face gridlock in campus parking lots.
“I would work here at Southwestern, Cuyamaca, at Mesa College, UCSD and Central Texas based in Coronado,” said SWC English instructor Jessica Posey. “At the end of my career I was driving 100 miles a day and my first class was at seven in the morning and my last was at nine at night.”
On Oct. 24, Johnson brought five panelist, three adjuncts, including Posey, and two student workers, to share their concerns of unfairness with adjunct faculty. The top concerns are lack of office space, health benefits and job security.
The part-times have no specific designated office space, said Johnson. They share a room with three computers and 70 other colleagues.
This affects both instructors and students. Students have difficulties contacting instructors because they do not have office hours or because the shared space is chaotic.
“If we can’t create an environment where teachers can do their best, that’s a challenge,” said Johnson.
Johnson has colleagues who are living in their cars.
“Up until last year, if you’re an adjunct and you go on maternity leave or after your sick leave, you’d get nothing,” Johnson said.
Posey shared that prior to earning her doctorate she was unsure whether she would have a job to support her three boys as a single mom. Despite working many hours, Posey said her income was low enough to qualify for Medi-Cal and food stamps.
Full-time English and education professor Michel Wickert says he too senses the inequalities between full and part-time faculty.
“I personally know of amazing adjunct professors who would undoubtedly have a greater positive impact on SWC students if they were able to focus on our students here instead of needing to travel between multiple campuses to teach a high-class load just to survive,” Wickert said. “We are able to do great things when we have a sense and it is unfortunate that so many of our colleagues do not.”
Johnson encourages people to make a change in what they see and speak about what is going on with their friends, colleagues, and faculty. He hopes that Campus Equity Week will get everyone to come together and make a change to their environment.
