Only Contingent Faculty to be Affected

…a new study from #newfac house anthro, specializing in the study of NOTTSPASMS investigates this group's troubled and all too often invisible relationship with main stream media. Excerpts below. Alan Valerick writes, 

Cool picture of Roy from here. What if we all wore 

shades like that, all the time  even at night teaching \

off-campus? Would they notice us?

I've done a study. It shows that most higher ed faculty jobs are stressful because 1) most of them are adjunct or contingent and therefore low-paid, low benefit, and insecure, and 2) because most of what is ever written about adcons (Ed note: alternate synonym for NOTTSPASMS. See above link) is stupid or, if not stupid, just sort of “too bad and tough luck.” 

And now, I've done the study for you and you may now put my study up against what Huffington Post calls "A controversial new survey from CareerCast" that "insists college professors have the least stressful job in America."

So, that's stressful.

You know, perhaps it's because of more pressing problems—that pesky time-in-seat aspect of the credit hour, for example—but, whatever the cause, it's clear that some of our pals in "journalism," or whatever it's called, are having problems with higher education reality....

Oh well, maybe our big break is just around the corner. Look, here's an MSNBC story about a serous topic, "Colleges roll back faculty hours in response to Obamacare,” by Ned Resnikoff.

Exciting, no? ....

Ok, then, read on:  "Only contingent faculty—as opposed to full-time, tenure-track faculty—would be affected by the change in policy."

Well, I mean, sure, but, only?  What can this mean? 

The article refers to four colleges, ...with "only" indicated as a percent of total faculty:

Palm Beach State College is only 81% part-time non-tenure. Community College of Allegheny County is only 83%part-time non-tenure. Youngstown State University is only 52% part-time non-tenure. Kean University is only 73% part-time non-tenure.

....So, now the public knows: it's "only" some faculty who may be facing future problems with job caps, healthcare, etc. Only some.  "Staff," probably. 

Read all of Only Contingent Faculty to be Affected and other studies in this series. Add Cringing Liberal Elite to your reader, sub to email updates and/or follow @eValerick. CLE is also on the #NewFac Web 2.0 blogroll. Check the left sidebar for five most recent posts in the collection: click "show all" link at bottom to view complete lisy.  Email vanessa.vaile@newfacmajority.info to recommend links.

Addendum: this is not an isolated incident of main stream media getting it wrong and other coverage gaps. In addition to the Forbes gaffe Alan that references, Fox New interviewed Migrant Intellectual in depth, then bagged on screening. Now it looks as though PBS may scoop Fox on the adjunct beat, despite an original focus on fueling faculty tier tensions (tenured old farts vs hungry young PhDs).  \\

Here is a call for all of us to take a more pro-active and DIY role in our own coverage. Migrant Intellectual Rob Baum, Homeless Adjunct Debra Leigh Scott (on temporary blogging hiatus), Sarah Kendizor (the other anthro adjunct specialist), and Paul Haeder (see recent Dissident Voice series on A is for Adjunct) are already working in that direction. Don't overlook the guest posts + comments on The (original) Adjunct Project. 

So now I'm asking (myself and all of you), Why don't we all start wearing dark glasses all the time? (not just big red A's) and then Why don't we have more 'adjunct coverage for adjuncts by adjuncts'? Imagine a project that aggregates all of them in one place, online, no pay walls. What are your thoughts?.