Legislative Triumph in Colorado!

A giant step forward for #ContingentFaculty everywhere, HB 1144 passed the Senate, now awaits expected signing. The good news story we've been following has the ending we hoped for. In my opinion, it also speaks to future possibilities for Program for Change, authored by Jack Longmate and Frank Fosco. "Colorado Adjunct Project" team member and long time contingent faculty activist, Don Eron of the Colorado AAUP writes [emphasis and links added], 

Dear Colleagues,

You will be interested to learn that on Tuesday Colorado House Bill 1144, the so-called "Contingent Faculty Bill," was passed by the Democratic-controlled State Senate, 22-12. This followed on the heels of a dramatic, and surprising, 36-29 victory last month in the Republican-controlled House of Representatives. House Bill 1144 is now on the desk of the Democratic governor, who is expected to sign it.

The law will give state universities and colleges the option of engaging in binding employment contracts with NTTF for up to three years. Previously, all faculty not on a tenure track had been declared by Colorado law to be at-will employees.

Joe Berry's COCAL Updates 27March12

 in brief, with links

A great quote  "Capitalism teaches the people the moral conceptions of cannibalism are the strong devouring the weak; its theory of the world of men and women is that of a glorified pig-trough where the biggest swine gets the most swill." - James Connolly 1910.

Mundo Precario

Another, this time international, conversation of what to call ourselves. [I personally have come to favor "precarious" even over "contingent"]. Hyperlink Academia blog

Yet another article about overpaid and underworked professors (WaPo) that ignores the contingent majority [written by a former college president who assuredly knows better, since his old institution, New School U, spent big bucks fighting an adjunct unionization campaign] and discussion of his article on IHE

• CHE on bad court decision regarding U of IL Chicago petition for joint (TT/NTT) bargaining unit and open letter from union to administration offering to accept two separate units in same local union.
• Accreditation as a means to aid adjuncts by considering staffing ratios and working conditions as factors in accreditation. CHE

Joe Berry's COCAL Updates 23Mar12

Email joeberry@igc.org, to subscribe to regular updates in brief and links by email. More about Joe Berry.   

Updates in brief and links

ADJUNCTIVERSE

Adjunct problem is every professor's problem, on More or Less Bunk 

Idaho adjunct with bipolar disorder fired after gun incident 

A "nosey" philosophical contribution by our fellow precarious faculty (and author) Alex Kudera, on his blog

Adjunct Nation,  about "one of the fastest-growing job titles in America ... ‘adjunct professor’ (an ill-paid, overworked species of academic).” IHE

Article about College of William and Mary adjuncts 

ORGANIZING

Change

~  is what we are working for. This time it refers to changes in the NFM social media network, that is. Changes include Already Done, More2Come and Works In Progress.

The main Already Done has to do with our twitter stream. Where once there was just one, now there are three.

When I was the lone NFM tweep, it made sense for my user name, NewFacMajority, to identify 100% with NFM. Now Prez Maria Maisto tweets under @MariaMaistoNFM. Other board members are giving it a try too.

So which/who was/is/will be the "the" voice of NFM?

What's in a name?

Following a recent "what to call ourselves" conversation (yes, it's that season again but this time with a global turn) on Twitter, Australian sessional (one of us by any other name) blogging as "Sessional Academic" at Hyperlink Academia decided to explore the matter further and asks "What's in a name?" 

http://hyperlinkacademia.blogspot.com/2012/03/whats-in-name.html 

SA writes,  "I think the challenge here is to seek a better term for casual teaching and research staff - what is a title that sets us up for a greater, more secure position at our universities?  Something more specific, with agency and meaning about the contributions we make to higher education" and invites your suggestions

Also, take a look at @UniCasual's (University Casual or adjunct) Casual Voices, analogous to the Adjunct Project, http://www.unicasual.org.au/casual_voices