America’s colleges and universities represent a promise that society makes to itself.
North Carolina is a great example of the power of this promise, as East Carolina students and alumni know well. A recent study showed that our state’s public universities generated a $17 billion return on taxpayers’ investment of $4.3 billion (News & Observer). Apart from the bottom line, most of know that when it comes to transforming lives, building communities, and ensuring the future, nothing quite compares. That promise is broken when highly-educated and hard-working professionals receive unfair treatment. Unfortunately, that’s the case at ECU.
There are two kinds of faculty at ECU, but it can be difficult to tell the difference
between them. Both tenure-track and fixed-term faculty members teach students, hold office hours, grade papers, and write letters of recommendation. However, fixed-term faculty members aren’t guaranteed job security; many don’t receive benefits like healthcare or retirement; most are underpaid for their time and expertise.
Currently, over 52 percent of ECU faculty are fixed-term, and that number’s rising. This means that over half of the ECU faculty can leave the classroom after final exams uncertain of whether they’ll return for the next semester. Nationwide, 31 percent of part-time faculty earn near or below the federal poverty level. For raising a family, paying rent, and for supporting students throughout their ECU careers, that’s not nearly enough.
The solution to this problem is two-fold. It requires awareness of fixed-term faculty issues on ECU’s campus, and it requires substantial change. Fixed-term faculty members deserve longer contracts, fair salaries, benefits, and a prominent role in departmental leadership. In order for this happen, University administrators need to hear that ECU students are concerned. So ask your professors if they’re fixed-term or tenure-track, and ask if they’re worried about their jobs. Ask how your major department hires fixed-term faculty, and whether fixed-term faculty are allowed to vote at faculty meetings. How far in advance do they know which courses they’ll teach? How much are they paid per course? Then, decide for yourself if you think these conditions are fair.
Secondly, consider joining with national groups who research and advocate for
fixed-term faculty, many of whom are afraid to speak out about labor conditions for fear of losing their jobs. On ECU’s campus, Concerned NC Educators supports fixed-term faculty. Nationally, SEIU Faculty Forward has added fixed-term faculty to a list of workers whose conditions deserve improvement.
I’m a fixed-term faculty member in the English department, and I’ll lose my job at
the end of this semester. I’ll still have student loans and medical expenses to pay, and I’ll have to relocate to find work at another university. I’ve accepted that. What I won’t accept is that the Pirate Nation can’t do better.
