Despite rising tuition costs, the majority of faculty continue to be underpaid, underrepresented, and lack any type of job security. At Point Park, we pay between $24,000 and $30,000 a year in tuition. Our adjunct professors on the other hand, receive $2,100 to $2,200 per course with NO benefits and no guarantee of future employment.
As students we must ask ourselves where does the money go? If not to those working day-in and day-out to impart us with the necessary skills for our futures then where? 78% of our professors are adjuncts. An increased use of adjuncts lowers graduation rates. This is only because they are not receiving the benefits and compensation they deserve. By giving our adjuncts space on campus, bettering adjunct working conditions, increasing adjunct pay this can be remedied. This would free up adjunct schedules allowing more time for them to focus on a reasonable number of students, and provide the quality education they strive to give. Graduation rates would rise as students would be granted much needed one on one time to work with their professors.
In respect to the treatment of our professors the University is not looking out for the students. By withholding from our professors the fair treatment, job security, proper benefits, and proper pay that they deserve not only are our chances of success during college hampered, but our futures as well. They are ignoring student needs and completely disregarding the values in which they espouse.
[1] Point Park University. "Tuition." Accessed February 9, 2014.
http://www.pointpark.edu/About/TuitionCosts/Tuition.
[2] Schackner, Bill. "Colleges are hiring more adjunct professors." Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Last modified April 5, 2013.
http://www.post-gazette.com/education/2013/04/05/Colleges-are-hiring-more-adjunct-professors/stories/201304050117#ixzz2l3DZcF9n.
[3] Erdley, Debra. "Adjunct teachers prop up higher education, seek rights." TribLIVE.com. Last modified March 31, 2013.
http://triblive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_789221.html#axzz2kMocQdqO.
[4] Kezar, Adrianna, Daniel Maxey, and Lara Badke. "The Imperative for Change." University of Southern California. Last modified 2012.
http://imperative.thechangingfaculty.org/.
