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Rachel Mitchell, Anthropology Faculty, 19 years

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Rachel Mitchell, Anthropology Faculty, 19 years

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What I LOVE about my job:

As an adjunct instructor, I have the honor and privilege of learning with and from students from diverse backgrounds since I work at two colleges and have taught evening, weekend, online, hybrid, and cohort classes.  I love being a part of and supporting students on their learning journey.

What is CHALLENGING about being an adjunct:

One of the biggest challenges of being an adjunct is not being able to fully participate in or be present at both colleges. Teaching more than a full time load (6-7 classes a semester), commuting to and from multiple campuses, and serving on various committees, means I can only do so much at one institution.

Most importantly though, this limits my time with students outside of the classroom and limits my ability to be a fully integrated and engaged member of either campus community.

What I would like to see CHANGE for adjuncts in Higher Ed:

Equal pay for equal work.  Adjunct faculty have the same degrees, qualifications, experience (and student debt!) as full time faculty yet are paid two-thirds less for doing the same work (and sometimes even more).  Adjuncts also have the same expenses: food, housing, healthcare, childcare, but do not make a living wage or have any job security from one semester to the next.  THIS HAS TO CHANGE for the essential professionals that make up the majority of the teaching faculty at Cabrillo and across higher education.  Faculty working conditions are student learning conditions.

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What I LOVE about my job:
I love teaching at an institution that, unlike the UC and CSU systems, is all about undergraduate learning. I feel privileged to be one of the first college professors that many students meet as they begin their academic careers. I love being in a classroom with students and seeing that light bulb flash when something they have worked so hard to understand, suddenly makes sense. I love the challenge of teaching science to non-science majors (who make up most of the students I teach) and in turn challenging Bio majors to think in different ways, to go beyond only seeking the right answer and delving into a deeper understanding of biology.

What is CHALLENGING about being an adjunct:
One challenge and cause of ongoing continual stress is not having job security. It is very disheartening to know that I could lose my assignment at any time, even right before the semester starts. This in turn makes it very difficult to put as much heart and soul into teaching, knowing that it all might be for nought. I might spend hundreds of hours of unpaid time developing lecture, lab, and field experiences for students, only to see my class taken from me. This inability to forecast income from semester to semester creates severe stress for my entire household.

It is also very discouraging to realize that I get paid less to do the same work that a full-time faculty member does. This makes me feel that my work is not appreciated by the College. The two-tier system serves only the full-timers, who have job security, higher hourly pay than adjuncts doing the same work, and benefits. In no way is this either fair or equitable.

What I would like to see CHANGE for adjuncts in higher ed:
The single most important thing is equal pay for equal work. I am every bit as qualified as my full-time colleagues in my  field of expertise, yet am paid significantly less to teach the same class. I have the same high living expenses in this area as the full-timers.

I would also like to see adjuncts become eligible for healthcare benefits without having to meet the ridiculously stringent criteria (teaching at least a 50% workload for 2 full years, and then maintaining that >50% load). In what other industry does an employee have to work for 2 full years before receiving any benefits?

As Cabrillo College continues to focus on removing the barriers and inequities that students face as they pursue their education, it must also acknowledge and address the inequities that adjunct faculty face in their work environment.

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What I LOVE about my job

I love teaching the diverse, often under-represented, sometimes returning students who typically attend community colleges. I also teach at a CSU, and have had years of experience teaching at other community colleges. I find Cabrillo to offer support and services to students that other colleges do not, and I am proud to be a part of such a positive and highly respected learning community. Twenty-six years ago, I was a re-entry student at Cabrillo College. I had three young children and I benefited greatly from the support I received at Cabrillo. Teaching in the ECE department, working with student parents and future teachers is very rewarding to me on a personal level.

What is CHALLENGING

For the 22 years I have been teaching, I have never had the luxury of having one job. Once we purchased a home in 2000, my self-employed contractor husband, and I have had to work as many jobs as possible, with no job security, to keep our home in the Santa Cruz Mountains. I have had semesters in which I have commuted from San Jose to Aptos to Seaside, teaching at three colleges, as well as a summer job running a performing arts nonprofit for children and youth. a few years ago, for the first time, I finally got good health insurance through teaching consecutively at CSUMB. I was just in time to provide my youngest child with a few years of coverage before she aged out of my benefits at 27. I have been teaching since she was six. I have nightmares about being forced to retire. In over twenty years of working at the same institution, I have only accrued a few years’ worth of mortgage payments in retirement benefits (if that). Though I have a great relationship with my department chairs and have been given verbal reassurance of at least two classes per semester. This is not a guarantee, nor is it a living wage in Santa Cruz County. I graduated with a master’s degree in 2000 and I am still paying back student loans. Because I have good benefits through the CSU, I say yes to every class offered, and juggle whatever I can both Cabrillo and CSUMB, and I continue to run a successful non-profit during my spare time. The grind is ridiculous. I am not getting any younger.

What I would like to see CHANGE for adjuncts in higher ed

I would like to see adjunct parity, or equal pay for equal work, good health and retirement benefits without caveats for consecutive units or years employed, job security, that includes a known and guaranteed number of units in advance, and adjunct seniority. In the greater body politic, some kind of student debt forgiveness for part time faculty, help with faculty housing (?)

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Heather Claussen, Anthropology, 23 years

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Heather Claussen, Anthropology, 23 years

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What I LOVE about my job:

My students! I love listening to their perspectives, watching them grow, and witnessing the excitement that new understanding brings.  I love the diverse student body at Cabrillo—having students of many different backgrounds spanning a large age range makes for much richer and more meaningful classroom discussions.  I love seeing students gain new self-confidence, challenging students to go further, and hearing back from former students who have gone on in anthropology.

What is CHALLENGING about being an adjunct:

Lack of equal pay for equal work. We depend on my income trying to raise a family in an area with very high living costs, but we are constantly forced to reevaluate financial priorities and make sacrifices because of affordability issues.  If I were paid as much per hour as my full-time colleagues, this would help immensely (and if I had been paid equitably over all my 23 years here, we would be in much better financial shape).  Quite honestly, it is also depressing that this two-tiered system has been in place for so long...as an adjunct, I definitely feel taken-for granted, under-appreciated, and overlooked.  There is a lot of emphasis on other forms of equity at what I have generally found to be a very progressive institution, but basic adjunct rights like equal pay for equal work seem to have been largely ignored by the general college community over the years.

Lack of job security is another issue.  I have in the past put in hundreds of hours of unpaid work preparing new courses that I then don’t get to teach due to last minute changes.  And not knowing for sure how many courses I will really end up with until the semester begins makes long-term planning very difficult.

What I would like to see CHANGE for adjuncts in higher ed:

Equal pay for equal work!  This seems a basic principle of fairness—it is incredible to me that adjuncts still do not get equal pay per hour in the classroom despite equal qualifications and teaching skills.  Equal pay for equal work is also a good way to retain adjuncts and reduce adjunct work loads—and stable departments full of teachers who have time for their students are good for everyone.

Greater job security and the ability to teach more classes at a single institution are also important.  Greater job security is likely to lead to more confidence investing time in (unpaid) course prep.  And, if those of us who are adjunct are around more, that can only benefit students.

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What I love about my job: Primarily I love working with our students. Every semester I am inspired, impressed, and moved by their stories, ideas, persistence, and heart. It is indeed a privilege to support them in their learning and goals towards building successful and healthy lives for themselves and their communities. It is also super cool that I get to continue thinking and learning myself as I develop curriculum and work with students. That's the dream, isn't it? To have the opportunity to earn a living doing the thing you love? I love to research, write about, and discuss topics that matter to me and to others, and in this job, I get to do that for a living.

What is challenging about being an adjunct, though, is that I must spread myself way too thin to make a living. This is not only a problem for my family and my health, but is also shortchanges the students. And this is the problem when I HAVE teaching assignments, which brings me to the problem of job security. As a grownup with ongoing responsibilities to others, it is IMPOSSIBLE to manage my life working on contingency. Not knowing from one semester to the next whether I will even have work is not tenable. Spending uncountable hours of uncompensated time developing courses only to have them yanked from me weeks before the semester and sometimes given to a "full-timer" (I work full time too, and then some) is untenable. Thirdly, the necessity of working for multiple different institutions makes it very hard to participate in, contribute to, and feel a part of any campus or department community.

What would I like to see change for "adjuncts"?
Perhaps we should start with that outmoded term since part-timers are ESSENTIAL, not "supplemental."  Aside from funding a higher percentage of "full-time" tenure tack positions in this system (which we are told we just can't afford), specific solutions to the problems named above have been proposed over and over. The only thing I have to add is the speculation that equitable (and just!) compensation and working conditions for "adjuncts" might just begin to undo the ridiculous 2-tier faculty system in higher education because that system DEPENDS on a cheaper, 2nd class work force.

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What I love about my job:

What I love about my job is being in class with my students. I LOVE the whole journey of meeting a group of students and doing the careful work of creating a community. It feels like magic! It’s absolutely my favorite thing to do. I also love watching how that community learns together. It’s so, so inspiring and satisfying. Teaching requires a lot, but I find that it’s worth every ounce of effort when my students feel seen, safe, engaged, and connected.

What is challenging about being an adjunct:

Honestly, for all that is inspiring and renewing about being with students, stepping into the institutional side of being a part-timer who works across three to four campuses is demoralizing. It’s hard to move in and out of survival mode every semester. It’s hard to feel that I work every where, but I don’t really have a professional home. It’s a heavy, sad, and silent feeling to carry around knowing that in the larger scheme of these colleges, I am not considered an equal and am therefore disposable. No matter how kind and aware individuals in more stable positions may be, we all know that teachers like me are second class citizens. It’s painful to live with that.

What I’d like to see change for adjuncts in Higher Ed:

I’d like to see adjuncts organize for themselves, and I’d like to see these institutions recognize how all the work we do for their colleges is at odds with how we are treated. I’d like to see adjuncts gain parity and job security, and I’d like to see the institutions where we work move toward a more humane and equitable paradigm. I want this for faculty and students because the two are inextricably linked: student success is tied to faculty support.

One more thing: I’d like the silence around this issue to dissolve and more people in positions of power to speak up and speak out.

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Debra Roussopoulos, Reference & Instruction Librarian, 19 years

What I love about my job

The campus setting is beautiful, the lovely views, the trees, the atmosphere. But it always comes down to the people we work with. I held several jobs before coming to Cabrillo and I can tell you, the best job in the world will pale if you are working with unengaged peers and non-responsive administration.

At Cabrillo, I love helping the students in the Library with all manner of questions. Whether they are right out of high school, or a returning adult, it’s a pleasure to help them. Sometimes it’s about finding relevant sources, or understanding an assignment, or just navigating to support services. I try and make each interaction enjoyable. We’re all here teaching and learning together. There’s a spirit of camaraderie that’s unique to this campus. I’ve worked at other colleges and nothing compares.

What’s the most challenging thing about being an adjunct

Salary. Because of the stranglehold on how much we can earn, securing affordable housing is a great challenge, and home ownership out of the question for many of us. Which leads to my biggest challenge…the future. Unfortunately if you are an adjunct for most of your career, your retirement outlook is bleak. No news flash here. We struggle to make ends meet with our regular salaries, even while working multiple jobs. Now try and wrap your head around meeting astronomical living expenses on half your current salary. That’s what the future holds. If you’ve been living in the same area for your whole life and can no longer afford rent after retirement, where do you go?

What I’d like to see change

Equal pay for equal work. I’ve been witness to a departmental meeting at another college where they asked me why Cabrillo hired so many part timers. The department head answered before I could, “They’re saving a lot of money that way.”  Administration (local and state) will do everything possible to keep from hiring full time employees in order to reap the savings that go with it. It’s as simple as that.

Retirement. Without a stable, full time job that includes a pension, security eludes us.

The financial struggle of being an adjunct will follow us into our retirement years.

And, fair warning to those who worked in the private sector and are counting on Social Security benefits plus their Calstrs retirement. Without 30 years of substantial earnings in the private sector, your Social Security benefits will be greatly reduced once you start collecting your Calstrs retirement.

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Janet Johns - Dance - Baile Folklorico Mexicano

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Janet Johns - Dance - Baile Folklorico Mexicano

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What I love about my job:
I have blessed to have been teaching my baile folklorico class at Cabrillo for 30+ years and love our community of students and their families, their enthusiasm and commitment. I also love being part of the greater Cabrillo community which operates like a family - everyone is so gracious, giving and supportive.

It is amazing to watch the growth of students who take dance for the first time and develop their skills and style, ready to perform at the end of the semester for their families who crowd into the Cabrillo Dance Studio at the Watsonville center every year to cheer on their family members in the class. I love that my classes are heterogeneous, where beginners learn from experienced dancers and vice versa. It's beautiful to see them support one another. Many students go on to join professional companies and continue growing and developing as dancers.

I love our dance department and our VAPA team who support all staff.

What would I like to see change for "adjuncts"?
Yes, I too like the idea of a name change, erasing the "adjunct" label. We want to be an essential part of the team in every way.

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Heather Crowley, Art History and History, 4 years

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Heather Crowley, Art History and History, 4 years

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What I love about my job:

Cabrillo is such a wonderful place to work!  In my experience, we have the best students, the most congenial faculty members, and wonderful support staff.   Being in the classroom has been a real pleasure during my short time at Cabrillo and engaging with our students and supporting them on their learning journey has been a privilege!

What is challenging about being an adjunct

Like most of my colleagues on this Padlet, our low pay requires me to work at multiple institutions and continuously ‘hustle’ to figure out where the money is coming from next semester.  The lack of job stability, pay, and benefits is disheartening, especially when considering the equal dedication that adjuncts bring to the job.

What would I like to see change for “adjuncts”?

Recognition for the real work we do in the classroom in the form of job stability, equal pay for equal work, and equal access to benefits.  While adjunct positions may have originally been envisioned as supplementing the full-time workforce, we have now become essential to the college, who could not offer the current breadth of courses without us.

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I honestly can't believe I have been at one job this long. The beauty of it is that it isn't really 'one' job. It has been 21 years of my own classes, working as a night coordinator/tutor in the ILC, and co-teaching through the I-BEST model. As most people have said, I love my students. I've created lasting friendships and continued to support students through life's challenges and shared in life's joys with them as well. I go early and stay late to listen to anything students want to or need to share. I find the right resources for them (thanks to all of the important and wonderful resources we have here) and together we all move forward.

I have also been blessed to have worked with so many dedicated and truly intelligent people. I thank everyone for their continued support and kindness. Wow, actually giving all of this some thought, I am completely overcome with gratitude. Thank you! everyone!
Sherrie Hueter