In a Jan. 15 statement from the university, President Noland announced the university’s legislative priorities for the year ahead. Among the priorities were funding support for the construction of a new humanities building and the creation of a scholarship program for students at the Gatton College of Pharmacy.
Noticeably absent from the announcement, however, was a commitment to advocate for a pay raise for adjunct professors. While the ETSU College of Arts and Sciences has given a raise of $100 per credit hour for professors making less than $800 per credit hour, it fails to meet the demands of adjunct professors for $1,000 per credit hour.
The raise is certainly a step in the right direction, but given that adjuncts can only teach a maximum of three classes, or nine credit hours, the most that an adjunct making the lowest rate can take home a year is $12,600.
It has been only a year since the Adjunct Action campaign was launched to create support among students and community members, yet the university has already backed off its promises to more thoroughly advocate for adjuncts. They can not quietly push the issue under the rug to advance projects that serve the interests of the administration and investors. The student body would be unwise to let them.
While endeavors such as the construction of the new humanities building are obviously welcome ventures that would greatly benefit the university, it is inexcusable to continue to neglect the demands of adjunct professors on campus. Workers and students, the lifeblood of the university, should be the administration’s top priority. Providing a better wage for those who keep the university up and running through their hard work should be the baseline to be met before any other financial decision is made. Anything else is an insult to adjunct professors.
