The Literal, Not Metaphorical Death of an Adjunct

I work at a major university. For the time being, as a temp, because substitute teaching is a tough gig after three years.

I work at not this major university in this story. But close to it. Close to the heart and tragedy of this story.

I am rather used to the absurdities of higher education. I am used to doing reimbursements that include a dinner for six that cost greater than what I make in two weeks.  I am used to looking at numbers at sighing. I am used to sniffling and working with head colds, counting my debts that I owe and figuring out if I can sacrifice that day of pay in order to have a day off to recuperate.

Margaret Mary shares a bond with me. The bond of ever-temporary work. The bond of constant stress and anxiety that work may end tomorrow.  That bills will still be due. That somehow you have to keep putting on the show and proving yourself year after year, in a vain attempt to be a permanent worker, with benefits, with security, without the worry that if I get sick, I will still be able to keep on the electricity. I have work tomorrow, but Margaret Mary didn’t.

Today, September 18th, Daniel Kovalik wrote a poignant piece for the Post Gazette about what happens when the metaphors become painful, mortal realities.  The article was simple, sad, moving, and laid out the story of Margaret Mary, a dedicated French adjunct professor at Duquesne University– a university with French name, never the less. I am sure she could probably spend  her life teaching those outside of this area how to pronounce it correctly.

Adjuncts are making up an increasingly scary portion of the academics at institutions. But as an adjunct, like a temp, you will not be granted the same permanent and benefits status as a “real” employee or faculty member; however, you will certainly be expected to act and produce like one.  Margaret Mary was no different than many adjuncts in this country.  Simply because you are a professor guarantees you nothing and for a number of adjuncts they rely on food stamps and other welfare measures to get by. After being let go, troubles escalated in Margaret Mary’s life:

“she had just been let go from her job as a professor at Duquesne, that she was given no severance or retirement benefits, and that the reason she was having trouble taking care of herself was because she was living in extreme poverty. The caseworker paused and asked with incredulity, “She was a professor?” I said yes. The caseworker was shocked; this was not the usual type of person for whom she was called in to help.

Was there truly nothing she could have done?   Adjuncts have been organizing with the United Steelworkers union for over a year. There was widespread support for the union, so why is there no union?  Daniel points out,  “Duquesne has fought unionization, claiming that it should have a religious exemption.”  I am not sure what the religious exemption to a union is. I would think a religion would desire to foster a community, create a more just world, especially one that is Catholic/Christian-based organization. Is it because tuition is so cheap at Duquesne that they cannot get by on their meager funds?

Source: http://www.duq.edu/admissions-and-aid/tuition

Hardly. As you clearly see, tuition is close to 30k and even greater for other disciplines like Health Sciences and Music and graduate school (not listed above.) Margaret Mary certainly wasn’t raking it in, not even one student’s tuition worth of raking it in:

“she was not even clearing $25,000 a year, and she received absolutely no health care benefits. Compare this with the salary of Duquesne’s president, who makes more than $700,000 with full benefits.

About 24 students would be needed to cover Duquesne’s president. That is just his salary, not even including the benefits package. Or what the other vice-presidents and other executives of the school make. Considering how many hours she likely put into her work, it is probable she even made minimum wage.

This problem isn’t limited to just French. You can see on their Modern Languages and Literature department page that  only a single professor exists for French, German, and Italian, yet adjuncts are exponential, Spanish being the outlier.  Some languages are not even granted a full professor (Arabic, Chinese, Japanese.)  Furthermore, adjuncts all over the country in both brick and mortar institutions and online, are facing similar problems.

The most stunning aspect of this story to me (I know, I read a lot of terrible tragic things and their horrible comment threads) is that she did the pro-capitalist, “pro-America” right thing. This elderly woman got a job at Eat’n Park (the place for smiles!) just to scrap money. Eat’n Park is a local diner chain. I can’t imagine she became a millionaire that way either. She tried to pull herself up by her bootstraps, only to have hours cut, kicked out of her job that she held almost as long as I have been alive, and left in greater poverty, cancer stricken, and suffering alone.

Some of the commentary has questioned what about her Medicare and Social Security big bucks she should be living on?? Most have no idea how these systems work. They are welfare programs and like all our welfare programs, fairly sub-par. If she wasn’t earning much money, she won’t have that much coming in on her Social Security check. Medicare doesn’t cover a number of procedures and tests, usually requires the patient pay 20%, and does not cover “outpatient” procedures (before you ask, yes, staying overnight in the hospital can be considered outpatient.) With how tenuous it is on the brink of making it paycheck to paycheck, a small puff of wind, like just one hospital bill, could bring you to your knees.

In a cruel irony, one of the quote  unquote best health systems lurks in the background, casting a shadow on her literal, not metaphorical cardboard coffin.

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At the time of this writing, Duquesne University has not responded to any of the criticism. Well. Officially. On their Facebook page, they disallow direct posting by members, but regardless, many have taken to commenting on their statuses having nothing to do with it. It is a small, simple defiance, the least we could do. There was an odd response posted WITHIN the status block itself, instead of its own status:

An interesting way to respond to what has been an outcry throughout the entire day. This statement could not be made in an official capacity? Not on their website? Not even as its own status, but on one advertising the upcoming job fair that the public has been commenting on? It doesn’t make sense. Or it is amateur hour in the public relations/common sense division. How do we move from here? A discussion has started, I hope we can pull together action. You and I can start by supporting labor movements and worker’s rights across this country.

-AntoinetteMarie