Another New School Demo (CLARIFIED)

This dispatch just in from Gabriel Gil Arana, a current Nation intern:

In March, the New School let go of 12 part-time/adjunct faculty at Parsons' fine arts department. Today, over a hundred members of the school's adjunct union and their supporters protested the firings in front of the school's main administration building on 12th Street, accusing administrators of union busting and flouting the protections offered to part-time faculty in their contract.

The protest is the most recent spat in an extended history of tensions between the New School administration and its faculty and students. On two separate occasions in April and December, students occupied buildings to call for the resignation of New School president Bob Kerrey, who received a vote of "no confidence" from an overwhelming majority of the faculty in December.

Adjuncts at the New School unionized in 2004 and have negotiated a contract that offers substantial job security after a five-year "probationary" period. Barbara Siegel, a part-time faculty member who has taught at the New School for 25 years, said that some of those fired were on the cusp of reaching that threshold. The purported reasons for the firings were financial hardship and "curricular changes." Siegel disputes the former, citing a recent email from Kerrey saying that the school's finances were sound.

Part-time faculty, which at the New School make up 89 percent of the teaching staff, are often an expedient solution to budget shortfalls; they are either hired to replace more expensive full-time positions or in this case, fired in a budget crunch.

CLARIFICATION: The Nation was contacted by Deborah Kirshner, associate director of arts communications at the New School, who disputes some of the union's claims. She said that of the 12 part-time faculty, 3 were assigned courses to teach outside of the fine arts department; 3 knew they would not be teaching in the fall, including one who said he was unable to teach; and the other 6 had finished their spring teaching obligations. Those six were informed in a letter sent by email that they would not be courses for them to teach in the fall; they were not "fired," because their contracts only ran semester to semester or academic year to academic year. According to a New School fact-sheet, "the university is making every effort to identify teaching assignments for these faculty members, which is beyond its union obligation."

(A statement released by New School provost Tim Marshall apologizes for the manner in which adjuncts were informed they would not be assigned a course for the fall.)

Kirshner added that funding for the fine arts department has actually increased for the 2009-2010 school year; the decision not to assign part-timers courses was because of structural changes in the arts department, not lack of funds.

Siegel, however, took exception to the claim that these "non-rehirings" were not "firings." She said administrators do not want to use the term "firing" because it's "inflammatory." While adjuncts are hired on a term-by-term or year-by-year basis, Siegel said that there is the expectation that adjuncts' contracts will be renewed, especially for those who have taught continuously for decades at the school.

"It's not a question of receiving [an official] job offer," she said. "For many of these people continuing [to teach] is a given."

"They're always arguing over terminology, which seems like a way of obscuring the real issue," she said.

Siegel added that some of the alternative placements in other departments were "basically a kind of demotion" given that some of these appointments were in "continuing education," a non-degree program. She said that even though the budget may have been increased, how the money is allocated matters. Siegel said the school may hire nonunionized full-time professors in order to "get more control." The New School is hiring one full-time faculty member for the arts department for the fall, but representatives for the school said this was part of the larger plan to improve the fine arts program and not intended as a power move.

written by Gabriel Gil Arana

Comments (8)

1. Thanks for bringing attention to this Gabriel! Right now at my university I have three courses, they are all taught by adjunct professors. The difference in the quality of the courses is subtle but present. They do a good job, but my full time/tenure track professors are amazing. The sense of belonging that they enjoy is imparted on the course which in turn is imparted on the students. Full time professors create quality and value in our education dollars which by far offsets their higher pay. We need real, stable, long term professional educators with a vested interest in their institutions. My heart goes out to those that have spent a decade or more studying and researching to realize the dream of becoming a full fledged professor, only to find out that they will spend their careers as academic day labor. They work hard and deserve better. Our education system deserves better, and so do the students. I'm sick and tired of our country turning into a string of short term compromises and loophole exploits. We need to put our money where our mouth in and draw a hard line on these investments for the future.

   Posted by Milhaus at 04/23/2009 @ 5:37pm

2. Who let the dogs out?

   Posted by comancheamerican at 04/24/2009 @ 12:31am

3. Everyone can be made to feel more insecure with adjuncts fulfilling--professors, who feel threatened by "cheap labor," and adjuncts, who feel disrespected, overworked, and underpaid.

   Posted by debrae at 04/24/2009 @ 1:58pm

4. P.S. Full time professors are dinosaurs, sometimes engaging and pleasant, but dinosaurs, nonetheless. Still, government has to find a place for bright, socially awkward people; otherwise, they'll run amok.

   Posted by debrae at 04/24/2009 @ 2:02pm

5. Posted by debrae at 04/24/2009 @ 2:02pm

   Well, with a boring exception or two, that wasn't my experience as an undergraduate 25+ years ago, or as a grad student 15 years ago. I found the quality of the adjuncts to be higher in grad school than in college and to match the quality of the tenured profs, where they didn't, overall, in college. To be fair, most of the ones in college were "industry professionals" who had the knowledge but were weaker teachers.

   Schools must be liberated from the administrators and the Boards, with the faculty (how old fashioned!) and the students (how new fangled!) in charge.

   Posted by cka2nd at 04/24/2009 @ 3:18pm

6. The use of adjucts, especially at private universities, is alarming. These most expensive of schools often pay adjuncts very low wages with no hint of job security. In reality, tenure rules need to be expanded and strengthened. This is one key ingredient that ensures academic freedom and independence.

   Tenure should be expanded to include part-time college and elem. and secondary educators.

   Posted by erazma at 04/25/2009 @ 08:55am

7. Hmm. so a private school faced with inability to meet payroll and expenses should do what? Close rather than dis adjuncts? Why not raise tuition and keep adjuncts?

   Posted by twillie at 04/25/2009 @ 5:21pm

8. Teachers, tenure, and unions are something special alright. Heres another fine example who at least isn't having sex with students!

   A tenured teacher who did not "belong in a school, much less in front of children," because of his history of roughing up students went bonkers yesterday morning and barricaded himself in his Bronx classroom, threatening to blow up the building if the principal wasn't fired, cops and sources said.

   Francisco Garabitos, a 55-year-old computer-education teacher who was supposed to be in an administrative "rubber room" for pushing a student a day earlier, instead showed up at his second-floor classroom at MS 328 at about 8:30 a.m. and piled chairs and desks at the door.

   The teacher -- who had twice been cited for using corporal punishment -- told school officials that "the computers were armed," NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly said.

   Police and school officials evacuated nearly 1,200 students from the three schools that occupy the building.

   The situation was resolved about three hours later, when negotiators and a teachers' union official persuaded Garabitos to give up peacefully.

   No weapons were found, and no children were hurt. He was taken in for a psychiatric evaluation. Criminal charges were pending last night.

   Garabitos -- who is also the school's union representative -- had been suspended for "striking a student" on Thursday and was supposed to report to a rubber room for out-of-control teachers yesterday, sources said.

   "The principal told him not to come back," Kelly said.

   Posted by comancheamerican at 04/25/2009 @ 11:07pm