60 online
 
Most Popular Choices
Share on Facebook 28 Printer Friendly Page More Sharing
OpEdNews Op Eds    H2'ed 10/9/13

Death of Impoverished Pennsylvania Professor Illustrates Plight of Adjuncts

By       (Page 1 of 1 pages)   14 comments

Most readers aren't familiar with the name of Margaret Mary Vojtko, but they should be.   After all, Vojtko (even in death) symbolizes the newfound plight of adjuncts (part-time American college instructors).   She also represents the newest contingent of the American underclass: the well-educated.

As the September 18, 2013 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes, Vojtko was a part-time French professor who had taught at Catholic-affiliated Duquesne University for 25 years.   

Duquesne Panorama
Duquesne Panorama
(Image by (From Wikimedia) Alekjds, Author: Alekjds)
  Details   Source   DMCA

Duquesne Panorama by Wikipedia

 Despite her many years of faithful service (and despite glowing evaluations from appreciative students), administration officials offered her neither a full-time position with the institution, nor any benefits.   Despite such setbacks, she labored on bravely, apparently convinced that, through her dedication and impeccable educational credentials, these officials would finally provide her with a livable wage. (After all, that is the American Way, isn't it?   Hard work and high educational achievement are supposed to be rewarded in the United States).   

 By the time that she realized that the university had no intention in doing this, it was too late to try to seek gainful employment elsewhere.   By then, she was elderly, and was considered virtually worthless on the job market.   Then, the officials began slowly to relieve her of her responsibilities.   Thus, towards the end of her career, she was making less than $10,000.00 per year.   When they discovered that she had been recently diagnosed with cancer, they abruptly fired her, with no severance pay.   On Sept. 1, she died at age 83.   She lived in squalor.

The article also notes that Duquesne's president makes over $700,000.00 annually, with full benefits.   By comparison, President Barack Obama makes only $400,000.00 annually as leader of the free world.

Vojtko's grim story is not unique in American higher education.   The increasing reliance on adjunct instruction now constitutes its dark underbelly.   According to the Sept. 22, 2013 edition of GPB News , part-time workers provide a distressing 75% of college instruction.   They receive no benefits and no security.   The pay is dismal.   At one state college in Alabama , instructors are paid less than $1,800.00 for teaching a course.   To make ends meet, some instructors must work two or three jobs, leaving them exhausted and demoralized.   The quality of instruction inevitably suffers because of such dire conditions.   GPB News also writes that a few such part-time professionals are now peddling their plasma just to put food on the table.

Their numbers are only growing.   Traditionally, adjunct teaching served as a temporary trial period for beginning, inexperienced teachers.   If they proved themselves as adjuncts, they were rewarded by being given more responsibilities.   Thus, after two or three years, they became full-time teaching professionals, with good salaries and benefits.   Those days are coming to an end.   Now, higher education is becoming corporatized.   To administration officials, adjunct instructors became a seemingly irresistible source of cheap labor.   Thus, many such workers toil faithfully for decades, and never achieve full-time status.

  Tea Party supporters have rushed to the defenses of Duquesne's well-heeled administration officials.   None of their arguments hold water under scrutiny.   They ask why Vojtko did not ask for more public assistance, implying that employers should not be held responsible with paying their workers livable wages.   Such a stance is deeply hypocritical.   Employees--especially accomplished, well-educated ones--deserve decent pay for their labors.   Besides, aren't Tea Party supporters quietly engaged in a covert war to eviscerate public assistance programs like Medicare and Medicaid?

Tea Party supporters also maintain that the pitifully low salaries meted out to adjuncts are simply market forces at work.   There's a glut of academic professionals out on the American job market, they claim.   Because of this glut, they can expect to receive low salaries.   The statistics, however, don't support this contention.   According to the U.S. Census Bureau , only about 8% of Americans in 2012 held a Master's degree, and a puny 3% of Americans held a doctorate-level degree (most instructors must have at least a Master's degree to teach).   Advanced degrees are still a rare, much needed commodity in the U.S.

Finally, they contend that American universities cannot afford to pay their part-time faculty members more money.   How could that be the case?   College enrollment is booming, and college costs are soaring.   The yearly costs for each student at Duquesne University add up to $41,232.   Where is the money going?   High school teachers receive decent salaries, and these decent salaries aren't breaking the bank.

Don't buy these dishonest arguments from Tea Party supporters.   There are market forces at work here, but they are artificial ones being imposed by vulture capitalists who want to transform proud professionals into wage slaves, all in the name of easy profits.   We are talking about teachers.   They are vital to American society, and they deserve better treatment from the people who employ them.  

   

Must Read 2   Valuable 2   Well Said 1  
Rate It | View Ratings

Jonathan Maxwell Social Media Pages: Facebook page url on login Profile not filled in       Twitter page url on login Profile not filled in       Linkedin page url on login Profile not filled in       Instagram page url on login Profile not filled in

Jonathan Maxwell is a professional writer. He holds an MA in English from Jacksonville State University in Alabama and a BA in English from Berry College in Rome, Georgia. He is the author of two books. His first one, Murderous Intellectuals: (more...)
 
Go To Commenting
The views expressed herein are the sole responsibility of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of this website or its editors.
Writers Guidelines

 
Contact AuthorContact Author Contact EditorContact Editor Author PageView Authors' Articles
Support OpEdNews

OpEdNews depends upon can't survive without your help.

If you value this article and the work of OpEdNews, please either Donate or Purchase a premium membership.

STAY IN THE KNOW
If you've enjoyed this, sign up for our daily or weekly newsletter to get lots of great progressive content.
Daily Weekly     OpEd News Newsletter
Name
Email
   (Opens new browser window)
 

Most Popular Articles by this Author:     (View All Most Popular Articles by this Author)

On the Dark Side: An Uneasy Look at Rotten.com

The History Channel Now Does an Enormous Disservice to its Viewers

Death of Impoverished Pennsylvania Professor Illustrates Plight of Adjuncts

Despite Scandal, Chris Christie Can Still Become President in 2016

Meet Conservapedia, a Right Wing Encyclopedia at War with the Truth

Mark Herring Likely to Win Virginia's A.G. Race: Takeaways for the Republicans from the 2013 Elections

To View Comments or Join the Conversation:

Tell A Friend