The Art of Making Comparisons
by Sheryl Cavales Doolan, Regular Faculty, English
Department
Recently, some members of the faculty raised concerns about the structure of the AFA Executive Council representation, particularly the ratio of adjunct to full-time instructor representatives. I was deeply concerned about the heated nature of the discussion; clearly, emotions run high around the issue. While several important and substantive arguments were made—on both sides—many of those valid claims were not addressed because they were subsumed by inflammatory emotional appeals.
At the heart of the movement to change the composition of the Council is the idea that adjunct instructor interests have not been adequately represented by AFA because only six of the nineteen representative seats are allotted for adjunct instructors. The FAFE website states, “The AFA has not achieved ‘equitable treatment for all faculty’ as stated in the AFA mission statement.”
How do we determine “equitable treatment” between two unlike groups? Contingent faculty is a different group than contract faculty. Yes, the instructional work we do in the classroom is the same for adjunct and full-time instructors alike, but contract faculty have other work obligations, including required service to both one’s department and to the College. Thus, the College’s work expectations of adjunct instructors are different from the College’s expectations of contract instructors. I do not argue that one group is more valuable, does more important work, or should be more entitled than the other. It is a simple truth, however, that the two groups are different—they have different employment requirements, responsibilities, and obligations. Given this fact, making comparisons of pay cuts, pay raises, benefits, and concessions in the contract leads to erroneous conclusions.
In order for us to truly determine if AFA has or has not achieved “equitable treatment” for adjunct instructors, we must compare similar groups. I am impressed by AFA’s creation of the Council Composition Team, a professional way to address a tense situation that has more than once crossed into the area of volatility. The charge of the Council Composition Team for me is paramount: “to study various representation models,” with the goal to first determine if our current model truly is unfair. I understand the feelings of being undervalued and unfairly represented, but feelings do not equal fact. I believe strongly in social justice; I do not want my colleagues to be treated unfairly. But I would be reluctant to endorse a change unless it is proven that SRJC adjunct faculty are being represented unfairly compared to adjunct instructors at other community college campuses. If this is the case, then we as a united faculty should thoughtfully consider what would be a fair model of representation. To make a change based on inflammatory emotional appeals avoids the real problem—the tragedy that is the state budget and the devastating effects it has had on community colleges—and tackling it from a unified position of solidarity.