Note: In the summer of 1999 it came to the attention of Adjunct Instructors at SRJC that our own administration was lobbying against our interests in Sacramento. The following letter was posted in campus newspapers as a response.

A Modest Proposal

Recently, a bill dealing with Part-time Instructors on College campuses passed the State Assembly and was signed into law by the Governor. But it's a shadow of its former self and every bread crumb remaining has to be fought over for its funding one crumb at a time. Part of the responsibility for this set-back lies with the lobbying efforts of our own Santa Rosa Junior College Administration. Using official college letterhead, Administrators explained to state officials that giving equal pay for equal work to the Adjunct Faculty would break the budget of the school, produce all kinds of calamities to the infrastructure and do serious damage to the education of students here at SRJC. (The actual text can be found at www.angelfire.com/ca4/srjcadjuncts). Though there's sport to be had in pointing out the flawed facts and faulty logic of the letters, I suggest we accept them as fact. We now have tacit recognition from Administration that SRJC is doing many wonderful things that it would not be able to do if it treated Adjunct Instructors fairly.

In light of this acknowledgement, I propose the following:
1) Change the name of our new William B. Race Building to the Adjunct Instructor Health Science Building. After all, though I'm sure Mr. Race is a nice man, did he actually pay for it?
2) An accounting could be done of how many students are able to attend SRJC because Adjuncts carry the true financial burden. Believe me, the lower-tier pay scale would be easier to bear if I knew needy students were walking amongst the oaks with "Adjunct Scholarship Recipient" written on their admission records.
3) Administration claims that maintenance of our academic underclass is directly responsible for promoting diversity in faculty and staff hiring. So all you non-white and gender-diversified people out there owe some modicum of thanks to your Adjunct colleagues. Send an Adjunct a card (though you'll be hard pressed to find the appropriate Hallmark for this one). maybe a "Thank you" on their voicemail or how about just a hug from time to time?
4) Finally, I would like a statue (or more likely, a memorial) To the Unknown Adjunct. This would represent the countless numbers of past, present and future part-time instructors who selflessly offer themselves for the greater good of the campus community.

I urge you to support these modest proposals for two important reasons:
a) It will maintain the consistency of campus policy vis a vis Adjunct Instructors in supporting symbol over substance and b) all this recognition may entice other people (full-time instructors, classified staff, maybe even administrators) into sharing in our noble deeds. Imagine how much more we could all accomplish then!

Michael H. Ballou
Noble Adjunct


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