Joshua David Rubin's interview with Queens College President James Muyskens [The Knight News, February 8, 2007, p. 10] included a question regarding Queens College's employment of Adjunct faculty. Certain points among the diverse and complex issues surrounding Adjunct faculty are noted.
Imprimis, abuse of Adjunct faculty is one ill-kept dirty little secret of academia in general, and of CUNY in particular. Mention of the topic in The Knight News is welcome, if only to induce further discussion.
Though this writer has no reason to accuse either Dr. Muyskens or Mr. Rubin of personally harboring anti-Adjunct attitudes, the question asked is undeniably grounded in much negative sentiment and stereotypes regarding Adjunct faculty members. Such sentiments and stereotypes have so poisoned the colleges of America that even where individuals personally hold their Adjunct colleagues in high regard, the entrenched institutional values create roadblocks to the full integration of Adjuncts into campus life.
As for Queens College itself, many Adjunct faculty members (this writer included) marvel, with glacial interest, that the College can tout its technological advancement, and place huge expensive HDTV screens in its buildings, while too many Adjuncts do not have even basic computer terminals in their offices.
In this latter regard, while Dr. Muyskens is rumored to have begun some initiatives to bring Queens College's Adjunct faculty into technological parity with the full-timers, such supposed initiatives have not yet filtered down to all of the Adjuncts, no doubt owing to the indifference of much of the Queens College hierarchy towards the Adjunct faculty. The positive words from Dr. Muyskens regarding the personal and professional worthiness of Adjunct faculty are mildly reassuring.
If Adjuncts are not availed all the necessities required by teaching faculty, including professional acceptance, then the College - and its students - are the ultimate losers.
KENNETH H. RYESKY, Esq. Feb. 8 , 2007
The author is an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Accounting and Information Services.
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