Coming to work on a college campus as an adjunct faculty member is never easy.
Campuses and administrators do not provide the structure and support that are available to full-time faculty and staff.
However, that is something your union can do.
Adjuncts make up more than twothirds of the faculty at community colleges in the state. Working to communicate with, organize and engage these members — who often teach on multiple campuses and rarely have office hours — is both a challenge and a priority for local unions.
That’s why it will be one of the key topics for activists and union leaders headed to Cooperstown for the 41st annual NYSUT Community College Conference in November.
The theme for the conference is “Union strong: Membership matters.”
Among the topics will be ways a local can organize and engage adjunct faculty.
“Locals and members can best learn from each other how the union can provide resources for adjuncts,” said Roberta Elins, president of the United College Employees at Fashion Institute of Technology, a NYSUT Board member and chair of the conference.
“This is an important annual opportunity for activists to come together to share insights and concerns regarding the issues and challenges that we face in the workplace every day, many of which are unique to the community college experience,” she said.