Patience plays part with part-timers

by Jason Casias

Pulse Staff Reporter

Many adjunct, or part-time, faculty have had a lengthy journey of experience while waiting for their big break to become full-time.

The idea of hiring part-time faculty is to fill in the lack of instructors that an increase in enrollment may cause and to bring the real-world experience of these teachers into the classroom.

Anthony Neidhart, whose real-world credentials are substantial, is a good example of the quality of adjuncts at Palo Alto. Neidhart, with 30 years of business experience, loves to teach government, and he has a Ph.D. in Management Sciences. He is a military and higher education retiree, and he knows he could find a full-time job, but he has never really considered it.

There are adjuncts, however, that await a tenured, or full-time, position and all the perks that come with it.

Todd Velasco is an adjunct History teacher, and he has been in the profession for nine years. Velasco has no other interest but to teach. He has taught as an adjunct at all of the four community colleges in San Antonio, and he has also applied for teaching positions all over the country.

Velasco said, “ It just goes to show you how extremely competitive the profession is these days, and the best thing you can do is be in the right place at the right time.”

Palo Alto College student enrollment has prospered 8 to 10 percent on average over the last four years. Since Palo Alto has had a consistent increase in enrollment, the administration tries to keep the full-time adjunct ratio to 50/50 overall.

In the year 2001-2002, there were 601 classes that full-time faculty taught and 606 classes taught by adjuncts during the fall with a ratio of 50/50. In the spring of that year, it increased to 609 for full-timers and 728 for adjuncts, bringing the ratio to 46/54.

For six years, Danna Byrom has been with the ACCD doing what she loves to do. Starting at SAC and now teaching Communications and English as a Second Language here at Palo Alto, she also teaches part-time at Incarnate Word.

“Being an adjunct is the best job ever, having only three classes a day,” Byrom said. “I’d rather be full-time though because of the benefits.”

At times, some adjuncts are forced to hold a second job.

Ted Villalon, History instructor at Palo Alto for seven years, loves his work but also needs to make ends meet. Villalon has worked full-time at Borders Books & Music at the Quarry Market close to five years.

“I don’t mind the school schedule, but having to work at another job makes for a long day,” he said.

Villalon does not feel it is a matter of proving himself in order to receive tenure, but rather a matter of economics and waiting for slots to open.

Though full-time and part-time faculty teach the same courses their rate of pay varies. Adjunct pay is computed by hours of graduate education. There are seven levels: bachelor’s, master’s, master’s plus12 graduate hours, master’s plus 24 graduate hours, master’s plus 36 graduate hours, master’s plus 48 graduate hours, and a Ph.D. In 1999-2000 there were 22 adjuncts with a bachelor’s degree, 217 with a master’s, and 32 with their doctorate. For full-timers a full semester load is five classes per semester, adjuncts may only teach three classes per semester and labs.

As for pay, full-time faculty with a master’s degree and a five-class limit per semester earns $34, 596 per year plus benefits. On the other hand, adjunct faculty with a master’s degree and a three-class limit per semester earn $12, 192 per year without benefits.

Student perspectives on adjunct and full-time faculty differ,but Sophomore Brian Gonzales praised them.

“Adjuncts don’t have that basic way of teaching, where they hand you work and expect you to do it alone,” Gonzales said. “They have enthusiasm and don’t expect one to learn, but all.”

Vice President of Academic Affairs Dr. Thomas Baynum knows how frustrating it is to be an adjunct. Dr. Baynum was an adjunct at three different schools in Houston, Texas. He also knows, however, the benefits of persevering through the system.

“I think we all recognize that part of our strength as a community college is having both adjunct and full-time instructors,” Baynum said. “ The frustration that adjuncts feel is terrible but everything they learn now is an invaluable experience, something that you can’t teach.”