June 6th: Update to Membership
Who are SAFA Members?
The make-up of our association may surprise you. Did you know that SAFA has over 660 temporary or part-time members? In fact, our ratio of contingent to salaried members is almost 1 to 1. This is why SAFA has worked this past year to raise the visibility of contingent faculty in our association. We all want the same things — improved hiring practices, pay rates, and benefits – but contingent members experience these issues most acutely. Our Association is only as strong as its weakest member, and our work will only be successful if all members are included and share in the benefits.
If you think, “But we don’t have that many adjuncts or casuals in my program”, you could be right. The ratio of contingent to permanent members can vary greatly by school or department. Compare the McPhail School of Energy to the School of Health & Public Safety, for instance – they are very close in size, yet HPS has 44 fewer permanent positions. And why do School of Business, School for Advanced Digital Technology, and Academic Services have more adjunct positions than permanent positions?
SAFA will be raising these and other questions in the upcoming academic year as we complete a review of positions within the institution. Among other things, we’ll be looking at the number of adjunct contracts being utilized within the schools and programs, as well as asking questions about hiring practices. Updates on this work will be shared throughout the year.
In solidarity,
Al Brown