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Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"Just pulled rosters for my two classes that meet tomorrow, and both sections are over enrolled.  What gives?  We were told a class size that was already too big."

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Two classes and you're "Adjunct?" With that load I hope you're full-time. Two classes is the normal maximum teaching load at most major doctoral schools. If their governing boards have a policy of requiring more than 2 courses per semester the department sometimes generates multiple sections of thesis, dissertation,or independent study/research and spreads those goodies around.

Sorry about the grammar. I do know better. It has been a long day.

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Originally posted by: Adjunct
"That's no dream, footsie. It's reality. Been there, done that. "

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footsie: one more thing. I don't know if those schools were 1st tier or 2nd tier. Never heard that discussed at any of them.

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Originally posted by: truth4usm/AH
" What do you mean by fulltime?  With benefits??  There are no benefits for adjuncts at USM.  They just pay you your $1250-1500/ class and ask you to keep moving the widgets along.  You're lucky if you get a faculty/staff parking sticker and USM ID. The situation you describe may happen at some universities, but definitely not USM."

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By fulltime I mean just that: fulltime. 60+ hrs. per week including nights, weekends and holidays when necessary. With benefits. Tenured. Not adjunct. Two courses per semester. If your producitivity doesn't warrant such a teaching load they don't find you other duties - they usher you out the door. The $1250-$1500 per class you mention for one course as an Adjunct at USM is tantamount to slave labor. It us much like the time in Mississippi when the penitentiary inmates were required to manufacture automobile license plates for it's citizens. A six hours per semester teaching load for full-time faculty not only may exist at some other universities, it does exist. A full-time faculty member has so many obligations, over and above the stand-up teaching part, that I don't see how it can be done properly under the outrageously high teaching load that exists at USM. I am reminded of the hellfire and brimstone evangelist who was once asked "Do believe in Baptism?" His response was "Believe in it? Why I've actually seen it!" The same is true for six-hour faculty teaching loads: "Believe in it? I've actually seen it." But maybe I suppose I just one of the lucky ones.

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Originally posted by: Green Hornet
" FYI Truth, Adjuncts need to pay for their faculty/staff parking sticker.

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You better bet that Adjuncts need to pay for their parking stickers, Dr. Hornet. We are running a business here. You seem to want USM to turn into an institution of higher education. You reminisce too much about the past. Maybe you have too much time on your hands. What you need is another course or two to keep your mind off of things academic and into the more important things of an economic nature. Susie, call over to Financial Affairs and see if that Adjunct has paid for her parking sticker yet. If the payment hasn't arrive, order them to put a hold on her paycheck for this period.

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Originally posted by: Adjunct
"By fulltime I mean just that: fulltime. 60+ hrs. per week including nights, weekends and holidays when necessary. With benefits. Tenured. Not adjunct. Two courses per semester. If your producitivity doesn't warrant such a teaching load they don't find you other duties - they usher you out the door. The $1250-$1500 per class you mention for one course as an Adjunct at USM is tantamount to slave labor. It us much like the time in Mississippi when the penitentiary inmates were required to manufacture automobile license plates for it's citizens. A six hours per semester teaching load for full-time faculty not only may exist at some other universities, it does exist. A full-time faculty member has so many obligations, over and above the stand-up teaching part, that I don't see how it can be done properly under the outrageously high teaching load that exists at USM. I am reminded of the hellfire and brimstone evangelist who was once asked "Do believe in Baptism?" His response was "Believe in it? Why I've actually seen it!" The same is true for six-hour faculty teaching loads: "Believe in it? I've actually seen it." But maybe I suppose I just one of the lucky ones."

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Adjunct, we are on the same page.  The only reason that USM has been able to get away with the slave wages they pay to adjuncts (*and* to faculty and staff, for that matter) is that some people will always be desperate enough to take the deal.  I know, since I used to be one of them.

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Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"Sorry, couldn't get back to this discussion sooner. Adjunct, I asked for two sections, back to back, same course. Only way it's worth doing. I'm just in a situation where I'm able to do it, but the money really is disgusting. Fortunately I love to teach and I live close to school. I wasn't made to buy a parking tag, and it wasn't withheld, I had to hand over the cash. (That really bites.) Does anybody know how many adjuncts the English department ended up hiring? I heard several different numbers."

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New Adjunct,

When I once taught full-time tenured position at a 1st tier school in the East I actually drove to an adjacent state once a week to teach a course as an adjunct at a community college (with the approval of my full-time employer of course).The adjunct pay wasn't great, but the community college adjuct experience was tremendous. The students were so refershing that I do believe I would have done it for no compensation at all. Considering the gas and other vechicle expenses incurred on my weekly round-trips, I probably didn't do much better than break even. But I enjoyed it and that is what really counts in the long run.

I have to add, that although 2/2 will certainly allow you to get more research done than 4/4, that there are always individual differences. 2 courses where the students aren't interested feels worse than 3 when they're engaged and excited about the material. And a class of 125 may have more grading, but it may not be as demanding as a seminar of ten very intense graduate students. Some teachers thrive on certain-size/type classes or a certain sort of student.

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Originally posted by: New Adjunct
"
"1st tier faculty in a 4th tier school." "

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Mr. Wonderful and company, please consider Emma.

Once again, I feel blessed.

I am teaching at a Tier III school, and we pay our adjuncts about $6k a class (on quarters). Prior to this, I was at another Tier III school, and the adjuncts were paid about $3k a class (on semesters).

At the current school, I teach a 2/2/2. At the prior school, I taught a 2/2.

I am amazed at how USM can do this.

Of course, it was amazing how, in the Hattiesburg area, you would run into admin assistants with two Master's degrees. Must be nice to have that kind of supply/demand ratio, from an adminstrative perspective.

Do the adjuncts get any kind of perqs at all? Anything?

Are adjunct salaries the same in all colleges?