In The New York Times yesterday, there’s an article by Rachel Swarns called “Crowded Out of Ivory Tower, Adjuncts See a Life Less Lofty.” In it is this line:

Adjuncts say that much more is needed.

It shouldn’t just be adjuncts. It should be all of us, from the newest student to the full professor getting ready to retire.

The comment is in regard to what CUNY is doing relating to adjuncts–and there has been a little bit of progress, an attempt (that now seems stalled) to turn more adjunct lines into lecturer (and even tenure-track) full-time ones and improved medical benefits–but little more. The union, the Professional Staff Congress, wants better job security for adjuncts as part of the next contract (which has been in negotiation for close to eight years, I think it is, since the last one expired).

None of this, though, is going to solve the…