And Speaking of Not Asking the Adjuncts…
FOR SEVERAL WEEKS in May, the George Washington University officials circulated a survey among workers in hopes that the institution would be nominated the best place to work in greater D.C. by the Washington Business Journal. However, some employees failed to receive the memo. Over 1,000 part-time faculty, who have recently unionized to combat low wages and lack of benefits, were not invited to fill out in the questionnaire.
The results of the survey will be used by the business magazine to evaluate local employers’ “trust with co-workers … and manager effectiveness,” according to an e-mail the University sent to 4,700 regular faculty and staff.
“Our interpretation of the survey was that it should be sent to employees whose primary employment is with the University,” said Susan Kaplan, Associate Vice President for Human Resources. She called the regular faculty and staff, those who receive benefits, the “core group of University faculty and staff.”
Kaplan added that said the survey was open to “the people who stand up in front of the class, and the people who make the flowers look beautiful”—everyone from professors to grounds-keeping and housekeeping staff. Kaplan also said that the survey was also available on the Internet Portal for regular staff and faculty.
Greg Mahoney, an adjunct English professor who teaches two courses at GW and two courses at the University of Maryland, said GW is not the best place in the Washington area for part-time faculty. He said adjunct professors of humanities with doctorate degrees make $1,000 more per course at Maryland, and they also receive benefits.
Mahoney went on to say that “the real benefit to teaching at GW is getting to work with great students and great fellow members of faculty,” he said. “As for working within a corporate University, with abominable salaries and negligible benefits, it’s really not a great place to work.”
One full-time professor who requested anonymity said he “intentionally deleted” the online queries because of limits to wage increases in his department.
He said: “I got the invitation but I deleted it because I thought it was ridiculous at a time of salary freezes.”
Susan Kaplan said the University will receive the survey results regardless of whether it wins the award.
“As part of the Washington community we thought it was appropriate for us to participate in (the award contest); that’s why we did it,” said Kaplan.
