Non-tenured faculty members teach 46 percent of UB's classes, according to an article published in the Feb. 10 issue of The Spectrum. In and of itself, this is not a terribly worrisome fact, as far as the students in those classes are concerned. Tenured professors certainly do not hold exclusive rights to teaching talent, and students will likely not suffer as a result of the trend toward more teaching assistants leading class.
The problem lies in a fact illustrated by Michael Cohen, chairman of the Faculty Senate Executive Committee, who said, "Non-tenured faculty are cheaper, have no voice in the institution and usually do not receive benefits."
In short, while we do not suggest that non-tenured teachers should make the same salary as their tenured counterparts, they should have a voice in the institution. Furthermore, they ought to have their concerns weighted heavily, as they are an integral part of the university community.
At Yale, graduate students have organized into a union and have now even voted to strike, demanding higher stipends, smaller classes to teach and better working conditions, according to a Feb. 20 Associated Press article from CNN.com. Yale's graduate students are also complaining about not having a system to "air their grievances" to the administration.
Those graduate students receive free tuition, $15,000 to $25,000 in stipends, health care and additional benefits. Compensation at UB cannot compare to this money or these benefits, but similar concerns about giving non-tenured faculty a voice do exist.
As it is, there is little to tie a teaching assistant or associate professor to UB other than, perhaps, sentimental notions. There are no official methods for them to offer input to the university as far as their concerns about university infrastructure, curriculum or even compensation are concerned.
Perhaps the solution is to organize in a way similar to Yale's students, though that might cause more friction with the administration than it is worth. The best-case scenario is to offer these faculty members official standing to complain, give suggestions or even lobby for changes to academic policy.
Students who are taught by TAs should have the benefit of teachers who are empowered and are endorsed by the university as worth listening to. Fully tenured professors have the benefit of job stability and a say in how the university is run. The tenure aspect is not something we will address at this point, but TAs must be treated better if they are to be retained permanently as future tenured professors - the ultimate goal in hiring teachers.
Every year, the issue of stipend amounts at UB is a sensitive and volatile subject. Associate professors also have qualms about their salaries. This is to say that money is, and always will be, an issue of contention; a fact that even Yale, a school of eminent privilege, cannot avoid. UB may need to hire fewer non-tenured faculty members, or perhaps offer tenure more often in the near future, but in the meantime, the empowerment of faculty ought to be a priority of the administration.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
