What We’re (Not) Arguing About
Here’s an about time (or overdue) explanation of what grad school caveats, don’t go travel advisories and general antidote to bad advice from graduate programs hustling numbers are NOT arguing. Not in humanities? Don’t kid yourself: it’s not just humanities either. The short version bears repeating.
“The numbers don’t lie, and they’re worth repeating. 70% of faculty positions are now held by adjuncts. This means that 70% of current humanities grad students, should they seek university jobs, are likely to end up making less than $25,000 a year, living without health insurance or any job security beyond the end of the current semester, and knowing that they could be fired at a moment’s notice without recourse.”
Got that? An appropriately displayed warning label might not be a bad idea.
“The life of the mind is born of fear,” writes Sarah Kendzior, referring to the fact that William Pannapacker and the small number of academics who have spoken out about the crisis in higher education have almost all felt compelled to use pseudonyms. Whatever side of the debate you may be on, I’m at least grateful that more and more people ARE speaking out, that more adjuncts are unionizing, and that potential and current humanities grad students can now make more informed decisions about their futures.
The numbers don’t lie, and they’re worth repeating. 70% of faculty positions are now held by adjuncts. This means that 70% of current humanities grad students, should they seek university jobs, are likely to end up making less than $25,000 a year, living without health insurance or any job security beyond the end of the current semester, and knowing that they…
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As the Adjunctiverse Turns 