COCAL Updates in brief

by E Wayne Ross on January 9, 2013

Updates in brief and links

1. Chicago Teachers vs the Fat Cats — a great new You Tube Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g1eV8EHII5Q

2. Good letter to the editor of Cape Cod local paper by our colleague Betsy Smith
http://www.capecodonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20130101/OPINION/301010339&cid=sitesearch

3. Good piece on administrative bloat at I of Minnesota (see below)

4. Piece on musicians and adjunct faculty by our colleague Paul Haeder
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/01/symphony-blues-low-wages-no-benefits-but-plenty-of-applause/

and another of his blogs at
http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/01/i-am-an-english-teacher/

and http://dissidentvoice.org/2013/01/what-the-majority-is-to-the-minority/#more-47090

5. Advice for parents of prospective college students re: Adjuncts.
http://thenewfacultymajority.blogspot.com/2012/07/quick-reference-guide-for-parents-on.html

and http://www.thecollegesolution.com/the-dangers-of-being-taught-by-part-timers/

and http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505145_162-57554450/do-colleges-exploit-their-professors/

6. New NLRB complaint issued against East-West U in chicago over firing (non-re-employmnent) of adjunct union activists there (see below)

7. “For Profit” play to be shown at Bates College, Lewiston, Maine. See below for details or http://www.bates.edu/mlk/

8. How the FBI and others coordinated the crackdown on Occupy last fall. some lessons for us here.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/dec/29/fbi-coordinated-crackdown-occupy

9. Adjunct Project 2.0 website up. Check it out.

http://www.adjunctproject.com/new-year-new-website-new-victories/

10. Plans for Campus Strike at Indiana U, Bloomington
http://socialistorganizer.org/campus-strike-indiana-university/

11. Private for-profit businesses are now taking over hiring an d employment of school workers for some districts.

see http://www.source4teachers.com/

12. More on IRS and calculating adjunct hours and % of load for health care act purposes: proposed rules out for comment
http://www.insidehighered.com/quicktakes/2013/01/07/irs-starts-address-issues-adjunct-faculty-hours

and http://chronicle.com/article/IRS-Says-Colleges-Must-Be/136523/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en

13. More on new Adjunct Project site with CHE
http://chronicle.com/article/Adjunct-Project-Show-Wide/136439

14. Chris Eckhardt dies, one of the original protestors in the famous Tinker vs Des Moines Board of Ed black armband anti-war demonstration case in 1965-6, from which came the famous quote, “neither students nor teachers leave their first amendment rights at the schoolhouse gate.” Wish it were more honored now. (Personal privilege, I, Joe Berry, was also one of this small group of protestors and knew Chris Eckhardt at the same Theodore Roosevelt High School. One of the proudest moments of my life, but very scary too.)
http://www.desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2013301020030

14. A good movie recommendation by Bill Fletcher, leading union activist, labor educator and contingent faculty member.
http://atlantadailyworld.com/201301022818/Viewpoints/oliver-stone-s-untold-history-of-the-united-states-cannot-be-hushed-up-or-brushed-aside

15. Making the Case for Adjuncts (good comprehensive article)
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2013/01/09/adjunct-leaders-consider-strategies-force-change

16. U of Phoenix faces accredition problems, stock prices and enrollment drops
http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/confessions-community-college-dean/burying-lede

17. Accreditors respond negatively to Longmate complaint about Washington CC.
http://chronicle.com/article/Regional-Accreditor-Rejects/136527/

18. Overall article on state of contingents in Canada (Thanks to Frank Cosco)
[Note to Canadians and other internationals: please send me relevant articles like this when they appear so I can resend them.]

http://www.universityaffairs.ca/sessionals-up-close.aspx