Thanks to Patrice Jones for her account of the struggles of part-time faculty members at Columbia College Chicago for better wages and working conditions (“Columbia’s part-time faculty to vote on union,” MetroChicago, Dec. 12). She rightly observes that Columbia part-timers–a full 80 percent of the faculty and who teach 70 percent of the curriculum and receive one-fourth the pay their full-time colleagues do for comparable work–came to the idea of unionizing as a last resort.
The comments of Columbia’s Provost and Executive Vice-President Bert Gall amply explain why. “This is not in the part-time faculty’s best interest, nor the university’s,” he is quoted as saying. Presumably Mr. Gall is among the “Columbia officials” who oppose the organizing efforts, pointing out that student tuition is kept at a reasonable $8,498 a year at Columbia partly because “the university has a high percentage of part-time faculty members.” By similar acts of generosity, migrant laborers keep down the price of California produce.
With its policy of open undergraduate admissions, Columbia prides itself on making higher education broadly available. It is sad to watch college officials mount the indefensible argument that this egalitarian education must be underwritten by the systematic exploitation of a majority of their faculty, which is woefully underpaid and has no job security or benefits.
Mr. Gall appears only to be taking the short view. It most certainly is in the best interests of all concerned with Columbia to see that its programs are conducted on terms of which all can be proud. If the college, which continues to expand its programs, cannot get by without exploiting a majority of its faculty, clearly it has overextended itself and compromised its worthy mission. Addressing this crisis should take precedence over attacking poor teachers for wanting a living wage.
