Why are colleges around the nation giving walking papers to their full professors and hiring adjunct professors?
Aside from the obvious reasons of lower pay and an ability to terminate them for virtually any reason at any time, another key reason is there is no need to offer adjunct professors any health benefits.
Don Haussler, who teaches at both the Leavenworth Center and on the main campus of Kansas City Kansas Community College was once a full-time instructor there. However, when he left the school and returned in 2006 no full-time openings were available, so he became an adjunct.
As Alan Hoskins at KCKK pointed out in a recent story, Haussler started having hip problems in 2002. However, it became so bad that his students could not stand to see him in such pain and started a “Hip for Haussler” drive to raise money for his surgery.
While the students try to raise money for his hip surgery, their first goal is to buy him special shoes since ”those he’s wearing now are falling apart.”
While the story shows the compassion of some students, it is a sad commentary that someone who has been in teaching almost his entire life cannot afford to have important surgery to ease his pain. Or even a pair of shoes.
It also puts Haussler in an odd position of counting on his students for his surgery. It certainly changes the traditional teacher-student relationship.
Colleges are cutting expenses in what should be the most important part of a college education: instructors.
On the other side, tuition and athletic budgets increase routinely.
It is a sad commentary on colleges today.
DON’T BLAME COLLEGE
This is more of a story of the sad state of health insurance coverage in this country. Why blame the college?
Had he been able to continue his insurance when he left, he would not be in this situation.
Its not just college professors in this situation.
Thankfully when Obama care is fully implemented, folks will no longer have to be in this position.
SURGERIES WILL BE RATIONED
Once ObamaCare is fully implemented, these kinds of surgeries will be rationed as fewer doctors will be willing to accept the low reimbursement rates from government insurance plans.
They will also be more expensive starting on January 1st when the 2.3% ObamaCare excise tax on medical devices takes effect.
CORRECT NAME IMPORTANT
Hey, for starters, let’s call the whole thing by its proper name. It’s the Health Care Affordability Act, not “Obamacare”. Then perhaps we can have a halfway civil discussion about the merits of the Act (or lack thereof) regardless of which side of the issue you’re on.
HEALTHCARE DEBATE…
Health Care Affordability. Bet if I were to quiz 100 people on tax rates beginning in 2013, 99% would fail:
1. For married couples earning 0-17,000, will their taxable rate go up or down?
2. What is the married couple income threshhold for their taxable rate to increase from 25 to 28 percent?
It’s ok if you want to search Google. Better to be informed.