You may not know who they are, you could have been in one of their classes and you’ve probably even crossed a few in the halls without ever giving a second glance. These are, of course, the nearly 250 adjunct, or part-time, instructors teaching at Bakersfield College.
These instructors, however, fill a very important gap. They teach subjects ranging from physical education and the sciences to child development and English. Although not all of the adjunct faculty are here for the same reasons. Their intentions for teaching are as diverse as the subjects they cover.
For example, the English Department at BC currently has around 26 full-time and around 24 adjuncts, said Carol Cunningham, the department’s chairwoman. Some of these adjuncts have been teaching at BC for years and do it simply for the mere enjoyment of teaching, while others see it as both a means to a financial need and a steppingstone to a permanent position.
“Most of the faculty we have who are part-timers want to become full-time instructors, most of them, the younger faculty,” said Cunningham. “There are faculty who are retired, who like to keep a hand in the game, and like young people they teach part time, but aren’t looking for a full-time position.”
Like many young adjuncts, Kerrie Buis, an English teacher, holds two jobs to make ends meet. Teaching English 60 and 1A at BC since the summer of 2000, Buis originally taught at Cal State Bakersfield, but after the budget cuts hit, she had to look for work in the high school district as a substitute. Though Buis has not yet applied for a full-time job, she does have ambitions to make that step.
“I love teaching at a college level, hopefully, one of these days when they open up for tenure track.”
There are many similarities and differences between part-time and full-time teachers. One of the differences with adjunct status is that they are paid per class at a rate of $40 per hour, whereas full-time faculty are paid by days under a 175-day contract. And according to Cunningham, full-time faculty usually have seniority over adjuncts when it comes to choosing classes, but adjuncts work just as hard as any other faculty member at BC.
As an adjunct instructor at BC with a full-time position teaching at Delano High School, Jack Pierce keeps a very grueling schedule teaching physical science and geology at both schools.
“I have a very tight schedule. Usually I run 14- to 16-hour days, 12-hour days during high school, and on the nights I teach, they turn into about 16- to 18-hour days.”
The man has a look of hardiness underneath his bold aqua blue eyes, a man of 43 and at the time of the interview, a day away from getting married, emanating a sense of pure conviction about teaching.
“I don’t look at it as real tough work, because I love to teach, it’s my passion. And to really be able to teach my profession, geology and the sciences, I love it and I don’t look at it as a work load,” Pierce said, “If they would allow me I would take on more classes.”
Although the dire financial situation California is facing has slowed hiring of full-time faculty in California, Cunningham says, “The problem at BC and at a lot of colleges is, because of the budget, we hire more adjuncts than we do full-time people and it wasn’t that way 25 years ago when the money was different.”
Cunningham contends that it is happening at nearly all levels of the California educational system.
“I’ve spoken with colleagues at Cal State and other California community colleges – it’s awful, it’s very, very hard to get a full-time position.”
Pierce recalled a similar situation he had that validated the trend of scarcity of full-time teaching positions, not just in Bakersfield, but throughout California. About three years ago, Pierce applied for a full-time position to a community college in Hancock called Santa Maria.
“I had an inside source that indicated to me that there were about 210 applicants, and out of the 210 there were about 90 percent with Ph.D.s. And so I didn’t have a chance, since I have a master’s degree. And so they ended up hiring a person with a Ph.D.,” Pierce said. “In regards to are jobs scarce, I believe yeah, they’re tough jobs to get.”
And Cunningham comments that the market for positions has not been so favorable in recent years.
“I think they’re discouraged by the market. It must be very frustrating. It’s frustrating as a department chair to have wonderful adjuncts and no positions open,” she said.
For now, Buis remains positive and well aware of the challenges she faces applying in these times.
“I know there are other people who have applied several times and haven’t made it. I think it’s realistic, but time-consuming.”
But her confidence in teaching keeps her motivated and the experience as an adjunct at BC will likely enrich her until a permanent job in academia becomes more viable.
“Probably my biggest motivation is because I feel like part of the department here, and I really like teaching here, I enjoy the students and I enjoy the subject material,” Buis said.