Campus Equity Week (CEW) is a week of education and activism that draws attention to the working conditions of faculty working on temporary, low-paid contracts, who now constitute the majority of college instructors. These instructors work in insecure part- and full-time non-tenure track positions, usually subject to exploitative employment conditions. CEW was originally devised by contingent faculty activists in 2001 in order to highlight the appalling working conditions of the majority of the faculty and the impact of those working conditions on the quality of education. A central principle of CEW is that quality education depends practically and ethically on professional and just working conditions for all faculty. The crisis of contingent faculty employment at colleges and universities is at the core of the inequities that pervade higher education.
What action can you as a department, administrator, or tenured faculty take during CEW?
- Say thank you! – Send a personal letter to your adjuncts and non-tenure/non-tenure track faculty thanking them for their contribution to the department.
- Feed them! – Hold a reception inviting all the department and recognize your adjuncts and non-tenured faculty.
- Feature them on your departmental website – Do your adjuncts have a profile or presence on your departmental website? If not, list them and suggest they create a profile.
- Hold a Teach-In – Encourage your tenured faculty to take an adjunct’s class for a day and give them a break.
- Be an Advocate! – Find out how much (or how little) your department pays adjuncts per class. Speak out on your campus for job security, benefits, and higher wages for adjuncts. Be a part of making a difference!What action can you as an adjunct or non-tenured faculty member take during CEW?
- Sign, Share Or Create A Petition
- Get Tips On Using Social Media Or Online Resources
- Follow Campus Equity Week On Facebook
- Submit a photo of your adjunct contract to the Adjunct Justice Equal Pay for Equal Work Tumblr page
- Post photos of adjunct faculty or others wearing CEW shirts and buttons, then post on social media
- Tweet about CEW events and actions at your campus using the hashtag #cew2015 and #iammargaretmary. Follow our CEW tweets and retweet them
- Wear scarlet or red during Campus Equity Week
- Make the CEW logo your profile picture on social media
- Include a simple line about Campus Equity Week in the signature line of your emails: October 26-30 is Campus Equity Week. Learn more at www.campusequityweek.org
- Send a letter to the editor to your local and/or campus newspaper
- Serve Fair Trade in Education coffee at your CEW event
- Blog for Campus Equity Week
- Submit your events to the Campus Equity Week website so CEW can promote your event on our site and through social media
(Adapted from suggestions on www.campusequityweek.org)
