The VCUarts adjunct workers' protests were a series of protests in late 2017 into early 2018 by
adjunct professor
An adjunct professor is a type of academic appointment in higher education who does not work at the establishment full-time. The terms of this appointment and the job security of the tenure vary in different parts of the world, but the term is gen ...
s employed by
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...
, VCU full-time, tenured professors, and VCU students protesting over low pay, lack of benefits, and long working hours.
Background
The
VCU School of the Arts
The Virginia Commonwealth University School of the Arts (also referred to as VCU School of the Arts or simply VCUarts) is a public non-profit art and design school in Richmond, Virginia. One of many degree-offering schools at VCU, the School of ...
is the art school for
Virginia Commonwealth University
Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) is a Public university, public research university in Richmond, Virginia, United States. VCU was founded in 1838 as the medical department of Hampden–Sydney College, becoming the Medical College of Virgin ...
, a public-research university located in
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), U.S. commonwealth of Virginia. Incorporated in 1742, Richmond has been an independent city (United States), independent city since 1871. ...
. The School of the Arts, branded as VCUarts, is a nationally recognized art program, which employs around 400 professors on its academic staff. Approximately 202 of these teachers in VCUarts are adjunct professors,
who are contractual professors who are paid by credit hour and do not receive
employee benefits
Employee benefits and benefits in kind (especially in British English), also called fringe benefits, perquisites, or perks, include various types of non-wage compensation provided to an employee by an employer in addition to their normal wage o ...
.
Most adjunct professors at VCU, including the School of the Arts are paid about $800 per credit hour they teach, and are limited to two or three classes they can teach per semester. This ultimately leaves them earning a potential annual salary of approximately $15,000, which is just above the federal
poverty line
The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...
. According to a report from
Style Weekly
''Style Weekly'' is an online alternative media outlet that was previously an alternative weekly newspaper started in November 1982 for news, arts, culture and opinion in Richmond, Virginia.
History
''Style'' was originally owned by Landmark ...
, most VCUarts adjuncts make about $10,000 per year, which ranks last of the Top-10 art schools from ''
U.S. News & World Report''.
In the fall of 2017, adjunct professors began organizing and formed a coalition known as "VCU Adjuncts for Fair Pay".
In December 2017 and again in February 2018 the group protested the lack of pay, and protested in the propose raise in adjunct pay from $800 to $1,000 per credit hour, demanding that it is raised to $2,000 per credit hour. Such a raise would allow a full-time adjunct professor to earn close to $36,000 per year.
The group further attacked
Michael Rao
Michael Rao is an American academic administrator who is the current president of Virginia Commonwealth University, a public university in downtown Richmond, Virginia. During his time as president, Rao has overseen hiring and expansion of the uni ...
and his administration for having nearly $1 billion in endowment and used monies to purchase a night club off the VCU Campus.
Reactions
VCU administration
VCU's Vice President for Finance and Budget Karol Kain Gray said in response that the low pay for adjunct faculty was becoming a morale issue.
The Board of Visitors approved a budget for the 2018-19 school year that increased adjunct pay from $800 per credit hour to $1,000 per credit hour, which was about $1,000 less than what the VCU Adjuncts Organizing For Fair Pay demanded.
VCU students
The reception from students, especially art students, was positive. Most of the people in the protests were reported to be students in the VCUarts program.
References
External links
VCU Adjuncts for Fair Pay
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vcu adjunct workers' protest
2017 labor disputes and strikes
2018 labor disputes and strikes
Vcuarts adjunct protest
Vcuarts adjunct protest
Education labor disputes in the United States
Labor disputes in Virginia
December 2017 in the United States
February 2018 in the United States
Virginia Commonwealth University
2017 in Richmond, Virginia
2018 in Richmond, Virginia