General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Second-class Professors [View all]drmeow
(5,989 posts)The hope that something will change is a powerful incentive. Having to give up a dream is really, really hard for some people. The culture of academia makes it even harder. And some people really love to teach. They may feel like they don't have any other skills. They hear about one of their colleagues who goes from an adjunct position to a tenure-track one and their hope is renewed. They've been applying for other jobs but having gotten one. They are a trailing spouse and the options in their little college town are really limited. The list goes on.
And even if people do leave, it doesn't change the fact that they should be allowed to unionize. There will always been people who want to adjunct for any number of reasons. Those people should be paid what their labor is worth.