3-1 Project Draft Part One: Collection of Sources (100 Points)

Stu Dent

Professor _____

ENG 190

4 January 2023

[Use a header instead of a title page for MLA.]

Project Part One: Collection of Sources

The purpose of my research is to investigate potential funding for part-time faculty healthcare at California community colleges. I am interested in this topic because I think that teachers should have employer-provided healthcare. The research I do will inform me about the current situation and potential funding sources [The purpose of the research is identified.], and will help me to develop an argument as to why and how districts should provide healthcare for part-time faculty. [The final sentence identified the reason for interest in the topic and how the research will support the writing process.]

My revised research question is: What should community college districts do to overcome healthcare inequity among part-time faculty? [Note that the research question has been revised.]

My potential answer to my research question, based on my research, is that community college districts must provide healthcare to their part-time faculty at the same level and employee cost as their full-time faculty, because the health of part-time faculty is very important to the stability of the college, the state offers reimbursement for these costs, and healthcare is a human right. [The answer to the research question should include strong, specific detail. Additionally, the answer to the research question should take a stance on the issue and provide reasons for the stance.]

In my essay, I will use some sources from faculty unions and organizations. These sources are biased in that they advocate for faculty; however, they are also respected organizations that have been able to make improvements for faculty in a variety of ways over the years. They are respected by both faculty and district administration. I will also use more neutral sources about potential state funding related to part-time faculty healthcare and news articles on the state of adjunct healthcare access. [Note the detailed explanation about the types of sources that have been selected.] Using both the biased and the more neutral sources will support my argument by showing what has been done and what is reasonable. [The description includes information about the bias that is present in the sources and how this bias impacts the sources.]

Diverse perspectives from my research will help me to see multiple perspectives on this topic. Instead of choosing three sources from faculty unions or faculty organizations, I will also include sources from an academic journal and a health news outlet to better understand different perspectives on the topic.

Sources

Heredia Rodriguez, Carmen. “Adjunct Professors: Jobs Are Low on Pay and Health Benefits With High COVID Risk.” KFF Health News, 23 July 2020, khn.org/news/adjunct-professors-jobs-are-low-on-pay-and-health-benefits-with-high-covid-risk.

This article on the KFF Health News website reports on the conditions of employment adjunct faculty faced when returning to campus after COVID. [Be sure to start the resource description with a summary of the article.] It notes that many adjunct faculty do not have health insurance provided through their employer, and they also cannot afford private health insurance. While they might be able to negotiate more online classes, they might be too concerned about their job security to push their districts for accommodations due to health concerns. [The resource description should also include specific references to content from the source and how this relates to your argument.]

This article is credible because it is published by KFF Health News, a news outlet that focuses on healthcare-related news. The author is an up-and-coming journalist who regularly reports for KFF Health News on a variety of health-focused topics. [These statements evaluate the credibility of the article and indicate why the author's information is considered reliable.] Although this article is focused on the COVID situation in 2020, it provides information about the state of adjunct faculty’s access to healthcare that has not changed much since 2020. [In terms of formatting, note how this section is indented beyond the resource listing.]

This source is relevant to my research question because it directly addresses the working conditions of adjuncts in relation to their health and healthcare. It argues that adjunct faculty are at risk by not having access to healthcare. [Be sure to include a specific statement of relevance and how the source addresses information that will support your stance.]

Johnson, Geoff. “Legislative High and Low for Part-Time Faculty: Healthcare Funding Increased in State Budget, but Higher Workload Cap Vetoed.” California Federation of Teachers, 13 Oct. 2022, www.cft.org/article/legislative-high-and-low-part-time-faculty.

This article outlines the recently passed California state legislation that would provide 100% funding for community colleges specifically to provide healthcare for adjunct faculty. It also outlines the criteria that districts would need to meet in order to receive this funding. It also discusses the work that the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) has been doing to advocate at the state level for improvements for adjuncts.

This source is credible because it is published by CFT, which was active in the creation and passing of the bill. CFT represents California community college part-time faculty. The author is part-time faculty at two California community colleges, and he is on the CFT Part-Time Faculty Committee.

This source is relevant to my topic because it clearly explains new legislation that will fund healthcare for part-time faculty, and the criteria that the college districts will need to meet in order to receive this funding.

Karpf, Jonathan. “What Adjuncts Need.” The Chronicle of Higher Education, vol. 61, no. 26, 2015. ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.406082035&site=eds-live&scope=site.

This article outlines the state of adjuncts and provides statistics about adjuncts from a cited report by Coalition on the Academic Workforce. The article also outlines four things that adjuncts need. These are job security, a living wage, health and retirement benefits, and basic institutional support like office space. The article advocates that positive change is possible for adjuncts and lists some of the changes that the unions have successfully negotiated since the 1990s.

This source is credible because the author is the associate vice president of the CFA. He cites his statistics on the adjunct workforce in the article. This article is also published in The Chronicle of Higher Education, which is an academic news source for topics pertaining to higher education. Although the statistics cited might now be out of date, the list of four things that adjuncts need, including healthcare, are still relevant in 2023.

This source is relevant to my topic because it provides statistics about the adjunct workforce and argues for the needs of adjuncts. It also argues that positive change is possible for adjunct faculty.