7-1 Project (250 Points)

ENG 190 Project

Stu Dent

Southern New Hampshire University

ENG 190: Research and Persuasion

Professor _____

January 4, 2023

[Be sure to include a title page for APA.]

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, C. (2020, July 23). Adjunct professors: Jobs are low on pay and health benefits with high COVID risk. Kaiser Health News. https://khn.org/news/adjunct-professors-jobs-are-low-on-pay-and-health-benefits-with-high-covid-risk/

This article on the Kaiser 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 Kaiser Health News (KHN), a news outlet that focuses on healthcare-related news. The author is an up-and-coming journalist who regularly reports for KHN 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, G. (2022, October 13). Legislative high and low for part-time faculty: Healthcare funding increased in state budget, but higher workload cap vetoed. California Federation of Teachers. https://www.cft.org/article/legislative-high-and-low-part-time-faculty

This article outlines the recently passed California state legislature 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, J. (2015, March 9). What adjuncts need. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://ezproxy.snhu.edu/login?url=https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=edsggo&AN=edsgcl.406082035&site=eds-live&scope=site [Note the italics in this resource listing. Because the source is an online periodical, the journal title should be italicized instead of the article title.]

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.

Project Part Two: Persuasive Essay With Research

Recently, the topic of reliance on part-time, non-tenured professors in higher education has forced us to consider some difficult questions, including the woeful lack of access to healthcare for part-time faculty. [The opening sentence of the essay identifies the topic to let readers know immediately what the focus will be. Additionally, the opening sentence grabs the audience’s attention by highlighting a problem that needs to be solved.] As of 2018 “nearly half of all college instructors [were] part-time workers” and only “35% of them had healthcare coverage through a work-provided plan” (Heredia Rodriguez, 2020, para. 13). [The second sentence highlights a relevant quote from one of the sources.] Unfortunately, among those who are insured, the offerings are inconsistent, and some offerings are not financially accessible to many part-timers. In California community colleges specifically, fewer than half of the 72 districts offer any insurance for part-time faculty (Johnson, 2022). [The information here has been paraphrased, with the citation included to identify the original source.] In order to address inequitable access to employer-provided healthcare for community college adjuncts, California community college districts must provide access to the same healthcare as their full-time faculty for faculty with a minimum 40% load because the part-time workforce has become a vital part of community college faculty, the health of the community depends on healthy faculty, and the state now offers 100% funding for districts who offer healthcare to part-timers that is on par with their full-time offerings. [The final sentence of the introduction narrows the focus and ends by identifying the thesis statement, which highlights the writer’s stance on the issue.]

Part-time faculty are a vital part of the faculty body at California community colleges and are qualified to teach at the same level as their full-time counterparts, so it follows that they should have access to the same healthcare their full-time counterparts receive. [The topic sentence, which starts the paragraph, clearly identifies the key point that is developed in the paragraph.] According to Jonathan Karpf (2015), associate vice president of the California Faculty Association, “[m]any adjuncts possess the same terminal degrees from the same graduate programs that produced their tenure-line colleagues, yet they are often treated as second-class citizens within their own departments” (para. 3). [The body paragraph balances the key point development with the supporting evidence from the research.] Karpf (2015) lists healthcare as one of four items that adjuncts desperately need. [The supporting evidence is introduced with a signal expression that refers to the author or source.] For part-time faculty, not having access to employer-provided insurance is insulting and unjust, and greatly reduces morale. And while some part-time faculty may be able to access healthcare via a spouse or through the marketplace, many workers must decide if they can afford marketplace healthcare premiums. Paying for healthcare out of pocket can be costly for faculty who already receive low per-class pay and have very little job security. The lack of this insurance may tip the scales for some faculty, forcing them to leave the field of higher education altogether. Since adjuncts are often a majority at any institution, the district relies greatly on adjunct faculty to teach, and districts cannot function without their adjunct employees. [The body paragraph develops the key point in the context of the thesis statement.]

A workforce that cannot afford healthcare benefits no one, and students will often pay the price of a district refusing to insure its teachers, so it is in the best interest of districts to offer insurance to their part-time faculty. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the health of individuals and the health of the community into sharp focus. In an article published by Kaiser Health News, [The credibility of the source has been indicated here.] Heredia Rodriguez (2020) notes that due to low pay and the part-time employment structure, “adjuncts often teach at multiple campuses to make ends meet. In the midst of this pandemic, moving among different locations adds to their risks and their potential to spread the virus” (para. 15). [For APA formatting, a citation for a direct quote should include the author’s last name, the year of publication, and a paragraph number for electronic sources. This may be included in a single parenthetical citation or divided up in the sentence, as shown above. If the author’s name is identified directly within the sentence, add the year of publication immediately after, and include the paragraph number following the quote.] It vital now more than ever that adjunct faculty have access to healthcare, especially the affordable annual checkups and preventative care that health insurance typically provides. Also, when adjuncts do get sick, they need access to care so that they can recover and return to campus. When teachers are sick, classes are cancelled and student learning grinds to a halt. The health of any campus depends on healthy faculty, including part-time faculty who teach a large portion of courses. Access to healthcare is imperative for a healthy campus and community. [The writer shows how the evidence has informed the analysis and supported the development of the essay ideas.]

Finally, in late 2022, legislation passed by the state of California provided funding for districts offering healthcare to their part-time faculty. The stipulations are simple: All part-time faculty with a load of 40% or more must have access to the benefits, the benefits must be on par with full-time benefits, and part-time contributions must be the same as full-time contributions. There are additional funds for faculty who work less than 40% at individual districts but have a combined load of 40% between schools (Johnson, 2022). [Because the information here has been paraphrased instead of quoted directly, the paragraph number isn’t required for APA.] With the passing of this bill, there is no reason for districts not to offer healthcare benefits to their part-time faculty, as the bill covers 100% of district costs for insuring qualifying part-time faculty. While districts and unions must negotiate the specific contract language for their district, there is no downside for districts in having an insured and healthy part-time faculty workforce. [The body paragraphs develop not only the key points but also identify and address counterargument information.]

In conclusion, if community college districts want a healthy faculty body and to preserve the health of the communities they serve, they must offer healthcare to their qualified part-time faculty at the same level that they offer healthcare to their full-time faculty. [The first sentence of the conclusion shows audience awareness by identifying a clear call to action.] To do otherwise would be both irresponsible and immoral, and jeopardizes their workforce. Now that funding has been made available at the state level, there is no reason for every member of the community college faculty, full-time and part-time, to not have access to employer-provided healthcare. [The conclusion reflects on the thesis, reiterates the key points, and includes a closing comment.]

References

[For APA, the resource listing is titled: References. Be sure to alphabetize the sources by the author’s last name or, if there is no author, by the first word of the article title. Only use the author’s last name and initial(s) instead of including a first name.]

Karpf, J. (2015, March 9). What adjuncts need. The Chronicle of Higher Education. https://www-chronicle-com.ezproxy.snhu.edu/article/what-adjuncts-need/