Adjuncts Demanded $7K or Strike… They Get $6,875 Instead
Professional Staff Congress posters at Lehman's Carman Hall faculty room doors. (Photo Credit: Deanna Garcia)
By Deanna Garcia
Two months after the Professional Staff Congress (PSC) and City University of New York (CUNY) agreed to a new contract that they promise will fulfill 30,000 full and part-time faculty and professional staff, staff and students are still asking whether the contract meets their hopes.
Some CUNY staff claim the contract is not enough.
“I think that it is about time that CUNY recognized this unpaid work and now will begin to compensate all adjuncts for it,” said Ayanna Alexander-Street, a biology professor and secretary of Lehman Chapter’s PSC. “I think we are still far from a desirable place, as far as wages go.”
Alexander-Street, who formerly worked as an adjunct at Hunter College and the Borough of Manhattan Community College for five years, continued: “We are energized by this contract and will keep working toward these goals, as well as fighting in other ways to keep CUNY affordable, ensuring that we offer enough courses each semester, improving conditions on campus and addressing the needs of students, such as housing and food insecurity.”
Lehman students also questioned the contract.
Chantel White, 18, a Lehman fine arts freshman, thought the wages were outrageous to begin with. “Why can’t they just give the professors what they deserve?” she asked. “They work hard to make sure their students are educated throughout a semester. A professor doesn’t only work during class hours, but also off-campus.”
“I hope they keep fighting for a higher pay,” said David Ortiz, 24, Spanish senior. “Adjuncts, like anyone, have every right to. They should be getting more than what they’re offered.”
Unlike other students, Kendall Jackson, 20, chemistry junior, was unaware of the unequal pay of adjuncts. “It’s upsetting to even think that some professors aren’t getting recognized for the work they do in classrooms,” he said. “These low wages hold professors from helping their students succeed in life and in their future careers.”
CUNY adjunct professors standing in front of Governor Andrew Cuomo's office building while chanting, "What's outrageous? Adjunct wages!" back in March. (Photo Credit: Deanna Garcia)
Under the old contract, part-time professors, also known as adjuncts, were only paid $3,222 per course. The new contract promises to increase these wages by more than 70 percent. The minimum for a three-credit course would be $5,500 and the maximum would equal $6,875 for a four-credit course, instead of the $7,000 that was originally demanded by PCS’s Committee of Adjuncts and Part-timers with the slogan “$7K or Strike.”
“I hope they keep fighting for a higher pay.”
According to PSC, 15,976 of 21,416 members eligible to vote participated. 2,316 of which were not in favor of the contract a few weeks later- the biggest contract ratification union-voting ever recorded.
Union leadership praised the contract. PSC President Barbara Bowen stated, “The 2017-2023 contract prioritized equity and is a testament to the unity of our membership. Everyone gains when the salary floor for the lowest paid is lifted.”
Robert Farrell, PSC Chair of the Lehman Chapter, refers to the contract as “a major breakthrough in the union’s fight for equitable adjunct wages.”
The PSC website claims the new wage will also create equity between staff and grant adjuncts more individual time with students, office hours and professional development, as well as giving department chairs research funds to support their staff.
It will create a paid family leave program modeled New York State and City programs, financially supporting graduate students who teach, expanding funds to allow access to healthcare for graduate employees.
And it includes equity raises for full-time College Laboratory Technicians, entry-level Higher Education Officer employees, Lecturers, and full-time CUNY Start and CUNY Language Immersion Program (CLIP) staff.
The contract between PSC and CUNY promises to increase adjunct wages by 70 percent. (Photo Credit: Deanna Garcia)
“To achieve these gains, the union was able to secure funding from the City and State to pay adjuncts for some of the currently uncompensated labor they are doing as part of their work at CUNY,” said Farrell.
While the contract now awaits approval by the CUNY Board of Trustees, Bowen wrote on the PSC website that just because there was a contract agreement does not mean that every problem was solved and the union would not stop fighting for adjuncts’ rights.
She added that the PSC has support from the CUNY Board, Governor Andrew Cuomo and Mayor Bill de Blasio to improve CUNY’s employees and students.
“We have more work to do to ensure that our students have adequately paid faculty in the classroom who have time to devote to them,” said Farrell.
Lehman Women’s Tennis Team Won More This Season
Lehman College Women's Tennis team for the 2019-2020 Season. (Photo Credit: Lehman Lightning Photo Gallery)
By Esgardo Castelan
“I’ve seen the changes by looking at my stats; I won three games last year, but this year I won eight,” said Celine Figueroa, a Lehman junior majoring in exercise science. Figueroa is one of three Lehman women’s tennis team athletes who received recognition at the close of this season for their hardworking performances.
Students Cien Estuye, a senior also majoring in exercise science, and Figueroa won the City University of New York Athlete Conference All-Star honors. Diwa Rana, a sophomore nursing major, received the Sportsmanship Team player.
Lizaveta Markouskaya and Diwa Figeroua partnering up for a Double versus Double. (Photo Credit: Lehman Lightning Photo Gallery)
Led by their efforts, the team continues to improve. This year’s season started on Aug. 30 against Yeshiva College and ended with a game against Hunter College in the CUNY Championship semi-finals on Oct. 22. The team normally faces 19 colleges in a season, five of which are CUNY. While they lost to Baruch, John Jay and Hunter College, they won against Brooklyn and York College.
Overall, the Lehman team won more games this year compared to 2018-2019’s 4-7 record. They reached a 9-7 score in the semifinals, with Estuye scoring 11-3 playing singles, and 6-5 in doubles. Figueroa for her part scored 9-7 in singles, while Rana scored 9-6 in both singles and doubles. Estuye, Figueroa, and fellow player, Lizaveta Markouskaya, all said the team's current focus lies in improving players’ mental and psychological preparation. The coach’s responsibility is to ensure team members can count on strong self-esteem to see that games are well-played and victorious.
“Our team has a sisterhood type of bond that makes me want to improve even more,” said Estuye.
Senior athletes and team leaders, Lizaveta Markouskaya and Leslie Juanico, encourage the team by teaching newcomers the basics of the game.
Coach Michal Bareket-Bloom speaking with Lizaveta Markouskaya on game strategy. (Photo Credit: Lehman Lightning Photo Gallery)
“We have a new coach this year, Michal Bareket-Bloom, who will work on bringing in more people for the team,” said Markouskaya, a 21-year-old senior biology and chemistry major. “The returning players will be in the loop so there are no surprises, which means everyone will be comfortable to move forward.”
“Coach Michal is very encouraging with each member of the team, which in return makes the players perform better; with her, it’s really about your mindset,” said Figueroa.
Baraket-Bloom praised her team’s progress. “I absolutely believe the team has improved so much more; without sounding conceited, it was the same team as last year with better records this year,” she explained.
Since the team is losing three seniors at the end of this season, Bareket-Bloom’s main task as a coach is to recruit more players for the next one. As she decides on each player’s skill level for future games and observes who works better together, she couples certain players for doubles based on their compatibility and skill level. It’s to see if a novice can play with an intermediate player, even with the lack of experience and not knowing how to use the fundamentals.
“Once the pre-season starts it’s all about seeing who will play in what position on the team and what strategy is better for the team. Players take positions ranging from one through six to know who is playing in what level; the best player will be number one and so forth,” Markouskaya told the Meridian.
“Our team has a sisterhood type of bond that makes me want to improve even more.”
Estuye explained that during practices the team will be divided in two parts. One coach will take up to two players and focus on drills, while the other half of the team works as a group to develop a bond with one another, improving the team’s overall compatibility.
“It’s the little details that count,” Estuye said. “We will execute better during games to cover each other’s weaknesses while adding more to each other’s strengths.”
Central Park Five Exoneree Preaches Reframing the System at Lehman
Yusuf Salaam poses for Media Communications student before the panel discussion. (Photo Credit: Jaquira Truesdale)
By: Jaquira Truesdale
On Nov. 21, Lehman College’s Recital Hall overflowed with Lehman students and staff eager to hear Yusef Salaam, one of the Central Park Five exonerees falsely accused of raping and injuring Trishia Meili in 1989.
Sponsored by the monthly Social Justice Speaker Series, the discussion also featured New York Times columnist Jim Dwyer, but it was Salaam’s presence that caused major euphoria, especially when he invited attendees who did not find seats to sit on stage with him.
Brianna Duvivier, 19, sophomore, computer science major, was brought to tears when the floor was opened to talk to Salaam and Dwyer, and was especially appreciative of the opportunity of sitting on stage with them.
“I hear too much about issues with unity in the black community,” Duvivier explained to the Meridian. “And I’m sick and tired of the black community not really coming together until someone dies or someone gets shot.”
“It’s very surreal to meet somebody that you revere and respect so much and see them in person, it’s a humbling experience,” said Chanta Palmer, 22, senior, African American studies and political science major. She believes that there is a greater issue in the criminal justice system and there needs to be reform in reference to Netflix series, “When They See Us.”
“Just thinking about how eloquent he is and how poise, people might say ‘that is a redefinition of what a black man is’, but I really don’t believe that because black men have always been like this way. The images portrayed in the media have paint them to be something that they are not,” Palmer said.
The role of the media was a central topic of the discussion. Salaam recalled how approximately 400 articles were written about the Central Park Five that raised assumptions and stereotypes of the then teenagers.
The falsely accused teenagers received written death threats. Salaam read aloud a letter note that explicitly described how hanging Korey Wise in front of a Central Park tree while the other boys suffer naked, would make the parks safer.
Along with Korey Wise, Kevin Richardson, Raymond Santana and Antron McCray, Salaam served from adolescence to adulthood, until the actual offender, Matias Reyes, plead guilty in 2002. While in prison, Salaam coped by keeping his faith alive by praying and meditating. “The challenge is that how do you make sure you don’t turn into a monster, which is what they want you to turn into. How do you make sure you can keep yourself refusing to be a part of this process that turns you into a slave?” he said.
Salaam called his case “a love story between God and his people,” and thinks the criminal system of injustice is put on trial to make a miracle into reality. He also identified America’s bigger issue is having two unequal societies, and said this case is not the first nor will be the last.
Yusef welcomes Lehman students to all join him on stage and be united. (Photo Credit: Jaquira Truesdale)
“It’s a story about how people can be brought low only to rise, because the truth can never stay buried,” he said. “Once you have been run over by the spike wheels of justice, anything that comes after is wanted, needed, and accepted. But at the same time, we should’ve never had to go through that.”
Dwyer spoke about his shock in the courtroom hearing the teens’ fabricated testimonies, especially from Raymond Santana. At one point, a detective read aloud Santana’s statement, “We did altogether jointly the 40 of us or the 34 of us proceed North into the park and then turned Southwest.” Dwyer said he believed that the statement did not come from a 14-year-old boy, but had been invented by investigators.
According to CNN, there has been more than 2,000 exonerations in the United States since 1989 when DNA testing began.However it was not the same circumstance for the Central Park Five case until later on.
When the scientists came in to discuss the injuries of the victim, Dwyer was also baffled as there was no evidence of DNA or clothing at the crime scene that connected to the five teenagers. Yet even after Matias Reyes’ confession, Linda Fairstein, the lead prosecutor, stated that Reyes was the sixth man involved in the case.
Salaam told the Meridian, “I want folks to understand Linda Fairstein in her vilification of us, in her career building off our backs, she knows what she did and is trying to clean up her dirty work. The problem is, how do you consciously try to continue moving forward once you’ve been caught?”
Dwyer affirmed the potential of the media to be a force for justice. He said, “Taking the truth…and making us see a much bigger world is, I think, a way to be a force for good.”