Full effort, part-time paycheck

Itās evident Alexandra Pinter enjoys her job.

Pinter, a part-time Metro professor who teaches Italian, commutes from Boulder every Tuesday and Thursday to spend 2 hours and 15 minutes with her students.

Many of us are clumsy-tongued and hesitant as we begin speaking the language native to Pinterās parents.

Yet week after week, she calmly corrects our hackneyed pronunciation and guides the class through lists of verbi and aggettivi.

Pinter is not an exception.

There are many fine professors at Metro who teach part-time.

I know because they have taught me algebra, history, economics and literature in a way that demonstrates they are competent educators who enjoy teaching.

The college, however, claims it sees things differently.
 

In a recent application for a federal education grant, Metro contends that the 620 part-time professors on the college payroll are sub-par.
 

They lack a sense of involvement with the campus and students, donāt know enough about the schoolās policies and fail to advise students properly, the report laments.
 

Metroās report goes on to say the college doesnāt have enough money to pay full-time salaries, thus it is forced keep part-time professors on the payroll. Right now, 32 percent of courses at Metro are taught by part-time faculty.

Depending on their rank, title and how many courses a part-time professor at Metro teaches, most earn between $581 to $21,000 per year.

Full-time professorsā salaries range from $30,000 to $60,000.
 

The college says the federal grant would pay for more full-time professors.

But if Metro is sincere in its assertion that higher salaries make better teachers, why does the college keep relying on part-time professors to teach?

And why does it depend on a source as uncertain as a federal grant to bolster its standard of faculty?
If the grant request falls through ÷ and its a very real possibility it will ÷ itās probable that the hundreds of part time professors will remain in Metroās teaching corps.

And if history is any indication, the college will still to refuse to restructure its budget to free up money to improve professorsā salaries.

In itās plea for the grant, the college got the right solution for the wrong problem.

Part-time professors arenāt the problem. Their paychecks are.
 

These professors are fully aware how little money they will make when they sign contracts with the college.

Most already have full-time jobs and the hours they spend teaching cut into free time.

Their acceptance of the paltry salary is a testament to their dedication to their discipline and desire to teach.

Metro administrators know this ÷ they simply refuse to pay part-time professors accordingly.