The plight of part-time faculty

ITS A ROUGH LIFE, AS DESCRIBED BY those who teach chemistry part time. "It's extremely difficult to make a living wage as an adjunct professor," one says. "If courses need to be taught, then you have a job. If for some reason courses don't need to be taught, then you probably don't have a job." "Unless you really like to teach, you wouldn't do it," says another. Another professor laments that "there is no feedback from the tenured faculty. I could be teaching geography and they wouldn't know any different." But there are enough positives to keep part-timers going. "I love seeing the light bulb go on over the students' heads when they get something," one notes. "I'm not doing research, so I don't have to worry about writing grant proposals," says a second. "It gives me the freedom to travel." And a new mother says, "I have the opportunity ...