The Provost’s Adjunct Faculty and Lecturers Council (PAFLC) serves as a forum for adjunct faculty and lecturers to communicate and interact directly with the Provost’s Office, provide suggestions for improvement of the experiences of adjunct faculty and lecturers to the Provost’s Office, and identify opportunities with the Provost Office to integrate adjunct faculty and lecturers into our university community. It is not intended to replace any existing organizations representing adjuncts and lecturers or dealing with their concerns. The purpose of this Council is simply to facilitate coordination and communication (e.g. between faculty and the Provost’s Office, leadership at the College and Schools, and with our collaborative governance system). Leaders of faculty and lecturer policy and representative groups also attend meetings ex officio.
Purpose of PAFLC
- Fostering understanding and fairness with regard to compensation, benefits, employment, and other areas of concern;
- Considering and making recommendations regarding opportunities and issues to improve the experiences of adjunct faculty and lecturers;
- Serving as a forum to foster fairness, communication, and collaboration at all levels of the institution;
- Seeking to promote and maintain strong morale among adjunct faculty and lecturers and a respectful and fair work environment that enables its constituency to advance the mission of the University;
- Promoting opportunities for adjunct faculty and lecturer development; and
- Encouraging dialogue and issue resolution in direct communication with the Provost’s Office.
Membership
Election and Representation. PAFLC members will be elected through the Faculty Senate election structures. The Council will consist of 15 voting members, each of whom must have worked at SCU for at least two years at the time of election (see eligibility below). Approximately one-third of the council should be senior lecturers and renewable-term faculty, one-third should be academic year adjunct faculty, and one-third should be quarterly or semester adjunct lecturers based upon the composition of each school/College.
Terms. Each member is elected for a one-year term, commencing in the Fall following the election. Elections are held every winter, and there is a term limit of 3 academic years.
Compensation
Service Contribution for academic year faculty. Serving on the PAFLC will be considered a major service contribution. Department chairs and deans will be notified as such by the Provost to ensure that PAFLC service will be reflected in the service component of the annual evaluation. Service is one of the evaluation criteria and job expectations for renewable-term lecturers and senior lecturers (15% of their evaluation). For academic year adjunct lecturers, the service expectation represents only 5% of the evaluation, commensurate with the full-time equivalency of the appointment. That is,
- a 100% appointment (9 courses) would entail a 40-hour week; 5% of 40 hours is 2 hours per week of a service expectation, whereas
- a 6-course load (.67 FTE) would entail a 26.8 hour work week, 5% of which would be 1.3 hours of service per week.
Since election to PAFLC amounts to roughly 3 hours of service per quarter, it would fall within the expectations of the contract, and leave some room for other services such as attendance at department meetings or committee work, that you might wish to do.
Compensation for Quarterly and Semester Adjunct Lecturers. The quarterly and semester adjunct lecturers' contract stipulates a per-course rate for teaching-related duties only. Any work over and above course-related duties, such as service on PAFLC, will be compensated at a project rate of $150 for each term of active employment during that academic year. The project rate encompasses preparation for and participation in two 1-hour meetings per quarter.
Election Terms & Procedures
Eligibility to serve. Any adjunct faculty member or lecturer of any rank is eligible who 1) is currently employed by SCU or was a quarterly/semester adjunct lecturer in Fall of that same academic year; 2) taught at least one course at SCU during the previous academic year, and 3) for quarterly and semester adjunct faculty, has been identified by their dean as likely to be rehired the following year (this is a judgment made at mid-year; appointment circumstances may change after that point).
“Opting out” Option. If you see your name on a sample ballot and you do not want to run for election to the Council, please email Ixtlac Dueñas, Senior Administrative Assistant for University Governance, and your name will be removed from the official ballot.
Eligibility to Vote. Adjunct faculty and lecturers of all ranks can vote. Tenure-stream faculty are not eligible to vote in this election. Voting is conducted by the school, so adjunct faculty and lecturers in each school/College vote for council representation by rank for that school/College.
Representation by Rank and Schools. The Council will have 15 members distributed across all 6 schools/colleges and by rank. The College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, and School of Engineering will each elect 3 representatives by rank as described below (4 schools x 3 representatives each = 12 representatives for the 4 schools/College). With smaller faculty sizes and distributions across ranks, the School of Law will have 2 representatives and the Jesuit School of Theology will have 1 representative.
If you are in the College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education and Counseling Psychology, or School of Engineering, you will vote for the following:
- one renewable-term Lecturer/Senior Lecturer from the candidates in that rank listed on the ballot for your school
- one academic year adjunct faculty member from the candidates in that rank listed on the ballot for your school
- one quarterly adjunct lecturer from the candidates in that rank listed on the ballot for your school
If you are in the School of Law, you will vote for the following:
- one renewable-term faculty member from the candidates in that rank listed on the ballot for your school
- one-semester adjunct lecturer from the candidates in that rank listed on the ballot for your school
If you are in the Jesuit School of Theology, you will vote for one representative from all adjunct faculty and lecturers listed on the ballot for your school.
In addition to the elected members, a representative of the Faculty Senate Committee on Lecturers and Adjuncts, the Faculty Affairs Committee Subcommittee on Lecturers and Adjuncts, and a delegate from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee will serve as ex officio members of the Council and will be designated by each group.
Election Timeline
February 23, 2022 - Sample Ballot
February 28, 2022 - Opt-Out Deadline
March 2, 2022 - Official Ballot sent - Election Begins
March 8, 2022 - Election closes
March 15, 2022 - Provost's Office notifies elected candidates via email
April 4, 2022 - Provost’s Office announces council members
October/November 2022 - Council begins meeting
Council Leadership
The PAFLC will elect a chair and vice-chair. PAFLC will meet approximately twice a quarter during the academic year. The PAFLC chair and vice-chair will meet prior to the full council meeting to discuss the meeting agenda and working topics with the Provost or Provost delegate.