As a part-time faculty lecturer at McGill, my salary was terminated effective my last teaching day. As a result of financial constraints, faculty members throughout McGill are paid on average less than their counterparts elsewhere. The MAUT study had no figures for part-time lecturers, but it seems that the further one goes down the ladder, the greater the differential. Sadly for part-timers, however, the raise includes all ranks of faculty except sessional or course contract academics. Clearly, the poorest members of faculty have been passed over once again.
Fewer assignments result in less mastery by the students of the subject.
Few teachers can maintain such a pace without either burning themselves out or short-changing their students. The most sought after teachers, and especially those who prefer to channel their energy into two or three well-prepared and delivered courses, will choose to teach where the classes are smaller, the salary larger, and a modest safety net of benefits is offered. Most part-timers would undoubtedly elect to participate in such a plan. By taking measures to ensure that the working conditions are a little less arduous, that the salary is a little more fair, and that some protection against the unforeseen exists, the faculty will be able to continue to attract and keep the kind of part-time teachers whose high standards and dedication have helped establish McGill' s reputation for excellence.