I am an adjunct faculty member of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute.
While I don't speak for my employer, I do have another, informed perspective on "Hours cut to dodge costs," March 25, about Hudson Valley Community College cutting the hours of part-time teachers to avoid health insurance requirements under the Affordable Care Act, and Paul Rogan's letter in response, "Health care act hurts businesses," April 2.
While I, too, find it regrettable that HVCC is cutting hours for its adjunct faculty, I must point out that not all adjuncts are trying to scrape together a living by teaching alone.
Adjuncts come from many backgrounds, whether it be doctoral students, tenured professors at other institutions, or highly industrious and intelligent individuals who work full time in some other capacity. These roles as adjuncts are definitively part time, as we only have the time and energy to teach one or two courses. In this capacity, we won't be working in excess of 30 hours and, excepting the doctoral students, most of us have health insurance provided by the employer we work for full time.
While HVCC is cutting back on adjunct work hours, life with the Affordable Care Act will go on as usual for many more of us. I also must point out that HVCC is not a private business, but is a publicly funded nonprofit institution of the State University of New York.
There are fair criticisms that can be brought against the act, but suggesting HVCC and its adjuncts as an example of how the act would harm private business employment is a slippery slope that I wouldn't walk.
Peter Bailie
Adjunct professor, Department of Computer Science, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Schenectady