Unfortunately, the Facebook author page in my name is no longer under my control. It was an offshoot of my husband’s Facebook page, which was hacked a few days ago. So if, heaven forbid, Neo-Nazi propaganda starts to appear on my author Facebook page, it was not written by me. My LinkedIn profile is still mine.
Monthly Archives: June 2023
Lack of Mental Health Care Coverage for Adjuncts Is Inhumane and Immoral
Like the title says.
I’m currently experiencing depression. On the one hand, I’m lucky because I have time to devote to taking care of my mental health. I just finished a major revision of my memoir, I’m only teaching a six-person course at the moment, and my husband is ensuring that I eat and don’t have to worry about anything but myself right now. On the other hand, I recently lost my extended medical coverage when I was essentially laid off from the University of Victoria (which is one factor in my depression). Because of that loss, I had to stop working with my EMDR therapist, whom I liked very much but could no longer afford, and go on a waiting list for a low-cost counselor who does DBT; none of the low-cost counselors in my city offers EMDR. In the meantime, I’m trying to stay afloat with free Zoom support groups. This situation prompted this month’s post.
Over 75% of instructors at North American universities are now non-tenure-track. The majority of them are adjuncts (or sessionals, as they’re often called in Canada), hired part-time. What this means is that most people teaching college and university students do not have any mental health care coverage.