(Photo from Daily Wildcat)
Who/What: An adjunct is a contracted instructor. Since often times the demand for classes outweighs the amount of full time faculty (Walker), institutions will hire part time or temporary instructors on a semester or annual basis. They often times have the qualifications of any full-time professor; many qualified instructors accept adjunct positions, especially in the beginning of their careers, to further their experience, but their workload is not properly compensated for and Adjunct Lecturers are not paid at the same rates as their tenure track counterparts. I would be focusing on the Adjunct Lecturers at the University of Arizona.
Proof of identity: There's a clear distinction between tenure-track and non-tenure-track teaching positions in the world of academia (and this distinction is also the source of a lot of tension and anxiety). In academia, receiving a tenure track position is a pressing goal and fairly strong job security.
When: National Adjunct Walkout Day happened February 25th 2015.
Where: The U of A adjunct instructors met on the alumni plaza in front of the Administration building on the U of A campus to declare their demands.
Why: Adjunct lecturers make up more than 40% of the instructors on the U of A campus (Walker), and if they don't have livable wages and they have to have side jobs and be stressed out, not only is it reducing the quality of their own lives, but it also can affect the quality of their teaching, which is taking away from their students' experience as well.
Works Cited:
Walker, Brandi. "UA Adjuncts Protest Wages." Arizona Daily Wildcat ::. N.p., 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 9 Mar. 2016.
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