By P. Justin Fahey, The Westfield Leader
[…]Mr. Lenihan, however, put that rumor to rest indicating that adjuncts were not limited to 18 credits — he did concede, however, that there could be a contraction in hours depending on what the IRS decides. He also indi- cated that hours spent on activities such as tutoring would probably be included in the weekly hour count, but that the look back period probably would not include the current semester.
Many of the professors, including Mr. Lipkin, said they were pleased at the clarification. Specifically, that they were not being limited to 18-credit hours and that the look back period probably would not include the current semester.
However, others were not as satisfied. Paul Gessner, an adjunct math teacher, said that he was not offered any math classes this semester after teaching at least two for the last five semesters. Mr. Gessner was not given a reason why. “It appears that the 19 hours I tutor at the academic learning center would trigger the school having to offer me health insurance,” he said. Mr. Gessner already gets health insurance from another source.
Nancy Merrill, a forensic science professor who has been an adjunct professor for 15 years, said she believes the college has the power to determine what constitutes full-time now.
“The IRS has told each institution to reasonably determine what constitutes part-time,” she said, “Fourteen credits are considered part-time. I think it’s reasonable to keep it that way.”
From Westfield Leader, pages 1 – 2.
