IRS: Adjunct Faculty Hours Must Be Calculated With 'Reasonable' Method

[janx]

The Internal Revenue Service put colleges and universities on warning with new proposed rules issued this month, warning them not to skimp when counting the hours adjunct faculty work. The guidelines from the IRS could be critical to ensuring whether part-time college instructors receive health care benefits as new Affordable Care Act laws take effect.

The IRS noted in the Federal Register that "educational organizations generally do not track the full hours of service of adjunct faculty, but instead compensate adjunct faculty on the basis of credit hours taught." In short, most colleges are only paying part-time instructors for time spent in a classroom, and nothing for time spent grading or preparing.

The Treasury Department and the IRS are considering and "invite further comment on how best to determine the full-time status of employees" like educators, who may work many hours after students leave the classroom.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/08/irs-adjunct-faculty_n_2432924.html?utm_hp_ref=college

Originally appeared in The Chronicle of High Education--links at Huffpost


This is going to be a battle for colleges and universities.

[2Design]

1. they have cut how many course credits you can do to make sure they

keep you at part time status - this will add another level for those they exempt from sticking to the lower number of courses allowed

[janx]

3. I'm afraid that is what is going to happen, but I don't know how they can do that

given the fact that something like 70% of college faculty is adjunct. It has been a problem for decades.

This is a BIG DEAL.

College and university administration will haul out the lawyers, no doubt.

[QC]

2. My college now allows adjuncts to teach no more than two classes per term

in order to avoid paying for their health insurance.

This is going to make it difficult for us to cover classes and for the adjuncts to make a living.

[janx]

4. Most colleges rely heavily on adjuncts and will be in a tough

spot if they have to recruit two or three times as many of them to cover the courses. It should be interesting.

[QC]

5. I don't think we will be able to find enough adjuncts to cover everything

with this new policy in place. We have to beat the bushes as it is, and some of ours are teaching four sections each.

[janx]

10. I taught five last semester and will be teaching four starting next week.

I taught six during the fall of 2011. And these are writing courses. It's a lot of work. There comes a point at which the teaching quality suffers; there's only so much time in a day/night.

The best plan, in my opinion, is for the colleges/universities to permanently hire some adjunct instructors who are already working full time/overtime. (The "part-time" label is an insulting joke.) Then they can try to recruit more adjuncts to fill in some gaps, if necessary.

[2Design]

6. they started this about three years ago

before the health care law - it just makes it harder on the administrators (deans) who now need and have to manage double the adjunts

they were thinking of changing the credits per course from 4 to 3 so they could teach more - but that would be the same amount of work for less pay

They find a lot of people who are willing to cobble together a living doing this at multiple colleges

[QC]

7. I found out about the policy at a meeting today.

It's going to make life very tough for some of our adjuncts, who really need to load up their schedules in order to put food on the table.

[2Design]

9. I was cut in half about two years ago

it does make it harder - my outcome is more than my income - I need to find more online work

[janx]

12. It's going to depend on the individual institution.

Many rely heavily on adjuncts; others have a smaller number. It always amazes me that states can throw so much money at campus construction, etc., but remain very stingy when it comes to the general fund--the fund that pays faculty.

[janx]

13. Believe it or not,

some institutions have a difficult time finding adjuncts. Most rely on grad students and adjuncts, but some are out in the boonies and cannot attract many adjuncts.

[mike_c]

8. treatment of adjunct higher ed faculty ranges from shameful to embarrassing....

I think half my friends are adjunct faculty. Some are among the most accomplished teachers I know. Many of them have spent entire careers with zero benefits, low wages, long mostly uncompensated hours, and little or no employment security. It is shameful. We've created a subclass of itinerant scholars and professors, barely able to make a living in return for helping America's sons and daughters gain access to professions and careers.

[janx]

11. A colleague of mine calls it "the dirty secret"

of higher education.

Most students--and their parents--have no idea.

[janx]

14. Shameless kick!

[Coyotl]

15. source:

http://chronicle.com/article/IRS-Says-Colleges-Must-Be/136523/

[janx]

16. Thanks!

I mentioned it in the OP but didn't provide the link.

And this thread keeps sinking because of all of the GUN-GUN-GUN threads.

[libnnc]

17. Just happened to me this week

It's the last straw, I'm afraid. I can't stand it anymore.

It's shameful and demoralizing. I have to find something else to do with my life.