Adjuncts helping adjuncts

[gayle_yamazaki]

As we are all aware, it's tough being an adjunct. Brianne Bolin, an adjunct, and two fellow adjuncts (one past and one current) have stepped up and are doing something to help their fellow adjunct colleagues. They've created a non-profit organization, PrecariCorps: Agents for Higher Ed. On the home page, it simply states "Seeking to provide temporary, welcome relief from the economic, emotional, and physiological stressors that all too often define the life of an adjunct educator.

Brianne was inspired to create PrecariCorps as a result of the unsolicited donations she received from people who read about her experiences and struggles in an article in Elle. Brianne has a masters in English and struggles to care for herself and son on the salary she makes being an adjunct instructor at Chicago College. She struggles to make ends meet and during the summer months when she qualifies, she pays for food using food stamps ($349 per month).

The PrecariCorps site was created in hopes that they could solicit donations to help fell adjuncts in various ways, from financial assistance to a place for adjuncts to share their experiences. So far, they've received 28 donations, received 10 applications for funding, and have given 2 grants. She has plans to expand the campaign and take the message to administrators and tenured colleagues.

Brianne and her colleagues remind us that each of us has the power to take the first steps in making a difference in the lives of others, even when we face our own struggles.

You can read about Brianne and what she is accomplishing in the March 2015 Article and the July 2015 PS article.