Sessional F.A.Q.
- What is a Sessional Adjunct?
- How do I find out about postings for Sessional Adjuncts at Queen's?
- What is the hiring process?
- What if I have never been given letter of appointment?
- What's the difference between a Sessional Adjunct and a Term or Continuing Adjunct?
- Could I be Queen's Staff at the same time as I am a Sessional Adjunct?
- What kinds of backgrounds do Sessional Adjuncts have?
- Are there different ranks of Sessional Adjuncts just as there are tenure-track professors?
- Are all Sessional Adjuncts members of QUFA?
- How many Sessional Adjuncts are there at Queen's, and what fraction of the teaching is done by them?
- Can Sessional Adjuncts teach graduate courses as well as undergraduate courses? What about graduate supervision?
- What's a typical workload for a Sessional Adjunct?
- What are additional duties?
- What is a Workload Standard and how can I see the one relevant to my unit?
- Are Sessional Adjuncts expected to become an active part of the department?
- How much communication is there between a Sessional Adjunct and the faculty/department?
- What salary can a Sessional Adjunct expect to receive?
- Do Sessional Adjuncts get any benefits aside from salary?
- What sorts of benefits do other faculty members and staff at Queen's get?
- What about academic freedom and intellectual property rights?
- What is a right of reappointment?
- Can Sessional Adjuncts get research or professional development money?
- What is an Official File?
- Can Sessional Adjuncts file grievances?
1. What is a Sessional Adjunct?
A Sessional Adjunct at Queen's is someone who, individually or jointly, is responsible for instruction and evaluation in a degree-credit course or courses, for pay, and who are persons coming within the definition of members of the adjunct academic staff, Group 1, as set out in the ?Statement on Adjunct Academic Staff and Academic Assistants? (Appendix A of the Collective Agreement). Article 1.2 of the Collective Agreement lists some exceptions to this definition, such as teaching assistants and guest lecturers. (Article 1)2. How do I find out about postings for Sessional Adjuncts at Queen's?
The advertising and appointments process is laid out in Article 23 of the Collective Agreement. There is no obligation to advertise the positions as widely as there is for faculty under the FLA Collective Agreement (the other QUFA bargaining unit at Queen's), but units are expected to circulate information about postings internally to all members of the unit, and to post notices on the unit's website by specified dates, and to keep these notices on the website for at least 10 days. Notices contain information such as the date of posting, the application deadline, the required qualifications and application materials, the percentage and type of responsibility for the course or course-section, the expected enrolment, the appointment dates, and the employment equity statement. There are some very specific exceptions to the requirement to advertise based on things like exigency, reassignment of course, reappointment, and so on. (Article 23.2, 22.4.a)3. What is the hiring process?
Each unit has a Sessional Adjunct Appointments Committee as per Article 23.3. Along with the application letter, applicants who have not taught in the unit in the last twelve months must include at least a current Curriculum Vitae and the names of two referees; other materials may be submitted at the applicant's discretion. The Committee cannot make offers before the deadlines for posting advertisements, but there is no end date for offers. QUFA is urging the University to ensure that appointment letters are in Sessionals? hands well in advance of the first day of teaching as this is not currently the situation. Much very important information is contained in the letter of appointment and the Sessional Adjunct has a right to know these details well in advance of accepting an appointment, let along before beginning to teach the course(s). (Article 23.1, 23.3, 23.5)4. What if I have never been given letter of appointment?
It is unfortunately the case that some Sessional Adjuncts are not given their letter of appointment prior to teaching because of slow University processes, and, shockingly, some never receive one. If you have not received your letter in a timely fashion, preferably at least a month prior to your first class, please get in touch with the QUFA office and we will do our best to assist you.5. What's the difference between a Sessional Adjunct and a Term or Continuing Adjunct?
Term and Continuing Adjuncts are appointment categories included in the FLA Collective Agreement, the other QUFA bargaining unit. A Term Adjunct is a limited-term appointment of eight to 36 months duration. A Term Adjunct must teach the equivalent of two or more full courses each year, or perform teaching and related academic activities equivalent to two or more full courses each year, or make a salary higher than half the base salary for a tenure-track professor. A Term Adjunct may apply to become a Continuing Adjunct after having been a Term for at least six years. Continuing Adjuncts enjoy secure appointment status equivalent to tenure. Term and Continuing Adjuncts are eligible for a fuller range of Queen's benefits than Sessional Adjuncts. It is almost invariably advantageous to be a Term or Continuing Adjunct over a Sessional Adjunct, and the University cannot deny Sessionals legitimate teaching and service opportunities for the sole purpose of preventing them from becoming a Term Adjunct.(Article 23.3.9, see also FLA CA Articles 25.2.3, 25.2.4, 32, 42.3, 42.5)
6. Could I be Queen's Staff at the same time as I am a Sessional Adjunct?
You certainly may, but you should make sure your duties and salary are clearly laid out for you so that there is no dispute about how much time you are spending on each during the day, or whether the teaching is on top of a 100% staff position, and so on. Being staff makes you eligible for Queen's benefits for which Sessionals do not qualify.7. What kinds of backgrounds do Sessional Adjuncts have?
There is such a broad range of backgrounds that it is difficult to typify Sessional Adjuncts. Some common groupings are retired professors, professionals who wish to engage in student education in their field, academics who are not part of the more readily understood tenure-track type including recent graduates, and Queen's staff who teach in their areas of expertise. Beyond that, the personal backgrounds run the gamut of lawyer, teacher, consultant, occupational therapist, carpenter, consultant, counselor, writer, and limousine driver.8. Are there different ranks of Sessional Adjuncts just as there are tenure-track professors?
Sessional Adjuncts can be appointed as Adjunct Lecturer, Adjunct Assistant Professor, Adjunct Associate Professor, or Adjunct Professor. Sessional Adjuncts should indicate in the application letter if they believe their rank has changed since the last appointment and give reasons. Just as for tenure-track professors, these differentiations do not denote differences in pay, but rather differences in record of expertise in the discipline.(Article 23.1.3 to 23.1.9)
9. Are all Sessional Adjuncts members of QUFA?
All Sessional Adjuncts are represented by QUFA on labour issues included bargaining for collective agreements, and so are in that sense all members of the bargaining unit and pay dues. To be able to participate actively in the workings of the Association, to be on committees that make decisions and take charge of issues that affect Sessional Adjuncts, you have to sign a form indicating that you are an active member of the Association.(Articles 2.18, 3)
10. How many Sessional Adjuncts are there at Queen's, and what fraction of the teaching is done by them?
There are more than 400 individuals who teach as Sessional Adjuncts each year at Queen's. Approximately 25% of courses at Queen's are taught by Sessional Adjuncts and other non-FLA bargaining unit members.11. Can Sessional Adjuncts teach graduate courses as well as undergraduate courses? What about graduate supervision?
A course is a course is a course. So yes, graduate teaching is covered by the same provisions as undergraduate teaching. Graduate supervision is covered by the provision about additional duties (see below) only if you are in the bargaining unit (teaching as a Sessional) while supervising, otherwise the Collective Agreement does not apply and your are on your own to negotiate compensation.12. What's a typical workload for a Sessional Adjunct?
A Sessional Adjunct teaches less than a 2.0 credit course load (or the equivalent). Greater teaching responsibility veers into the Term Adjunct (Adjunct Group 2) definition, which Adjunct type is included in the FLA Collective Agreement and carries with it employment benefits greater than those set out for Sessional Adjuncts. Beyond this definition, there is no typical load as each person is hired to teach according to the needs of the individual and the department.13. What are additional duties?
A department may ask a Sessional Adjunct to perform duties in addition to teaching. If these duties are undertaken at the same time as the person is a member of the bargaining unit, teaching as a Sessional Adjunct, then the responsibilities and compensation should have been negotiated ahead of time (Appendix J of the Collective Agreement) and formalized in an appointment letter. If the individual is not a member of the bargaining unit, then the Collective Agreement does not apply and it is up to the department and the individual to decide whether there will be compensation and how much that will be. (Articles 1, 23.1, 23.6 and Appendix J)14. What is a Workload Standard and how can I see the one relevant to my unit?
According to Article 37 of the Faculty, Librarians and Archivists Collective Agreement 2005-2008, each academic unit must have a Workload Standard that addresses all academic responsibilities of members, ensures equity in assigning these responsibilities, and ensures that Senate requirements regarding the academic program are met. The Standard must be properly approved by both the members of the unit and the Dean. In order to see your unit's Workload Standard please contact the QUFA office by email at workload@qufa.ca or by telephone at 613-533-3224.(FLA collective agreement Article 37.1)
15. Are Sessional Adjuncts expected to become an active part of the department?
While no expectation exists in the collective agreement about becoming an active part of the department, it is really up to the Sessional Adjunct and the department itself whether a more active role is wanted. In some instances the active role will be in the form of paid additional duties (see below), and in others it may be attending social events or meetings on a voluntary basis.16. How much communication is there between a Sessional Adjunct and the faculty/department?
There can be a little or a lot, depending on how often you have worked in the faculty/department, how much information you wish to receive, how inclusive the practices are in that particular faculty/department, and so on. Some things about which there should be an information flow are: which informational listservs you should be a member of; what the deadlines are for course materials, grades, etc.; whether you have teaching support needs and timetabling preferences that can be accommodated; what procedures the faculty/department follows and what forms exist to claim for professional expenses; etc.(Article 28.2.1, 28.3.4, 28.3.5)
17. What salary can a Sessional Adjunct expect to receive?
The Collective Agreement stipulates a minimum salary (Article 29) based on a 0.5 credit course equivalent. There are provisions for a higher salary if the Sessional has taught at Queen's before (based on years hired to teach since May 1, 2003) and/or if the class taught has an enrolment of 100 students or more. There is no maximum stipulated in the Collective Agreement, and there is variance in salary amongst disciplines and even amongst Sessionals teaching the same course. To illustrate, the base stipend for someone teaching the course for the first time in 2006-07 (since May 2003) with 6% salary in lieu of benefits added in is $6,542 per 0.5 credit course or equivalent. With recognition of one year of teaching experience (since May 2003), the stipend with salary in lieu of benefits goes up to $6,640. With recognition of one year of teaching experience as well as an enrolment of 100 or more students, the stipend with salary in lieu goes up to $7,458. These amounts will go up by 3.05% for 2007-08.(Article 29)
18. Do Sessional Adjuncts get any benefits aside from salary?
Sessionals who are paid the Base Stipend get a payment in lieu of salary for health benefits, etc. which is negotiated during each round of bargaining. In the first Collective Agreement, the percentage was 3% of salary in lieu, and in the most recent CA it is 6% in lieu. (Article 29.3.3) There are monetary benefits to being a Sessional on top of salary, however, such as the Professional Expense Reimbursement (28.3.1), the Scholarly and Professional Development Research Fund (28.3.6), the Child Care Benefit (29.7), and Commuting Adjunct expenses (28.2.7). Some non-monetary benefits are office space (often shared) and an email address (28.2), leaves (26), access to advising as well as a grievance process (17), clarification of the official file (25), freedom from harassment and discrimination (including accommodations for disability) (9, 19), employment equity (22), health and safety provisions (20, 21), academic freedom (13), and a special QUFA-University joint committee that administers the agreement on an ongoing basis (12).(Articles 9, 12, 13, 14, 17, 19, 20, 21, 22, 26, 28, 29.7)
19. What sorts of benefits do other faculty members and staff at Queen's get?
Queen's staff and faculty get a full range of benefits, including pension contribution. To get some idea of the range of benefits, please refer to the Human Resources page20. What about academic freedom and intellectual property rights?
Sessional Adjuncts own all intellectual property rights in work they create in their capacity as a Sessional at Queen's.(Article 14)
21. What is a right of reappointment?
A Sessional Adjunct who has taught a full (1.0) course or course section, or a half (0.5) course or course section as a Sessional or Term Adjunct at least twice over a minimum of two academic years is to be offered reappointment for that course in subsequent years, provided a record of good teaching and satisfactory performance of assigned duties (those stipulated in the appointment letter) based on at least two evaluations. It may be that more than one Sessional has a right of reappointment to a given course, and there are rules that outline whose right of reappointment has priority (23.4.5) as well as how a right of reappointment expires (23.4.7).(Articles 24, 23.4)
22. Can Sessional Adjuncts get research or professional development money?
Yes, Sessionals can apply to a fund (see question 17 above) to attend conferences, carry out research, develop course material, etc. Please see the information and form on the Vice-Principal (Academic) website for details on what is covered by this fund.(Article 28.3.6)
23. What is an Official File?
All documentation and materials in the possession of the University that relate to your employment status or the evaluation of your professional performance shall be placed in a confidential Official File that is kept in the Office of the Dean or, in the case of departmentalized faculties, partly in the Office of the Dean and partly in the Office of the Unit Head. The contents of, access to, and archiving of the Official File are detailed in Article 25. You are strongly advised to familiarize yourself with these details so that you know what your hiring and evaluation at Queen's will be based on, and to ensure that extraneous and irrelevant materials are not included that might affect these important decisions.(Article 25)
24. Can Sessional Adjuncts file grievances?
Sessional Adjuncts can grieve any dispute or difference arising out of the application, interpretation, administration, or alleged violation of the provisions of this Agreement. It is also possible to contact the QUFA Grievance Officer to assist in informal dispute resolution with the University in an attempt to avoid a formal grievance and to settle the matter as amicably and promptly as possible.(Article 17)