Instructor Has Miles to Go Before He Teaches

Like so many part-time academics at Cal State Northridge, John Olmsted’s head is always swarming with numbers--405, 710, 5, 101, 91.

Those aren’t figures in mathematical computations, but rather the freeways he travels to reach all of his teaching jobs.

Olmsted cobbles together a full-time career by working part-time at Northridge, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach City College and St. Francis College, an Illinois institution with a satellite program at a Southland veterans hospital.

About 47% of Cal State Northridge’s faculty work part-time--roughly matching the national average--but few need a Thomas Guide as much as Olmsted.

With seven courses meeting a total of 18 times weekly, his teaching load is heavier than that of most full-time professors, who seldom handle more than five courses a semester.

Some educators say universities have become too dependent on itinerant teachers--and the quality of higher education is suffering as a result. State education officials dismiss this argument, saying the use of part-timers allows the system to be flexible and save money.

Part-time instructors lack job security and often make from $1,000 to $3,500 per course, or about half what their full-time colleagues earn. But Gov. Gray Davis signed a bill Friday that would give health benefits to part-timers who teach at least two classes for two consecutive semesters.

Olmsted, 53, has master’s degrees in world history and anthropology, and has been working on his doctorate in anthropology since 1992.

He is currently teaching six subjects--ranging from North American Indian culture to comparative aesthetics and symbolism--and has 180 students. He struggles to keep up with their papers, and sometimes finds himself mixing up his lecture topics.

“A lot of times I’m just standing there reading from a handout,” he said.

On a recent Wednesday, with a reporter in tow, he left his cramped Venice apartment at 7:30 a.m. and sped up the freeway to Cal State Northridge in his turbocharged Volvo station wagon. The 45-minute commute at times turned into an 80-mph sprint.

At 9 a.m., he reviewed midterm questions with his Indian culture class. After an hour of discussing peyote, shamans and spiritual guides called “road men,” Olmsted became another kind of road man.

But he could barely get out of a gas station, absent-mindedly forgetting to remove the nozzle from his gas tank before attempting to drive off, intent on making his noon class at Long Beach City College.

The gas station attendant, taking his time, came out to inspect the hose, which had been dislodged but not broken. No problem, he said. And Olmsted was gone. On Wednesdays, minutes count.

After running two yellow lights (including one in front of a police car), he cut off a school bus and entered the Golden State Freeway. He wove through traffic, gunning the engine when he could and stopping on a dime when he had to.

By the time he reached the Long Beach City College cafeteria, he barely had time to grab a plate of orange chicken and noodles.

“I’ve only got seven minutes to eat,” Olmsted said, eyeing the digital clock he set in front of his tray. At 11:55 he was gone again, striding across campus as though late for a flight.

The pace leaves him little time to read or publish, and he barely ekes out enough time to catch the stray conference on Native American culture.

“I’d like to spend more time developing papers, lectures,” he said. Still, he says he enjoys teaching and wouldn’t do anything else.

That sentiment is shared by many of his part-time colleagues who, while complaining about job instability and long hours, say they are devoted to teaching.

“Academia is not well paid by the standard of many Americans,” said Robin O’Brian, another anthropology lecturer at Cal State Northridge. O’Brian, a PhD who has been looking for a full-time job since 1994, says friends often tell her she would do better in private industry. “But this is what I want to do,” she said.

Although enrollments in California are beginning to rise, the academic job market remains difficult, especially for teachers in the humanities. There are more PhDs than ever and many universities have cut back on the number of tenure-track positions.

The result is a system where universities have come to depend on temporary labor.

But Cal State spokesman Ken Swisher said the university system maintains a satisfactory balance.

“It’s not really an issue,” he said. “We’re above the national average in terms of full-time faculty. Part-time faculty allows us to be more flexible in terms of enrollment.”

In fact, some part-time teachers said they enjoy being freed from committee assignments, student advisement and other obligations full-time professors have.

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Relying on her husband’s larger income for most of the family’s needs, Theresa Madden uses her salary from part-time teaching to put her three children through college. She has been a sociology lecturer at Cal State Northridge, Moorpark College and Oxnard College for four years.

“You can make a really nice salary as long as you can teach eight or nine courses,” Madden said. “But it would certainly be a horrifying arrangement for someone who is looking for a permanent position. On a macro level, I think this is exploitation--at best. And I’m aware that I’m being exploited, but at this point in my life, this is an acceptable arrangement.”

After a second class at Long Beach City College and some office hours, Olmsted made the short drive to the Veteran’s Administration Medical Center in Long Beach, where St. Francis--a Catholic college based in Illinois--is offering a 6:30 p.m. cultural anthropology course for medical workers. Olmsted would get home after 10 p.m. and have just enough time to prepare for his two courses at Cal State Fullerton on Thursday.

“Do I think it’s just? No, but we live in an economy that’s not just,” Olmsted said. “[Universities] are doing the same thing as other businesses in America--contracting out and hiring more temporary employees.”