Bloody Monday

Rough day yesterday over here at the University of Arizona. The numbers are still in flux, but non-renewal letters went out to around 36 of our 54 faculty in the English Department's Writing Program. All of us were lecturers, all contingent labor. Since fourteen of the people retained were on multi-year contracts (a right instituted just two years ago for promoted faculty), this means that only four out of 38 faculty on the chopping block didn't receive a non-renewal letter. Luckily, I was one of them . . . but only because I teach a really popular online Gen. Ed. course on Monsters, Ghosts, and Aliens whose budget comes from UA online rather than our Writing Program.

 If enrollment projections increase by the end of the summer, a few of our non-renewed faculty might get offers. But still, not many. Although we had been expecting the worst for weeks, the reality of the layoffs is still a sucker-punch to the gut.

 EDIT on 6-3-2020 -- the final tally is on: 29 of 54 lecturers were offered non-renewal letters. Just about 60%.

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