FAQ
Additional questions can be submitted via our Contact Us form or email us at adelphiaaupoffice@gmail.com.
When should I come to the AAUP for help?
The AAUP is the Collective Bargaining Representative for all full-and part-time faculty at Adelphi University and one of our primary responsibilities is ensuring compliance with our contract. If you believe that there has been a violation of the contract, it is critically important that you bring that information to us so that we can investigate and, if appropriate, take action.
You have the right, upon request, to have a union representative present during any interview that you reasonably believe could lead to discipline. These rights are now known as Weingarten Rights based on a 1975 US Supreme Court ruling. Please contact us to learn more about how we can help or to request our present a meeting.
The AAUP is also a resource for all faculty. If you have a question related to your role as a faculty member, the AAUP will help you find the answer or guide you to the appropriate person or body.
What benefits are available for faculty who are pregnant or adopting a child?
All full-time faculty (all genders) who are welcoming a child, either through birth or adoption, are entitled to six (6) credits of release time which can be taken in the semester of the event or the following semester. Faculty should inform their Chair and Dean of their intention to take advantage of this benefit in a timely manner so that proper course planning can occur. In addition, full-time faculty can also bank credits to use in future semesters and/or carry an under-load and then make those credits up within a year. Lastly, untenured faculty who welcome a child, through birth or adoption, may extend their tenure clock for one year. We suggest that you review the relevant language in the contract, (Article XVIII, Section 5 and 6) and then call the AAUP with any questions.
Full-time faculty who give birth are also entitled to medical disability as defined by New York State. In general, women who have a regular delivery are entitled to six (6) weeks of disability and women who give birth by C-section are entitled to eight (8) weeks of disability. This time is at full-pay and is in addition to the 6 credits of parental release time (outlined above). This period of disability may be extended upon medical necessity.
I am an Adjunct faculty member who has been teaching at Adelphi for several years? Can I expect to be reassigned every semester?
Adjunct faculty are not guaranteed to be assigned every semester but once they are provisionally assigned, they can only be removed for specific reasons outlined in the contract, (Article X, Section 4). Additionally, the Provost has stated that the University’s policy is to make all assignments final at least one month prior to the start of the semester so that Adjuncts can have enough notice to make other arrangements if assignments are not forthcoming.
What are my office hour obligations if I have release time or if I am teaching a course online? What obligation/s do Adjunct faculty have regarding office hours?
Full-time faculty teaching a regular nine (9) credit workload must hold four (4) office hours per week and those office hours must be scheduled on three different days. Full-time faculty who have release time are entitled to reduce their office hours proportionately. If you have a three (3) credit course release, you are obligated to schedule two hours and 40 minutes of office hours per week. You may schedule those hours over two days. If you are teaching an online course, you may hold your office hours for that course online. Adjunct faculty are required to hold one office hour per week for every course that they teach.
My course is a required (or popular) course and it always fills up very quickly. The course has an enrollment cap but my Chair and/or Dean always insists that I should over-enroll it. Can they force me to over-enroll my course?
No, the only person who can agree to over-enroll a class is the faculty member who is assigned to teach it. Similarly, no one other than the faculty who is assigned to teach the course may change a student’s grade for that course. If you are being pressured to do either of these things, please contact the AAUP immediately.
I am going through the tenure and promotion review process. I have submitted my portfolio; what should I expect now?
The review process is a long waiting period for tenure and promotion candidates. While we cannot diminish the stress that you may be feeling, we can encourage you to be proactive during this process. Specifically, after you have submitted your portfolio, if there are updates (additional publications, new honors, etc.) make sure that all those who are involved in the review process (UPRC, Chair, Dean, FCRTP and Provost) are aware of the additional material. Also, our contract requires that all candidates for tenure and promotion receive a copy of the report, at every level, prior to that report being formally submitted. You should be sure to read those draft reports and make sure they are accurate and complete. If you have any questions or concerns about the process, you should contact the AAUP.
Are Adjunct faculty entitled to attend faculty meetings?
Adjunct faculty are not specifically excluded from faculty meetings. In fact, the contract specifically states that Adjunct faculty may attend University faculty meetings and encourages Senior Adjunct faculty to attend commencements, matriculations and faculty meetings. It is up to the individual departments and units to determine policy regarding Adjunct attendance at meetings.