The number of faculty without tenure grew 69 percent since 1997, and issues exist with the fairness of their health care and job benefits, according to the Douglass College Government Association and the University chapter of American Association of University Professors.
As a result, the AAUP is currently trying to obtain more or at least equal rights for non-tenure track faculty.
Rich Moser, a senior member of the AAUP, asked the Douglass College Government Association for support during its meeting Tuesday night.
According to the AAUP, 23 percent of fulltime faculty members are non-tenure track faculty.
Between 1997 and 2005 the number of tenure-track faculty members has decreased 3 percent, but the number of full-time non-tenure track positions has increased 69 percent.
Full-time, non-tenure track faculty make up 6 percent of the faculty and teach 12 percent of the courses.
"Rutgers could not function without these dedicated faculty members yet Rutgers makes no commitment to them," according to the AAUP.
During the last contract negotiations, however, University President Richard L. McCormick said bargaining units were working hard for a fair deal.
Moser discussed both contract benefits and length of contract non-tenured faculty face.
Moser said non-tenure-track faculty members do not get contracted more than a year at a time with a maximum of four years. As a result, they are always looking for a job, which causes a distraction from doing their job properly.
Regardless of the quality of the teachers' work or contributions they have made in educating students during their four years, they are automatically discharged.
"They are hired and fired in the same letter," said Moser. "The way the system is structured is to get rid of good faculty members."
For a while, part-time non-tenures did not receive healthcare. Now they are allowed to purchase healthcare. However, most do not make enough money to afford it, he said.
Full-time, non-tenures have healthcare, but after four years they are either dismissed or demoted to less than full-time, which makes them ineligible for healthcare, Moser said.
Besides these issues, Moser also discussed how these faculty need greater representation in University governance.
"We don't want to be disconnected from the curriculum," said Moser.
Non-tenures have three representatives in the University Senate. Each is assigned to one of the three University campuses, such as Camden, Newark and New Brunswick/Piscataway.
Consequently, they want to increase their representation in the University Senate.
Non-tenures also lack access to recreational facilities on campus, such as the gym.
"The AAUP slogan is, 'We do believe the University is a community. We believe that teachers' and students' relationship is the core of everything,'" said Moser. "Ultimately teachers working conditions lead to students learning conditions."
The Douglass College Government Association passed a resolution in support of the rights of non-tenure-track faculty members on Tuesday night.
"It's pretty clear that the quality of education really depends on the environment of the teachers," said President of the DCGA Celeste Barretto, a junior. "If they don't have the working conditions that are conducive to the quality of teaching, it puts a lot more stress on them and us."
According to Internal Vice President Stefanie Lachenauer, the DCGA will give AAUP more of a voice in the senate and in other forms of government.
The DCGA will also send a copy of their resolution to the other governing associations to hopefully support AAUP as well.
"It's a give and take relationship between the teachers and students," said Barretto. "Without teachers, there would be no University."
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