Non-annualized part-time faculty at Eugene Lang College of Liberal Arts did not receive an invitation again to the annual Lang faculty retreat on Jan. 30.

Non-annualized part-time faculty, also known as part-time lecturers, are part-time faculty that work under contract on a semester-to-semester basis. They have the “least job security” among all part-time faculty, according to an Instagram post on Jan. 29 by The New School Part-time Faculty Union announcing the exclusion.

Non-annualized part-time faculty have historically not been invited to the forum, according to a comment from Merrie Snead, the assistant director of communications.

The New School Part-time Faculty Union, which belongs to the union ACT-UAW Local 7902, said in their post that the exclusion this year represents larger problems: the university trying to “divide-and-conquer” annualized part-time faculty and non-annualized part-time faculty. 

Part-time faculty and full-time faculty are facing similar efforts by the university, according to a December statement from ACT-UAW Local 7902.

The retreat is organized annually in late January by the Lang Dean’s Office. One focus this year was on strengthening ties between the Bachelor’s Program for Adults and Transfer Students (BPATS) and Lang, where the program is now housed. The other focus was on the future of liberal arts at The New School, discussed “from curricular, pedagogical, marketing, and recruiting perspectives,” according to Snead. 

The retreat comes amidst the widely condemned restructuring of the university that has upturned programs, classes, and jobs. The aim is to relieve the university’s financial deficit, which was last estimated by TNS administrators to be $48 million. 

87% of all teaching staff at TNS are part-time, according to The New School Part-time Faculty Union’s post. University communications could not provide the number of  non-annualized part-time faculty by the time of publication.

Non-annualized part-time faculty become annualized part-time faculty at the beginning of their 10th semester of teaching at the university, according to an FAQ document by ACT-UAW Local 7902.

Full-time faculty and annualized part-time faculty are the “primary shapers of the Lang curriculum” and “primary faculty stakeholders” in the future of Lang and TNS, Snead said. Non-annualized part-time faculty are “very important contributors” but “do not yet have a long-term commitment from the university and thus play a limited role in faculty governance.”

The New School Part-time Faculty Union said in a comment to The New School Free Press, “Of course the solution is not just inviting [part-time faculty] to an all-day retreat … but creating equitable conditions so that [part-time faculty] can have a say in teaching and running programs at Lang.”

Throughout restructuring, some non-annualized part-time faculty have had courses canceled during the semester or have been told by administrators that they would not be given courses in the future despite having previous semesters of consistent courseloads, according to the comment from The New School Part-time Faculty Union.

Additionally, according to Raha Rafii, a part-time lecturer and organizer with The New School Part-Time Faculty Union, only full-time faculty members were involved in the Summer Working Groups, which brainstormed restructuring proposals this summer.

Amy Malsin, vice president of university communications, said in a comment that one part-time faculty member participated: a co-chair of the Faculty Senate.

“It’s kind of happening on multiple levels of not just divide and conquer, but also the illusion that we have a say in the future of The New School,” Rafii said.

Rafii said that during restructuring the university has been “quietly letting go” of non-annualized part-time faculty by canceling their courses. Part-time faculty, once annualized, have reappointment rights and a required course baseload, according to ACT-UAW Local 7902’s contract handbook.

Non-annualized part-time faculty do not have those protections.

“If you have your course canceled, that’s it,” Rafii said. “ … If you only teach one course, and that course is canceled, that actually affects your job status.”

It’s “much more invisible” than other ongoing efforts to reduce faculty, Rafii said. These efforts include the Voluntary Separation Program, early retirement packages, and “very likely” involuntary separations.

“As part of the union and as an organizer, our stand is to say that we’re all organizing together as faculty, because our working conditions are all related fundamentally and ultimately — not just faculty, but also students,” Rafii said.

The New School Part-Time Faculty Union’s Instagram post featured an image depicting the “hypocrisy” of TNS. In the image, university President Joel Towers is quoted as saying, “We are here for a purpose which we are constantly defining and redefining, but we do that through our mutual respect and engagement.” 

Below that, the image said, “Part-Time Faculty (PTF) make up 87% of the teaching staff at The New School, but let’s not invite PTF with the least job security to discuss Lang College’s future.”

The post also featured an image of the retreat’s schedule, which lasted from 10:00 a.m. to 3:15 p.m.. Faculty listened to addresses from Towers, Lang’s Executive Dean Christoph Cox, and admissions directors. Then, they attended a variety of discussions about the future of Lang. In addition, there were three 15-minute breaks — including lunch.