Master Walls

Dear Students,

This spring semester at the university, your professors will not be attending classes. We have begun a strike to defend public universities, your education, and the legitimate labor rights of all adjunct professors. In this fight, we would like to count on your support.

As you know, the university represents the pursuit of excellence. It is the highest institution where human knowledge is safeguarded. New generations of students come to the university to acquire that knowledge and to generate new insights.

Saying that the approval of the new Organic Law of the University System (LOSU) endangers public universities, without further explanation, might sound alarmist and exaggerated. What is certain is that it’s not entirely clear, so it’s worth explaining in more detail.

Different economic systems around the world have produced different university models. There are countries where universities don’t exist and others where they are exclusively in private hands. Imagine that: human knowledge and its advances entirely under private control. It’s no surprise that in those countries, access to the latest medical advancements, for example, is so costly, or that there are plans to colonize Mars solely in the name of shareholders.

The scenario posed by LOSU isn’t new. Since the Bologna Process back in 1998, public universities have been changing to adapt to a globalized world that pressures them to standardize degrees and qualifications, speed up careers, and “manufacture” professional profiles tailored to market demands. In recent years, we’ve witnessed a reduction in many university degrees and a subsequent increase in paid master’s and postgraduate programs. This more expensive further education becomes essential for having a competitive résumé, leaving basic degrees—funded by public money—practically worthless. And you, the students, are the first to suffer.

Adjunct professors should be the cornerstone of building the new public university

Many university programs train professionals—people who, in addition to theoretical knowledge, must practice a profession in the real world. It’s comparable to learning a trade: surgeons, architects, sculptors, or engineers who, according to the Bologna Process, should have substantial practical training. To achieve this, state universities have long incorporated the role of the adjunct professor: someone who practices that profession competently, with some social recognition and accumulated experience. These individuals, adjunct professors, dedicate part of their working hours to ensuring the transmission of both theoretical and practical knowledge that you, the students, deserve.

However, universities have misused these contracts for a long time, abusing them to hire professors at a lower cost. Adjunct professors must sign a new contract at the start of every academic year. Many have strung together 5, 10, or even 20 years of contracts, which don’t entitle them to unemployment benefits or retirement since these are not permanent contracts. This illegal situation has been condemned by several court rulings, and the European Union has intervened, obligating Spain to regularize the situation through the new LOSU.

LOSU intends to turn these contracts into permanent ones but, as always, without allocating additional funding. The Minister of Universities, Joan Subirats, promises—though nothing is in writing—that university funding will increase from 0.7% to 1% of GDP. Yes, 0.7% may sound familiar. It’s that box you can tick on your tax form to allocate funds to developing countries. That’s how public universities are in this country: “developing.”

Without sufficient funding, it’s impossible to convert all these temporary contracts into contracts with full labor rights. As a result, many adjunct professors will see their working hours cut to balance the budget, if they’re not outright dismissed. Your professors, who as students received 9 hours of weekly instruction per subject, now teach the same material in 6 hours. LOSU proposes to reduce this further to 4. If they do the same with piano degrees, I’d recommend investing in a good pair of earplugs.

Schools and faculties should have the autonomy to ensure that, while maintaining the majority of full-time faculty required by law, they can hire adjunct professors without limiting weekly hours for certain programs.

The spirit of LOSU is not inherently bad. Providing job security to its workers is desirable and is a requirement from Europe. But doing so by limiting adjunct professors’ working hours to 4 per week undermines the university system, forcing a rethink of study programs, course content, and the personal lives of students and professors alike.

Adjunct professors, who for many years have upheld the university system by making public education possible at rock-bottom costs, should be the cornerstone of building the new public university.

For this reason, dear students, we ask for your support today.

In the spirit of the saying, “you also learn at the university of life,” we’ll see you out there.