We Stood Up

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** We Stood Up: When I Was Dissed as an Adjunct Faculty Member, I Spoke Up
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October 30, 2025

Welcome back to We Stood Up!

In today’s issue, Darlene Garalde Intlekofer explores how non–tenure track—aka “adjunct faculty”—are exploited, and what they did about it.

When I Was Dissed as an Adjunct Faculty Member, I Spoke Up

By Darlene Garalde Intlekofer

I didn’t expect my credentials to be doubted. Not after years of advanced study, teaching experience, and a CV once praised as impressive.

But in higher education, even the most prepared adjuncts quickly learn how disposable we are.

When I was first hired as an adjunct at a public university in a large metropolitan area, I assumed my credentials would speak for themselves. I had earned a master’s degree at an Ivy League institution, studied with one of the most prominent sociolinguists in the field, and was a PhD candidate at a nationally recognized graduate program. My department chair at the time even said they were impressed by my experience.

But a year later, when the course I taught was no longer available, I asked the chair about teaching the department’s introduction to writing course. Their response stunned me: They weren’t sure I was qualified.

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We Stood Up spotlights the first-person stories from workers, builders, activists, and organizers sharing moments from their work and world, offering inspirational narratives and strategic insights that reinforce community solidarity we need to keep pushing toward a just and equitable future. Do you have a story to tell? Share it with us here ([link removed]) !

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