Emily Carr University instructors struggle in new campus, author says
Continual rating of instructors without job security at Emily Carr University of Art + Design is contributing to a chilling effect on speaking out about working conditions, according to the author of a new book.
Terra Poirier, an artist and writer, said she didn’t realize how deep the chill extended before she started researching the precariousness of non-regular instructors on the faculty at ECUAD.
Poirier said she believes academic precarity affected the quality of the undergraduate education she received at the university.
“Students are positioned as customers who need to be satisfied,” Poirier said. “An instructor might feel not to be such a hard marker or not present curricula that is too challenging because they get rated as too difficult.
“It really surprised and deeply unsettled me how that really compromised the quality of my education
in these insidious ways.”
Non-Regular: Precarious academic labour at Emily Carr University of Art + Design is a 132-page artist book published by Unit/Pitt Projects.
The $20 book is available Friday to Sunday at the seventh annual Vancouver Art Book Fair at ECUAD.
Gillian Siddall, ECUAD president and vice-chancellor, said in a prepared statement about Poirier’s book that “our part-time faculty are
outstanding teachers who contribute to a robust student learning experience.”
“We value their contributions deeply, and are sympathetic to their concerns.
“We welcome the conversation on employment practices at Canadian universities, as it is in our common interest to ensure an equitable and sustainable future for post-secondary education.
“We are genuinely committed to growing the number of tenured faculty at ECU, and will continue to collaborate with faculty and staff to maintain a supportive environment in which to learn, work and create.”
Poirier pointed out that she never felt she suffered from inadequate instruction as a student in the classroom.