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Thursday, March 30, 2023
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Student wages: A The long, complicat- never-ending battle ed process to achieve tenure at UW-Madison By Gwendolyn Christenson STAFF WRITER
By Beth Shoop STAFF WRITER
To tenured University of Wisconsin-Madison Professor Matthew H. Brown, academic tenure can be “worrisome.” The six year long undertaking achieves a new prestige in higher education, which professors can acquire through an approval process. Tenure ensures job security for an indefinite period of time and allows for professors to take greater educational risks with research projects and their courses. A UW-Madison administrator explained that reaching the “tenured” status requires compiling a tenure record. The record must show strong work in three key areas: research, teaching and service. Brown explained that as a professor, not being on the tenure track or reaching the end without approval often leads to unemployment. “To not get tenure means to lose your job,” Brown said. “And to not get tenure means to walk away from your chance at being a major voice in a particular field of research.” UW-Madison Assistant Professor in Gender and Women’s Studies Kelly Marie Ward began the tenure process in 2021 and explained how there is more to approval than merely following the listed steps. “Departmental politics also play a role. There could be a situation where somebody in a position of power in the department just doesn’t like you,” Ward said. “So, while you have worked for years to check off all the boxes, when it comes down to it, there could be politics at play that prevents you from getting tenure.” Brown explained that receiving tenure at a university with the highest level of research activity, an R1 university, such as UW-Madison, is only achievable by proving you’re a productive researcher. In Brown’s field of humanities, this is done by publishing at least one book through a major university press and showing expertise in multiple articles for scholarly journals, he said. Brown explained that the anxiety of tenure often stems from the fear of not finding publishers for writing. Taking specific research and writing from a Ph.D. dissertation, and turning it into a book that appeals to and excites publishers and individuals of a wider field is nerve wracking, Brown explained. “In the humanities, that book just looms over your head, and until you feel like you have the book under control, you’re just constantly worried,” Brown said. Harrowing questions swirled through Brown’s mind as he tried to complete this step of the tenure clock. “For a lot of people, this is major existential dread,” Brown said. “Questions of, ‘Can I do that work quick enough? Can I turn it? Can I get it to a publisher? Are they going to find it interesting? If I get denied by my first choice for a publisher,
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then what position am I in?’” Ward expressed similar views and concerns related to the publishing and approval of highly specific research. Fears of proving the importance and value of research can be difficult when dealing with less commonly examined topics, Ward explained. “You can imagine instances of a bias against an individual because of their identities or in the research that they do,” Ward said. “Researching things related to marginalized populations that are under-researched or that people in your department aren’t familiar with, that could be a situation where they don’t value or don’t see the value in your work, and they are deciding whether or not to recommend you for tenure.” The tenure process is often not the only thing on a professor’s daily agenda, Ward explained. Finding a balance between the three areas of tenure in addition to managing a life outside of work can pose challenges, Ward noted. “I have two kids, I don’t get to work the same way that my peers who don’t have kids work in terms of just powering through, publishing tons and working nights and weekends,” Ward said. “I don’t have the time, the energy or the desire to work like that.” Both professors agreed research is the top evaluation point of the tenure record, meaning service and teaching can occasionally fall to the wayside until the process is completed. Brown described this as a drawback for students coming to a top tier research institution. “As long as you’re a productive researcher, teaching is a secondary concern,” said Brown. “The people meeting you in class, their ability to teach might not be the number one most important part of what they do every day and may not be the biggest priority in their head.” Ward reiterated similar views of the tenure process. “You can do the bare minimum for service and for teaching, and that will be okay,” Ward said. “If you do the most mediocre, basic, bare minimum of research, that could be dangerous for you in getting tenure.” Brown explained that effective, influential teaching has always been important to him, and since becoming tenured, his focus on teaching has heightened. Now that he does not have to prioritize his writing, research and publications, he has been able to spend
more time perfecting lectures and course information. Yet, the service aspect of becoming tenured can become extremely time consuming, according to Brown. At times, over 50% of his day was consumed by performing service work as the webmaster for the African Literature Association, he explained. This portion of his day did not help make him a leading voice in the field, he explained, but rather, it was a way to serve and give back to his field. Up until 2015, Wisconsin had tenure written into the state statute. The removal of tenure from state law did not change UW-Madison’s pledge to prioritize tenure and protection for teachers, according to a university administrator. Brown said the removal of tenure created a sense of fear regarding job security, especially considering the size of his department. The Department of African Cultural Studies being small, and possibly construed as political, leaves it susceptible to elimination, Brown explained. Before tenure was taken out of state law, elimination would not be possible. “The university has pledged that if you’re a tenured professor, we would find a new home for you if we eliminate your department, but that’s just talk,” Brown said. “Nobody knows for sure what would happen in reality and on paper, so it can have a chilling effect.” A UW-Madison administrator explained that throughout the process, usually annually, individuals on the “tenure clock” will meet with small mentoring committees to receive guidance and advice on the portfolio they’re creating. While such groups provide support, Brown and Ward said their greatest support came from other sources. Ward has been relying on other non-tenured professors one or two years ahead of her in the process for guidance. Brown said he made it through the difficult six years because of camaraderie between individuals in his department also facing the struggles of the tenure process. “My department had several junior scholars, tenure track professors, at the same time,” Brown said. “We formed an ad hoc cohort and became very friendly, not only on campus but even outside of campus and have definitely supported each other.”
University of Wisconsin-Madison tuition prices for the 2023-24 school year are an estimated $10,798 for Wisconsin residents and $39,428 for non-residents, according to the university’s financial aid website. With a rise in tuition prices on the horizon, according to recent news, some students need jobs at school to sustain their lifestyles. Two current student workers said they work between four and 10 hours a week at their campus jobs but require second jobs in order to pay for rent, food and entertainment. “I’m out of state, and if I didn’t have help with tuition, I wouldn’t be able to attend this school … A job like this isn’t supposed to help you succeed,” said a supervisor at Memorial Union about his current hourly pay. Past wage battles at UW-Madison The University of Wisconsin Systems website states that since 1903 when Charles Van Hise became president of UW-Madison, there have been discussions about tuition affordability — this includes conversations on how student wages can be altered to make paying for tuition achievable for full-time students, according to UW-Madison’s website. In 1904, Van Hise introduced a philosophy called the Wisconsin Idea. He proposed that all Wisconsin residents should be able to reap the benefits of public higher education since part of their taxes fund the UW System. This would mean tuition would be affordable and students would only be limited based on their academic performance, at least according to UW-Madison’s website. Sixty years later, a major problem
mittee saw that we were actually organized and that we might have the ability to actually pull off an action, they decided that the best thing to do was say they’ll grant a wage increase.” In one of Emspak’s recent articles, he said after gaining the support of Dean Martha Peterson the starting wage for student workers was raised to Wisconsin’s minimum wage at the time. Today’s wage battles at UW-Madison Today, Emspak continues to advocate for student workers and has devoted much of his time to analyzing UW-Madison’s financial situation. “Fundamentally, we have to take a look at the way the university is financed, and it cannot be financed anymore through tuition,” said Emspak. Some current student workers feel disrespected by the university and think their education is no longer prioritized. Amelia Wilson has been a university tour guide for four semesters and still requires two jobs to afford her rent. “As tour guides, we are the faces of the university. It’s really frustrating to think about how much we as tour guides do for the university and how little they do for us in return,” said Wilson. An anonymous tour guide supervisor said she not only feels underpaid, but she is also scheduled for one-third of the hours she was initially promised. She has relied on a second job to continue her education at UW-Madison as well. “If you want a job for actual livable money, it is not feasible to only have this job,” said the supervisor about their campus position.
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arose for student workers. Frank Emspak, a 1965 graduate of UW-Madison, was one of the many student workers who unionized to address unfair wages. During the 1960s, student workers at UW-Madison were paid less than Wisconsin’s minimum wage — $1.25 at the time, according to Emspak. Emspak and the other students in the union encouraged the university to adopt a work-study program. This program would benefit students by allowing them to have a realistic work and school balance, since students would only work 10 hours a week and be able to cover their tuition in full. Emspak said his experience in the union changed his perspectives on the power students hold when it comes to their wages. He firmly believes that with hard work, change is possible. “We maybe spent a year talking to a committee,” Emspak said. “The university set up to meet with us and got nowhere, but then when the com-
They followed up by explaining, “There should be more allocated to the student workers who work so hard at their jobs everyday, setting aside schoolwork or other responsibilities to help their various work sectors function, something which I feel is not respected or valued.” Wages for some student jobs start at as little as $12 an hour. This begs the question of how one pays for schooling on top of those expenditures. The average amount of student loan debt for graduating seniors who needed financial assistance in 2021 was $27,107, according to a UW news release. In Emspak’s view, one way to make changes in student wages and tuition would require a change at the state level in order for the UW System to receive more taxpayer money. “We are often told we are the ‘face of the university,’” an anonymous student worker said. “It would be nice to be compensated in a way that reflects that.”