The Third Time I Was Fired
Scheduled for reassignment, a de facto firing by a university found guilty of fraud.
After losing my primary job at UC San Diego as a webmaster and public information rep, I cobbled together a full time slate of adjunct teaching positions in English. The online teaching boom was just beginning. As an adjunct, a full schedule was teaching 3 courses per semester, which I quickly maxxed out at the community college. But I also trained to teach at the University of Phoenix (on ground) and at Ashford University (online).
To get classes at Univ of Phoenix and Ashford Univ, I had to responsd quickly to emails of offers for classes. First come, first served. Classes lasted 5 weeks, but with a week of prep and a final week for grading, these were 7-week assignments. I did the best I could to overlap assignments or to string them together consecutively as best I could. That meant, I had a schedule at any one time of 5 - 7 classes to teach - no break, no summers off (though it was just two classes in summer at the community college). In that way, I made just enough money to get by, about 10K less than I was making at UC San Diego. But it was non-stop grading with very few breaks.
Then the universe shifted. I had been teaching morning classes at the community college, which often were fully enrolled. Two classes in the morning and one online class. One semester, for some reason, the scheduling officer adjusted my schedule to late morning/early afternoon classes. These classes were less inclined to make, and thus I lost a couple of classes in consecutive semesters. Variable enrollment as students began to opt for online classes upset all the enrollment numbers for a while.
Because of the pressures on my finances, I asked the scheduler at Ashford if I could get two classes regularly. She noted that and I had two staggered classes for a couple of years. This helped me stay afloat.
But one week in the summer, just as I lost another community college assignment, I noticed that my offer for a class at Ashford was not in my email inbox. I double checked. Nothing. I finally called the scheduler. “Let me patch you through to the Dean.”
The Dean took my call and said, “Oh, you are better suited to College of Liberal Arts teaching than Division of General Studies.”
“What does that mean?” I asked
“It means, you can teach College of Liberal Arts classes rather than intro to composition and literature.”
“And how do I get on the schedule for that? I need to teach two classes regularly at all times to stay afloat,” I explained.
“As classes become available, we will send out emails to see if you are interested in teaching.”
“Okay, so it’s the same process?” I inquired.
“Yes.”
I looked into this system. College of Liberal Arts classes were only taught by professors with Ph.D.s, on the faculty at Ashford University, not by adjuncts with Master degrees. It still didn’t explain why I wouldn’t be allowed to teach in the division of general studies, where I had taught regularly for 5 years now.
I called the scheduler back. “Unfortunately, you are flagged to teach only CoLA classes, not DGS classes,” she explained.
“But why?”
“You’d have to asked the Dean.”
“I already spoke to the Dean.”
“I’m sorry. That’s all I can tell you. - you’re better suited to teach CoLA classes than DGS classes.”
Something clicked. Division of General Studies classes were the very first classes students took at Ashford. Beginning composition was quite rigorous. For underprepared students, it was daunting if not downright impossible. I had relaxed my standards just as much as I could. “Just give me one sentence, one small paragraph in intelligible English, and I’ll give you the benefit of the doubt and pass you.” But many of my students were not able to meet the requirements for the class. They dropped out. They disappeared. They failed. The failure rate in beginning composition throughout Ashford University was quite high. But my standards were high enough to gain notice. So I was reassigned to CoLa, which I was ineligible to teach since I didn’t have a Ph.D. And not a single administrator had the nerve to tell me that to my face.
It was a de facto firing. After the reassignment, I was never offered a class at Ashford University again. In two weeks, I lost 3/4s of my income. Bankruptcy loomed thereafter.
Soon, Ashford University was sued by the State of California for fraud. They were selling students on the promise of an education to change their lives and pocketing vast amounts of federal student loan monies. So many of my students were aging African Americans women in their 70s and 80s with little to know educational background or very young military wives with a couple of children - vulnerable populations to this scam. No wonder these students, who were but a name on a roster in my online classes, were not equipped for the rigors of online learning. Oh sure, there were a couple of outstanding students who were exceptional, but most were ill-equipped for academic study. They needed basic studies courses, a way to learn how to learn. I treated all my students with kindness and respect, but I also had to adhere to a grading standard provided to me by the university. I had regular periodic reviews and always got good marks.
This firing infuriated me as I was an experienced teacher with compassion for my students and solid knowledge to do the job. But in some respects, I was glad to be released so I wouldn’t be a part of the problem in higher education anymore.
In March 2022, Ashford University was found guilty of fraud and required to pay 22 million dollars. The State of California encouraged the Department of Education to also give relief to the affected students for their federal student loans.
At this point in time, I can say…. good! Not my chair, not my problem. They got what they deserved.
Next week, we’ll switch gears again. Let’s look at memoir form and my latest efforts to seek traditional publication.
Have a great weekend everyone. Stay safe out there.
As for me, I’ll be running (walking) in a 5K Pride Run in Atlanta. And as always, I’ll . . .
Just keep writing!
If you could share this newsletter with someone, I would appreciate it.The more audience I have, the greater my chances of securing traditional publication for my memoir. Thank you!