San Francisco State University staff are facing layoffs as the university faces budget issues.
Sean Connelly has made a career as an adjunct lecturer in the Humanities Department at San Francisco State University.
“I spent 17 years of my life here. And I did the best I could,” Connelly said as he walked into the humanities building for one of the last times as an employee.
He is one of dozens of adjunct faculty members losing their jobs as SF State cuts staff and shrinks its budget.
“It means the breaking apart of a community. Losing that is angry. It’s angry because I know it doesn’t have to go this way. It doesn’t have to break this way. This is a choice,” he said.
Although adjunct teachers like Connelly are experts in their field, they typically work on year-to-year contracts with less job security than permanent teachers.
The university does not want to say how many teachers will be dismissed.
But a statement from the president’s office said teacher hiring is tied to student enrollment and numbers are lower.
“Enrollment at SF State has declined as part of a local and national trend of fewer students. As student numbers have declined, unfortunately, teaching faculty is being significantly impacted as there are fewer sections to teach – especially course sections that are populated by incoming freshmen.”
The university says fewer than 24,000 students are enrolled, down from about 30,000 in recent years.
“It’s been part of my life at this university for most of my life,” said Jolie Goorjian, who is losing her job teaching literature and English after 23 years.
She first came to college as a 17-year-old student and earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SFSU.
Saying goodbye takes a heavy toll on her.
“It’s a labor of love. We are not paid well. We work very hard during the school year, and we are committed to our students, and we are committed to this institution that is clearly not reciprocal in its treatment of us. That makes it also very difficult,” says Goorjian.
Some students are beginning to speak out about the cuts, spreading the word that amid the rising costs of education, there could be fewer courses and more crowded classrooms at school.
Freshman student and Army veteran Tiy Todd shares eye-catching posters of missing persons on campus.
They have the photos of SF State teachers who are missing next semester.
“I’m going to fight for what is right or what I believe is right, and that is that people have the opportunity to specialize in what they want. Make smaller classes, make it available. Don’t take it away. people in this economy out of work,” Todd said.
Goorjian is taking steps to retire and possibly find a new career.
And Sean Connelly is also looking for work.
“I’ve been thinking that I could do good things in the prison system because I know there are people out there who are very hungry for some kind of education. But I want to continue teaching because I love it and I think that I am too.” pretty good at it. And everyone deserves a good education,” he said.
Connelly and Goorjian’s last day of classes at SF State is December 11.
Len Ramirez
