Photo by Jay Paul
On March 4, Virginia Commonwealth University adjunct professors, full-time professors, students and staff marched from the Institute for Contemporary Art at VCU to university President Michael Rao’s office in a demonstration led by VCU Adjuncts Organizing for Fair Pay (AOFP). The group has been advocating for an equitable wage for adjunct professors since 2017. This photo was taken in front of Rao’s office, where members of AOFP gathered with a banner listing their demands. AOFP is asking for increased pay to $3,000 per credit (adjunct professors currently earn about $1,100 per credit), access to VCU Health services and one-year contracts.
Jon Rajkovich, adjunct professor at VCU Arts, says AOFP members want fair compensation for their hard work and commitment to their students. “We’re all here in good faith, and these demands are a structure to build upon,” he says. “I come from the school of arts, which is highly regarded and well known, and if VCU can build something as great as that, VCU can look to solve these other issues as well, and that will make our university stronger for everybody.”
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