WRSU Exclusive: Interview with Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union President Heather Pierce

WRSU sat down with Rutgers Adjunct Faculty Union President Heather Pierce for an exclusive interview as the union begins contract negotiations with the University. Pierce is a lecturer in the Department of Political Science at Rutgers-New Brunswick.

In the interview, Pierce discusses the union’s work in rehiring SAS lecturers, University “budget exercises”, academic freedom, diversity policies, and more.

The interview is cut into three parts, by subject, with a final question asked to Pierce at the end. Listen below!

Pierce begins the interview with an update and look into the union’s contract negotiations that recently began:

The discussion then turns to the recent issues the School of Arts Sciences such as funding slashes or the recently reversed lecturer cuts:

The interview ends with a discussion on academic freedom, diversity, equity and inclusion, and Tate’s recent letter to the Rutgers community:

Pierce also tells WRSU where she thinks academia in America is headed, what it’s facing, and what she thinks the current climate is:

Story by Rahil Chatterjee and Keya Raval.