There are one or more passionate Medium pieces in this comment, Wanda. Thank you for them.

I'm sorry you experienced disrespect as an adjunct. I have the good fortune of teaching at a school that values community and walks the talk better than most. I was the director of our largest campus program for four years pre-Covid and we subsisted on adjuncts. I couldn't pay them what they deserved or give them benefits, but I could show them all the appreciation and respect that they deserved, and I tried to do it every day. I included them in retreats and discussions and highlighted their successes whenever possible. Adjuncts are an exploited group, but tenured faculty do not have to participate in the exploitation.

I have a similar good relation with the STEM faculty. In fact, when my chancellor announced her proposal, the faculty chairs met voluntarily to create an alternative plan. It was led by the chairs of Physics and Computer Science, and I worked on the final draft with the CS chair for a few hours one day and felt a sense of community like I haven't experience in a while. That alternative plan went nowhere, but the effort in creating it built up our sense of connection.

Hang in there, my friend. I hope you have great classes and students. Thank you for reading and responding. I appreciate you.