The Philosophers' Cocoon

A safe and supportive forum for philosophers.

Owned & Moderated by Marcus Arvan (University of Tampa)

Contact: marvan@ut.edu

Blog mission & moderation policy

IMPORTANT NOTE on how to ensure anonymity in commenting
Job-Market Reporting Thread (2025-26)
Job-Market Discussion Thread (2025-26)

recent posts

about

When your institution fails to follow through on spousal accommodation?

In our new "how can we help you?" thread, a reader asks:

I received and accepted a TT offer in the last job cycle, which was great. During negotiations, I asked what they could do for my spouse (also an academic). They offered them an adjunct position, saying they would teach 2 courses per semester for up to three years, pending positive reviews. We accepted this (both moving to the area) because it was financially feasible (though very tight) and it would give my spouse the chance to stay on the market with affiliation.

Since then, however, the university has been incredibly difficult about my spouse's employment. They're not providing a contract, and I've had to pull teeth (send multiple emails to a variety of administrators) to even get a list of courses my spouse *might* teach in the fall. We still don't have any guarantee that my spouse will teach in the fall or the spring.

I feel crazy. This offer for my spouse was in writing, and now they're acting like it never existed. If my spouse doesn't get this position nailed down, we'll be financially in a precarious position, and my spouse will be on the market with no position and no affiliation.

I know spousal positions are notoriously a challenge, and I'm not expecting the moon. But we made serious life choices based on that offer, and it feels now I have no power to hold them to it. I'm nervous to do anything too aggressive for fear of jeopardizing my own relationships with admin in the university, a place where I was hoping to get tenure. Does anyone have any advice?

Yikes, I'm so sorry the OP and their spouse are dealing with this. I get why the OP doesn't want to do anything "too aggressive", but yeah, this seems really messed up on the university's part.

Do any readers have any helpful advice to share?

Posted in

5 responses to “When your institution fails to follow through on spousal accommodation?”

  1. southerner

    This is very messed up and I’m sorry you’re going through it.
    It’s possible that this is just messed up in the ordinary way: lots of universities treat adjuncts like this. Contracts might arrive after the semester starts, for example. Do you know anyone else who adjuncts for the university in the philosophy department or in another department? It would be helpful if you can talk to them about it. I would also find out what your university’s course registration system says about fall offerings. This close to the start of the semester, it should be pretty current with regard to timings and rooms.
    The really troublesome thing here is that it sounds like your chair isn’t being much help. Minimally, they should be sympathetic and provide some context. (They don’t want to run another search next year, do they?) The other department chair should be doing the same thing. It’s the chairs’ job to interact with admin, not new tt faculty. And chairs are the ones responsible for hiring adjuncts, after all.
    Sounds like this university should have a union for NTT faculty.

    Reply
  2. anon

    This does seem messed up.
    I do have one perhaps unrealistic and “optimistic” theory: when I’ve done adjunct work, the details of it have been confirmed at the very last minute, and it is not unheard of for the paperwork to come through after the semester has started. Obviously, this is not a good situation for the worker. But perhaps this is what they are doing with your spouse – treating them the way the institution might treat all adjunct workers, which is to say, badly. Given the special agreement with you, this would of course be extra bad.
    But if this really is the bad case, I’m not sure what to do, especially if you want to avoid aggression. Apply out, I guess.

    Reply
  3. It gets worse

    Try to find a new institution.
    My spouse was treated like this as well. Promises broken, lying about verbal agreements, gaslighting, engaging in disrespectful, atrocious and dishonest conduct—this is to someone who is bizarrely overqualified for the position they were supposed to get.
    This is just the norm at my university. If this is how they treat you now, it is very unlikely to get better. I would go on the market every year until you find a decent employer, if it’s at all an option. We applied out for a few years, got an offer even, but we had strong geographical reasons to stay put. But I think I will never really feel invested in or at home at my institution due to the way we are treated, and that makes our work lives much less enjoyable.
    Unfortunately, they can make things very difficult for you and your spouse and there’s not much recourse, short of hiring a lawyer, and maybe someone in the comments here can give you legal advice.

    Reply
  4. Mike Titelbaum

    Some universities have an ombudsperson. That person is usually experienced in your university’s context and required to keep your conversations confidential. I would talk to them, explain the situation, and see what maneuvers they recommend.

    Reply
  5. B

    File a grievance with HR? At my institution, I wrote the chapter for our accreditation process that dealt with (among many other topics) the issue of grievances. I learned from talking with HR about the process at our institution. Very few grievances actually reach the level of a formal grievance; most are handled informally, with HR’s help. But sometimes informal discussion with the affected parties leads to an impasse. At that point, something more formal occurs. At our institution, a committee has to be created to deal with formal grievances. It almost always gets ugly, and it almost always results in someone leaving the institution because he or she believes (rightly or wrongly) that he or she was unfairly treated.
    In your case, I would advise against escalating anything to the level of filing a formal grievance. I don’t think it would end well for you. Your spouse would get to teach, yes, but down the line, you would almost certainly be denied tenure. They would not cite this when denying tenure; they would cite something else (or nothing at all). But this would be the real reason. All that said, talking with HR and getting them to attempt an informal resolution might not be a bad idea. Show them the written agreement for your spouse to teach. Then HR will know they need to do something. Could this backfire by pissing people off? Yes. But it’s worth considering.

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Discover more from The Philosophers' Cocoon

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading