Nearly 150 adjuncts at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks were not paid on schedule Sept. 18, and some still have not been paid. Adjuncts contacted Inside Higher Ed about the problem anonymously, citing concerns about their lack of job security. They indicated that a missed paycheck can be more disruptive for an adjunct than someone on the tenure track, given the tight budgets on which many adjuncts live.
The university said paperwork problems were to blame and that 102 of the adjuncts have since received their Sept. 18 paychecks, and another 26 should be paid by the end of this week. Some checks may be delayed further because there are additional paperwork requirements to pay those adjuncts who work in multiple divisions of the university or who teach music (where some instruction is in the form of private lessons). The university said all adjuncts would be paid.