On Thursday, October 8, more than 55 people gathered at a speak-out in support of Duke contingent faculty members’ campaign for better working conditions.

The speakers, including three contingent faculty and three undergraduate students, emphasized the need to combat the growing corporatization of higher education, in which an increasingly small percentage of resources is invested in teaching. They underscored the negative effect of this corporatization on contingent faculty, who may not have job security, health benefits, or a clear career track, and gave their support to the contingent faculty’s initial steps toward forming a union.

The growing student …