In a piece published last week by Huffington Post, Laurie Jones and Wanda Evans-Brewer ask and answer that rhetorical question in promoting a new short film called Professors in Poverty.

The last three paragraphs of the article are particularly strong:

“The sub-contractor business model is becoming increasingly popular in our “shared economy” society. But is it really working? Industries from Airbnb to shared rides are going before Congress and local and state governments as the demand for regulation is rising. The issue, of course, is not that jobs are getting created. The issue is that those working are getting exploited for the greed of the people at the top. Colleges and universities are no different.

“Today, Brave New Films along with the New Faculty Majority, the National Education Association, the Association of American University Professors, the American Federation of Teachers, the Service Employees International Union, plus dozens of adjunct professors and students held a Congressional briefing on this pressing issue. What, sadly, will be one of the most educated rooms on Capitol Hill, will also be one of the poorest. They made their case that all colleges and universities need to prioritize adjunct salaries now; that the future of the countries’ best and brightest should not have to be juggled with numerous jobs to survive. And we should stand with them.

“Watch the new short film Professors in Poverty. Allow the numbers to appall you. Then sign the petition and let everyone in Congress and the world of higher education know that we value higher education and the people who have given their lives to educate the future of this country.”

The film is available at: http://www.bravenewfilms.org/professorsinpoverty.

The complete article by Laurie Jones and Wanda Evans-Brewer is available at: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/laurie-jones/students-in-debt-professo_b_8402560.html.