Institute dismisses Professor Ebon Fisher

On the morning of June 4, Prof. Ebon Fisher was surprised to find that he was no longer working at Stevens Institute of Technology. Fisher, who was making $44,000 a year plus basic benefits according to an article in Inside Higher Ed, had sent a letter to the Stevens administration urging them to address the low wages of affiliate professors. The next day, he was hand-delivered a letter of dismissal from Vice President of Human Resources Mark Samolewicz and was escorted out of the building by school security. Fisher has not yet received any official reason for his dismissal. The letter he received simply informed him that he had been terminated.

Fisher, who had been teaching at Stevens for 3 years, was struggling to make ends meet on his salary as an affiliate professor. Fisher had been teaching three classes per semester while also conducting research and working on other projects. He had been carrying around a sleeping bag and suitcase to various friends' apartments to sleep each night, and was also commuting from his father's house in Central Jersey. He had already sent his family to Chicago to find adequate housing and a decent education system for his son.

Fisher said, "The crux of the matter is that the New York and Hoboken area is the most expensive real estate in the country. You have to find a neighborhood that you can not only afford to rent in, but also a neighborhood that has a good enough school so that you don't jeopardize your children's education." He added, "My family has had to split up.that's a pretty grotesque sacrifice."

On June 3, Fisher sent a letter to Stevens administration addressing the issues of surviving on a full-time affiliate professor's salary. According to Fisher, affiliate professors are paid half of Stevens average salary, even if they work full-time. Fisher said, "They tag on the term affiliate, as if that somehow justifies paying me and the other affiliates half [pay], even though it is full-time work.and they acknowledge that we do research just like other tenure-track professors."

The next day, he was dismissed from his position and escorted out of the building.

Provost George Korfiatis declined to comment stating, "It is the policy of the Institute not to discuss employment issues." Samolewicz also declined to comment, stating, "It is Institute policy not to discuss personnel matters with anyone other than that employee."

Fisher noted that he was not simply asking for pay raises just to keep up with other employees, but because he was barely surviving on his current salary. He said "It's not like [I'm saying] somebody's making more than me and I want to keep up with them just for appearances. It has nothing to do with appearances; it has to do with survival. I don't think it's understood that well by those who are making over $60,000 a year." He added, "If you're comfortable, you just assume everyone is comfortable. You can't imagine what its like to be making under $45,000 a year in the New York area."

Fisher said that he believes Stevens feared a union of affiliate professors, and was simply removing him rather than addressing the problem. "There has been some discussion across the campus about moving affiliates onto the tenure track system, because I think there are enough people there who understand it is not working. In fact, all across the county, people are addressing this now."

Fisher noted that many universities now are moving towards using affiliate professors rather than tenured professors. According to Fisher, 70% of college classes across the US are taught by affiliate professors. Fisher said, "It's interesting, because students don't necessarily know this sort of thing. They don't know that in fact what they are buying into is not what it turns out to be."

Student journalist Andrew Bentz was there to document Fisher's dismissal for SITTV. Bentz met Fisher outside of the Howe building and followed him to the 7th floor where Fisher was waiting for a meeting to take place with Samolewicz. Bentz turned on the camera in order to interview Fisher in the hall. Soon after, Samolewicz emerged from the elevator with school security and shouted at Bentz to turn off the camera, according to Fisher. Since then, Bentz has not followed up on his documentary, but Fisher is hopeful that other students will take interest and investigate the event.

Despite how upsetting the ordeal has been to him, Fisher said that he would gladly return to Stevens if the job was offered to him again. "I've had wonderful students at Stevens. They're some of the best I've taught," said Fisher. However, Fisher does not regret sending his letter to the Stevens administration. He said, "I believe as a citizen that it is important to speak up when you feel that something isn't working. I think I did the right thing. I think to cower and shrivel in the face of a problem like that is not very American."

Since his dismissal, letters in support of Fisher have flooded in from his friends, colleagues, and past students. Fisher's friend and actor Ethan Pettit campaigned for him by sending out a letter stating, "I might remind my fellow Americans that the First Amendment of the US Constitution protects our right to free speech without intimidation. This is a serious matter." In his letter, Pettit urged friends to get in contact with the Stevens administration. With the letter, he provided a list of phone numbers to call, which included the numbers of President Hal Raveche, Provost George Korfiatis, Samolewicz, and the Deans of the College of Arts and Letters Lisa Dolling and Jim McClellan.

McClellan himself stated in a signed letter on April 28, 2008 that "Mr. Fisher has been nothing other than calm, collegial and fair-minded. The same can be said of his dealings with other instructors at Stevens, with the staff, and with students, who consistently give him superior evaluations. He is very well looked upon by all at Stevens."