Columbia College adjunct faculty strike leaves students in limbo

Acting major Anahkah Sims, speaking at a recent faculty rally, worries Columbia College won’t be the same if it loses its adjunct faculty members who are working professionals. The walkout was prompted by cuts to hundreds of course sections taught by adjuncts to help fill a $20 million budget gap. Administrators say they have to make the cuts to deal with the deficit. (Manuel Martinez / WBEZ)

Since adjunct faculty at Columbia College Chicago went on strike nearly two months ago, many of the school’s 6,500 undergraduates have expressed ardent support for their teachers, who make up about two-thirds of the professors at the arts-focused college.

To keep classes going, the college replaced many of those faculty members, who walked off the job on Oct. 30 — a walkout prompted by the college cutting hundreds of classes to help fill a $20 million budget gap.