There are many different kinds of instructors at this university.

One of those types, temporary instructors, was discussed in an article in last Friday’s Daily.

Temporary instructors are hired to fill various needs in the academic departments.

They are hired for five year stints, and when their contract expires they are allowed to renew it if the department still needs them and if they are doing a good job.

Unfortunately, we could be turning away some good instructors simply because they don’t have tenure.

Madeline Henry, chair of the foreign language department, said in Friday’s article, “…Some of our best teachers are temps, but just because they’re good doesn’t mean they can stay.”

The current system of teaching in secondary education is clearly unfair.

The tenure system keeps bad professors in place and gives students no recourse to remove them.

It emphasizes how our instructors do research instead of the job they were hired to do: teach their students.

The system also keeps out good temporary instructors who might not want to go through the extensive process to be labeled professor.

There are only two occupations in the world where someone has a guaranteed job regardless of the job they are doing: third world military dictators and professors.

Indeed, it would probably be easier to overthrow a small country than to remove a bad professor.

There are few guarantees in life, especially when it comes to having a job.

Employees in every occupation (including temporary instructors) are subject to review of their employment.

Why then are professors not required to submit to the same rigorous standards as temporary instructors?

If Iowa State is dedicated to being the best land grant college in the nation, then it should keep the instructors who do a good job of teaching their students, not those who have been here the longest.