For many English lecturers at Ohio State, job security is an uncertainty.The first-year English composition and intermediate writing courses are mainly taught by part-time lecturers or teaching associates, said James Phelan, chairman of the English department. Lecturers are usually given only single-quarter contracts, and they don’t find out if they have a job until a few days before the beginning of each quarter, said Michael Ritchie, a part-time English 110 and 367 lecturer. “I wish we could get contracts for at least one year,” Ritchie said. “So we could be more confident in our positions and searching out other jobs to meet our expenses wouldn’t be necessary.” The English department has more than 40 part-time lecturers and 150 graduate associates this quarter.”I have been looking for a tenure-track position in the Central Ohio area, but the chances are rare today,” said Constance Richards, an English 111 lecturer. She has taught English at OSU for eight years, including six years as a teaching associate.Richards also teaches English at Columbus State Community College. She is forced to drive from one campus to another. On Monday, for example, she starts working at OSU at 7:30 a.m., drives to Columbus State at noon and must come back to OSU at 2 p.m. to hold office hours and teach a class.”I am a three-way flier. It is a typical day for many English lecturers,” Richards said. The salary from OSU is better, but it is not enough for a living, she said.Ritchie added that health insurance for lecturers is also a problem at OSU. “We can sign on for health insurance at OSU, but it is quite expensive,” he said.Phelan said he is sympathetic with the lecturers. “Ideally, all the faculty are hired full-time. But our budget is limited,” he said. Dana Wrensch, associate professor of entomology and former president of OSU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors said many departments are short of regular faculty.OSU should not rely excessively on lecturers or teaching associates for undergraduate courses in place of regular faculty, because it may have a negative effect on educational quality, Wrensch said. Rebecca R. Fitzwater, a senior majoring in English said the position of instructors does not matter to most undergraduates. “As long as they teach us well, we are not sacrificed,” she said.Edward J. Ray, senior vice provost and chief information officer said OSU is now trying to hire more tenure-track faculty.The ratio of students to a tenure-track faculty member dropped from 20.3 in 1995 to 19.7 last year. The ratio is becoming better, Ray said.