We've Been Burned Out and Exhausted: GenAdmin WPA Labor Issues Exacerbated by the COVID-19 Pandemic

This article highlights the pandemic experiences of GenAdmin WPAs, a term coined by Charlton et al. (2011) to describe individuals who received explicit preparation for administrative work in graduate programs and sought administrative positions post-graduation. The authors contend that instead of returning to the status quo, the field should seize this moment and envision new administrative models. Analyzing interviews with 11 GenAdmin WPAs and drawing from the experiences of the three GenAdmin WPA authors, the study reveals unsustainable working conditions before and during the pandemic, including excessive expectations, resource limitations, toxic behavior, isolation, and exhaustion. The authors call for further research into decentralized coalitional community models for writing program administration and suggest feminist, collaborative, and decentralized administration could respond to the ongoing challenges of WPA labor and are particularly well-suited for the concerns participants mention in these data. This article contributes to the dialogue among WPAs, shedding light on the unique experiences of GenAdmin WPAs during the pandemic and advocating for transformative change. It emphasizes the importance of building resilient and supportive administrative structures that prioritize WPA well-being, ultimately enhancing the quality of writing programs and the academic environment as a whole.