In a now-viral TikTok video, Dr. Daniel McKeown, a professor at UCLA, claims low pay has left him homeless, shocking many of his followers.
“Hi everyone, my name is Daniel, and I’m an astrophysics professor at UCLA. I’m only being paid $70,000 for this academic year,” McKeown says in the video.
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McKeown, listed as a lecturer on UCLA’s website, says he had to move out of his apartment because he could no longer afford the rent.
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When asked why he doesn’t teach elsewhere, McKeown said, “I refuse to stop teaching. Teaching my students is my absolute passion. UCLA is a top university for physics.”
McKeown holds a Ph.D. in astrophysics.
“I teach full-time. I teach six classes a year, yet I’m being paid about half of what the average physics professor in California makes. It’s not fair,” he told KTLA.
It doesn’t even have to be about profit. If someone has no chance of leaving, you are going to put that money elsewhere. You can afford another professor, leading to smaller classes. You can afford better materials. You can afford more research.