Data about the temporary faculty at Illinois State University were collected to determine the personal and institutional conditions of temporary employment that may inhibit participation in the full range of faculty activities. A questionnaire was developed and sent to all (984) teaching faculty, institutional records were examined and selected, and department chairpersons and temporary faculty were interviewed. Return rate for the questionnaire was 57 percent. In general, temporary faculty are younger, have fewer years of teaching experience, and do not have the terminal degree in their discipline. Otherwise, there are few significant differences between the temporary and regular faculty in terms of what they want to do on the job, the extent to which they feel their opinions should be considered by the chairperson and colleagues in various departmental decisions, or the level of job satisfaction. However, there are many differences regarding the extent to which they are expected to be involved in such matters. Temporary faculty are hired to teach at Illinois State but not to participate in governance matters of the department or the University. In essence, temporary faculty are "invisible" due not so much from personal preference but more from the intentional and unintentional consequences of institutional policies. (Author)