In the wake of Margaret Mary Vojtko's death--an adjunct professor of French at Duquesne University--a national debate is emerging about the treatment and exploitation of adjunct faculty who increasingly are becoming a larger and larger group within higher education.

The organizers of this petition--many of whom either were taught by Margaret Mary, are affiliated with Duquesne, and/or have lived the adjunct life--seek to promote change and better treatment for adjunct faculty at Duquesne and beyond.

There are a range of suggestions that adjuncts and advocates have made for a more just system, including (links, info, resources further below in 'News' section):

--Union Representation
--Job Security (beyond semester to semester uncertainty)
--A Living Wage (e.g. MLA's recommendation of $7,090 per course)
--Health and Retirement Benefits

The adjunct and part-time faculty members that make up 73% of instructors nationwide--who devote so much time and energy to their students and universities--deserve more respect and better working conditions and pay, rather than the poverty, debt, and the occasional charity that too many of them 'enjoy' now.

Please join our initial 75 co-signers and sign the petition below and help spread its important message to pressure Duquesne and all universities into making positive change for adjunct justice. (Please include academic affiliation in your comment, if applicable.)

Email: justiceforadjuncts@gmail.com

Facebook: facebook.com/justiceforadjuncts and #iammargaretmary

Twitter: @adjunctjustice and #iammargaretmary