The students of Worcester State University demand that Dr. Amber Vayo be offered a full time visiting contract with the intent of opening a tenure track down the line. The administration is purposefully relegating Dr.Amber Vayo to a part-time position as a way to optimize expenditures by forcing Dr.Vayo to teach only three classes. This implies that the campus will pay her sixty percent less than full-time staff. It is evident that the administration on campus is putting Dr.Vayo in this position as a way to optimize expenditures, however the administration may lose money if they don’t meet our demands. 

Dr.Vayo is currently a Visiting Assistant Professor, who, despite being contract-to-contract, has done a lot of service to the university through her involvement in the research advisory board, the alumni association, the alumni awards committee, the veterans committee, and her advising of students. She is both a graduate of Worcester State and a public proponent of the university; her work on the Alumni Board demonstrates her commitment to Worcester State's sustainability in academic and financially-healthy ways.

Additionally, Dr.Amber Vayo has raised the profile of the university through her two podcasts and book projects. Not only is she dedicated to her academic research, but Dr. Amber Vayo is committed to making her research accessible to the average person. She currently hosts two podcasts: the Civic Flame, a podcast about the US Constitution, and Birthzillas, a podcast about the impact of obstetric violence on women giving birth. This, at no cost to the university, attracts students and potential donors. 

By putting Dr.Vayo through this contract, the university is denying themselves a return on investment! This mistake will cause the university to lose revenue in student tuition, dorm residency, and monetary contributions from the future members of the alumni association who will support the university going forward. Hiring her would increase revenue through student tuition, possible dorm residency, and future members of the alumni association who will support the university going forward.

In order to retain current students--a major goal of the university--and attract new ones to increase enrollment, Dr.Vayo needs to be retained. The return on investment has the potential to increase several-fold, due to the popularity and growth of the Pre-Law Minor (in which Dr.Vayo teaches required courses; it CANNOT be offered without her) and the Political Science major and minor.

Furthermore, we believe that Professor Amber Vayo is a valuable addition to the political science department. As a professor, she is extremely passionate about both her subject and her students. Our professor empowers her students to be critical thinkers who are capable of solving the real-world problems that the field of political science raises. In both her seminars and her lecture courses, she prioritizes student participation while imparting evidence-based teaching.

If Professor Amber Vayo were a full-time professor at our institution, it would allow even more students to take advantage of her dedication and investment towards this university. 

Worcester State needs to allocate its resources to retaining staff who are established on campus and connect well with students. That is a way more important university goal than spending our resources finding professors who often leave after a couple of semesters to work at a different institution. 

For the reasons stated above, we request that you support our petition.