A June layoff would mean major financial insecurity, loss of health care, and a major loss to my decades of hard work

My name is Shawn Nichols. I’ve been a Lecturer in the Politics Department for 6 years. A June 30th layoff would be financially devastating for me and would require me to seek a career path outside of my chosen academic field. I have worked tirelessly as non-tenured faculty to provide high quality instruction and mentorship to my students, who are the reason I decided to pursue an academic career. From my students’ side, they’ll lose a passionate educator who is dedicated to their success and, most importantly, to teaching them to think critically in an era when it’s more important than ever.