While nearly 110,000 students at 14 Pennsylvania state schools under the PA State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) were professor-less for three long days, parents were at home, frustrated and hoping for a speedy end to this academic nightmare. Fortunately for them, the strike was short lived, and on the third day, they were able to wake up from this nightmare.
Whether they are responsible for lending financial or emotional support to their children, many SU parents were troubled with the dreadful thought of how they and their student may be affected by the faculty strike if an agreement was not reached soon.
They were growing notably apprehensive as the days leading up to the potential strike began to dwindle down to single digits. However, a majority of SU parents never anticipated the issue going as far as it did, and were taken by surprise when it became a reality for them.
“When the original strike date was set, I was not concerned because I believed that both sides would work hard to come to an agreement before a strike would happen,” said Nikki Weisenfluh, mother of a sophomore at SU, during the strike. “However, as the final days ticked off, I became increasingly worried that the strike would in fact happen.
“Now, without further negotiation sessions in place, I am concerned that this will be an extended strike. Unlike in public school strike situations, there are not timelines in place to force teachers back to work so that the school year can be completed.”
The fact that both APSCUF and PASSHE did not officially set a date to come back to the table to negotiate, was concerning for SU parents. However, despite the troubling lack of communication, APSCUF took many by surprise on Oct. 22, when faculty negotiators reached a tentative agreement with PASSHE, ending the strike.
“I don’t think they should have gone on strike at all,” said Robbin Kreiser, mother of a senior at SU. “The only people being hurt by them being on strike are the students and parents who are paying to go to class and not being able to. I definitely think APSCUF should have negotiated more. Why were there not negotiation sessions every day leading up to the strike so this could have been avoided?”
Many parents shared the viewpoint of Kreiser in regard to whether or not APSCUF should have followed through with initiating a strike, due to the unfavorable effects it had on the education of many students across the state, and the even worse effects it could have produced if it had lasted longer.
Amy Keller, a mother of a senior at SU was concerned about how her daughter would have been able to catch up on missed time in the classroom in order to finish the semester on time, since her daughter is expected to graduate in December. Despite the circumstances, she still personally supported the faculty in their right to strike.
“I think it’s important for the teachers to not be forced to cross teach in different subjects, to keep their hours normal and for them to not be overworked to provide a quality education for the students,” Keller said.
Losing out on days of winter break, longer class periods and classes on the weekend are all thoughts that make students cringe. However, many SU parents agreed that if the strike were to last long enough to severely impact the finish of the semester, the university should go to all extremes in order for the students to not be left a semester behind, even if it meant more time in the classroom and less time on break.
“I would like to see the instructional time recouped. A shorter Thanksgiving break, Saturday classes or even an extension of the semester may be needed to recoup class time,” Weisenfluh said. “I realize this may disrupt student plans. Many work over the holiday break in order to meet their tuition bills, but they need to be able to recoup lost class time without wasting the tuition money they have already spent.”
Fortunately, students will not have to make any of these sacrifices for their education now that the strike has ended. After three missed days, students have returned to regular class schedules on Oct. 25, with plenty of time to make up work before upcoming breaks.
However, while the strike was taking place, some parents were concerned most about financial reimbursements if the strike was to be long lived. Diane Galanti, mother of a sophomore at SU, thought the most important thing was to ensure that students and parents would be refunded full tuition costs if the semester were unable to be completed.
Galanti also said the university should be responsible for refunding the money that students and parents used to paid for meal plans and housing if the strike was not ended within a reasonable amount of time.
During the strike, the university attempted to keep both students and parents as well informed as it could, in the form of a letter sent home to parents and Q&A sessions to answer student questions. However, some SU parents wished the university had made more of an attempt to keep parents updated so that they were not forced to look to outside sources for information.
“I think the university is doing the best they can in this situation,” Keller said, “but I’m finding most of my information about the strike in coverage from The Slate and not the university. I wish I would be hearing more from the university itself.”
The faculty strike may have had more adverse affects than just time lost in the classroom if it were long-lived, and SU parents acknowledged this.
“I do think current high school seniors will think twice before committing to a state school if the contract is not resolved quickly,” Weisenfluh said. “I have another daughter that has been accepted to Shippensburg University. We will be monitoring the contract situation carefully and may choose another school if there is a chance another strike could occur during her college career.”
Luckily, the strike was ended in enough time to avert many of these possibly adverse effects on students and the university. As the faculty strike was the first time APSCUF has ever gone on strike, APSCUF, PASSHE, universities, students and parents can reflect upon this time.
Hopefully, if there is a future disagreement, APSCUF and PASSHE will be more proactive in order to come to a quicker agreement, and if an agreement is still not reached, all those involved will know what they should do differently to be more prepared.
The opinions expressed in this article are solely those of the writer and are not representative of The Slate or its staff as a whole
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