State system administrators and union leaders are preparing students and themselves for Wednesday’s strike if negotiators cannot bargain a deal before 5 a.m. that day.
As the strike date approaches Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties (APSCUF) chapter offices are being moved off campus to prepare for the strike. Picket lines will be set up at every major entrance to the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) school’s, said Kenneth Mash, APSCUF’s president.
During a live Facebook address last week, Mash said solidarity among faculty is high and the overwhelming majority of union members will participate in the strike. If faculty do strike, professors will not hold classes, contact students with university email or meet with students for advising and scheduling of classes, according to APSCUF.
Shippensburg University President George “Jody” Harpster sent a letter to students via email yesterday, telling them what to do and what university services will be open during a strike. Students are expected to go to their classes and wait ten minutes for a professor to show up before leaving, he said.
“Faculty members are not required to strike, so it is important that you attend every scheduled class unless it is determined that the professor is on strike,” Harpster said in the letter. “If a professor does not appear within ten minutes after the scheduled beginning of the class, students may leave the classroom.”
Students will not be excused from class if they are unwilling to cross a picket line, Harpster said. Professors are not allowed to change the meeting place for a class and that a strike will not negatively impact a student’s grade in individual courses.
SU administrators are to devise a plan to make up lost class time so students can complete their courses. This could include extending the semester, holding classes in the evening and on weekends and reducing breaks, Harpster said.
Professors may cut nonessential information from their courses to make up for lost class time, said Debra Cornelius, an SU sociology professor.
If a prolonged strike occurs and particular courses cannot be completed within the fall semester, SU will refund students’ tuition for that course, the letter states.
Undergraduate scheduling for the spring 2017 semester will begin on Oct. 24 as planned. Students who are unable to meet with their advisor should consult the dean of their college to receive their pin number.
While the counseling center will be closed the following SU services will remain open during a strike: Ceddia Union Building, computer labs, dining services, Etter Health Center, Ezra Lehman Library, residence halls, ShipRec, university police department and administrative offices.
“I encourage you to use all of the educational resources of the campus, particularly the library and computer labs,” Harpster said, “to keep up with your work for each class.”
Harpster advised students check the university website regularly for updates about campus events and the strike.
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