CLARION, Pa. (EYT) — It’s day two of the strike by Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculty members, the first in the 34-year history of the union and PA State System of Higher Education.
At Clarion University, students are still being told to report to their classes, but most are not actually being held.
According to Clarion APSCUF spokesperson Bell O’Neill, some teachers have crossed the picket lines to teach.
“I believe there is one in science, one in education and seven or eight in business,” O’Neill said.
According to Dave Love, Clarion University’s Director of Marketing and Communication, university officials did not have a specific number of classes that were still being taught by professors.
APSCUF negotiators say they are still waiting for SSHE to return to the bargaining table, but there is no word on when that may happen.
APSCUF decided to strike after SSHE negotiators gave its “last-best offer” late Tuesday evening and said it was done at the bargaining table.
Dr. Ray Feroz, part of Clarion’s APSCUF leadership, issued a statement Thursday morning.
“Yesterday’s first full day on the picket lines went spectacularly well. The energy and passion was palpable,” Feroz said. “The involvement of students was enormously gratifying. And this was a common experience across all 14 state universities.
“APSCUF has been involved in communicating our message and are being heard by the governor and legislators. APSCUF’s No. 1 priority is to build upon the positive energy of the strike, and to develop an improved contract leading to a speedy resolution of the strike. Nothing is more important to achieve.
“The next 48 hours are critical. Extremely helpful to resolving the strike will be to contact legislators and the Chancellor’s office and the Governor, asking for their help in the contract dispute to return students and professors to their classrooms. If students or parents ask how they can help, ask them to phone and e-mail legislators, the Governor and Chancellor Thursday and Friday.
“APSCUF’s priority is the contract and strike resolution,” Feroz said.
O’Neill also said it was unfortunate that students were being told to report to classes when many are commuters who live some distance from campus.
The University has reactivated the Desire 2 Learn feature on its website so students can attempt to continue their classwork on their own. Some materials that were previously on the site may have been removed, so it is unknown just how much students can do on their own.
O’Neill said professors had de-activated them as they went on strike.
D2L is a course management system where online courses take place and where all courses can post documents, hold discussions, etc.
It also allows professors to communicate with their students, post information about classes, the syllabus, and grades.
Love said students using D2L will be able to receive credit for their course work.
According to information at clarion.edu, in a letter to students from Dr. Todd Pfannestiel, the Interim Provost & Vice-President for Academic Affairs, students should scroll through the course status list to find their courses and determine if they are meeting.
Students were instructed to attend today’s courses.
By Friday evening, the list should accurately indicate all of the courses that are meeting or not meeting, including all online courses, according to the university.
Also, students are asked to continue checking their email accounts for regular updates.
Gov. Tom Wolf weighed in on the matter, saying in a press release, “I have monitored negotiations between PASSHE and APSCUF closely and I have had many conversations with both sides. Throughout all of this, I have repeatedly urged both sides to continue talking until an agreement is reached.”
“We must ensure our professors are treated fairly while recognizing PASSHE’s difficult financial situation due to years of underfunding.
“There is enough common ground for the two sides to reach a final compromise. Both PASSHE and APSCUF should continue negotiations until a final agreement is reached.
“Avoiding a strike is paramount because a work stoppage will be devastating for the state system. Most seriously, a strike could drive a loss of students, which would further exacerbate an already precarious financial situation for the state system.
“We have to look no further than what happened to Temple University following the faculty strike in 1990. It took years for Temple to recover its student population.
“We all agree that the higher education of our students is a top priority, and tomorrow students should show up to class and professors should show up to teach them.”
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