Pa. State Schools Strike: What To Do Now?
As a student, it would be impossible not to be confused by the recent happenings on campus regarding the strike. Most of our professors “don’t know” or “can’t say much”, leaving 10,000 of us Bloomsburg students (and 95,000 students from other state universities) with many questions.
Being a Bloomsburg student, I was surprised at the complete lack of structure in place in preparation of the possible strike. Most professors were totally unsure whether they would even have a substitute come in in their place. “You’ll have to just come to class to check because I won’t be able to let you know,” said one of my professors.
A friend of mine who attends Indiana University of Pennsylvania told me that in preparation for the strike, all of her professors assigned several weeks’ worth of homework at once in order for the students to not fall behind, just in case. Meanwhile, over at Kutztown, students must report to classes on Wednesday so school officials can determine how many professors have joined the picket line. So, why is it that Bloomsburg, along with many other schools, are seemingly doing nothing about the strike? Well, actually, all 14 state universities have stated that they each have their own contingency plan in the event of a strike. While the general population is unsure of what these plans contains, we as students can only hope that it involves nothing that interferes with our everyday lives in the long run. Essentially, the universities are probably more well-prepared than we assume.
Now is the time to pay attention: if the strike occurs, make sure to pay close attention to what happens. If it doesn’t, make sure to pay close attention to how the issue got resolved. We the students have the opportunity to examine an unusual and interesting conflict, do not let it go to waste, no matter the outcome.
