Over the past few weeks, we’ve all heard talk of the imminent strike which is set to begin tomorrow morning. Unfortunately, a lot of that talk has been fabricated so much that it’s become a bit of a rumor epidemic on campus. I thought I would take a moment to dispel some of the more ridiculous rumors that I’ve heard:
1.) If we don’t have classes for one week, we all get kicked off campus.
One week? They had a strike at Temple University that lasted about thirty days. This has not been confirmed whatsoever. According to PASSHE, each university does have a contingency plan for the strike. However, no official details have been released. Kicking students out after one week would cause nothing but hardship for the university and it is unlikely that it would be the case.
2.) If the strike goes on for two weeks, the semester is cancelled.
Honestly, I’m not totally sure what this one means. Can semesters just get cancelled? At any rate, you can rest assured that the university will not just throw in the towel after two weeks. There are thousands of students set to graduate in the spring and if the semester were to just be “cancelled,” it would put a temporary hold on the futures of thousands of students.
3.) Professors are legally banned from campus.
Well, this one is at least half true. Any professors who choose to take place in the strike are not legally allowed to picket on university property. However, it is totally up to the professor if they choose to strike at all. If not, they are free to come onto campus and teach their class as normal.
The truth is that nobody is sure of what’s going to happen if the strike does take place. To stay informed, keep your eye on the APSCUF website—and take everything you hear around campus with a grain of salt.
