State colleges strike avoided

The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties thanked Governor Ed… The Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties thanked Governor Ed Rendell for his intervention in the negotiation of a four-year contract for faculty members.

According to APSCUF President and Pitt alumnus William E. Fulmer, the likelihood of a faculty strike at the 14 Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education schools this August would have been great had the governor’s office not stepped in to moderate.

Some of the terms being pursued by the APSCUF include a co-pay of health insurance premiums and restricting excessive use of part-time faculty.

Fulmer remarked that an “unhealthy level” of tension had arisen among students because of the uncertain nature of the contract dispute.

“Seniors in their final semester have worried that they would not graduate on time,” Fulmer said. “We, the faculty, are committed to our students and want them to know right now that the spring semester will proceed on schedule and will finish on time.”

Talks between APSCUF and the State System began in August 2002, but came to a halt in December 2003. Rendell then asked labor representative Ken Jarin to assist the two parties in finding a common ground.

The APSCUF bargaining team pledged to provide the Association with a “fair and faithful” presentation of the agreement.

The outcome of this contract will dictate new policies for the 14 member schools of the State System, which include: Bloomsburg, California, Cheyney, Clarion, East Stroudsburg, Edinboro, Indiana, Kutztown, Lock Haven, Mansfield, Millersville, Shippensburg, Slippery Rock and West Chester universities of Pennsylvania.

In a recent interview, Fulmer said that negotiations are still in process. In the event that an agreement cannot be reached, teachers at the 14 State System schools will go on strike.

Fulmer also conveyed his disagreement with the actions of State System Chancellor Judy Hample.

“We have a chancellor who is relatively new to the system and has worked to implement policies without consulting the faculty,” he said.

One of the policies Fulmer mentioned was the chancellor’s attempt to limit full-time credit maximums to 16 as opposed to the current 18. This means that students would have to pay extra tuition if they wanted to take more than 16 credits per semester.

Fulmer indicated in a press release that Rendell shares the APSCUF’s concerns about growing class sizes at State System schools.

“We especially appreciate Governor Rendell’s willingness to help us seek class-size controls through other venues,” Fulmer added. “This is an important academic quality issue for both faculty members and students.”

“I prefer to have less students in my classes because it allows the professor to give me personal attention,” Kutztown sophomore Megan Coburn said. “As far as I know, class sizes aren’t really an issue at my school. I don’t take any courses that I would describe as overcrowded.”

Justin Veisz, a student at Millersville, also did not see a problem with current class-size controls.

“I’ve been lucky, most of my teachers are very against the strike,” he said. “None of them are really unsatisfied with their arrangement … The teachers were supposed to go on strike over the winter break, but then that didn’t end up happening.”

There are still several steps left in the approval process. APSCUF membership has yet to officially consent to the terms set forth by the State Executive Council. They are tentatively looking to ratify in two to three weeks.

If all goes as planned, the 5,500 faculty members at the 14 state-owned universities would get their final answer before the next academic year.