Local members of APSCUF moved their office off the SRU campus Thursday to have a work station should a strike occur.
Colleen Cooke, vice president of the SRU chapter of APSCUF and recreational therapy professor, said the union moved from the on-campus to location to 205 South Main St. Things that were moved include files, buttons, pins, signs, pamphlets and other things APSCUF would need if the strike comes to fruition. The office will be fully-functioning and will be used to run APSCUF-related business. The move-out date was set by the university. Cooke said moving the office off campus showed that APSCUF is serious.
Cooke also started to move personal belongings out of her office.
“I don’t want my personal things to be lost in the shuffle,” Cooke said. “That would be horribly cruel and unfortunate because at the end of the strike we all have to work together again.”
The Slippery Rock Community Park will be the staging area if a strike occurs, and faculty will meet there and then take vans to their picketing location.
On Thursday, the local chapter also had a session to inform faculty members about what they should do during a strike. This included learning an action agreement that states what behavior they will demonstrate while on strike and a brief talk if members are approached by the media.
Cooke said the energy at the training session was overwhelming.
“I think it went really really well,” Cooke said. “I think that yesterday boosted our energy and helped us feel solidarity and I think it also made it real for a lot of us.”
Cooke said that even though members are united, the possibility of a strike is a scary experience.
“I’m going to miss the interactions I have with the students everyday,” Cooke said. “There’s a closeness among students, faculty and staff here that is unique. It is at risk right now and that’s frightening and saddening.”
Cooke said that students should check for an APSCUF press release Wednesday morning to see if an agreement between the group and PASSHE was reached.
If a strike does occur, members will be walking picket lines at every entrance on campus from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m beginning Oct. 19.
