Thank You Students

Slippery Rock University

Quad

Nov. 3, 2016

12:15 p.m.

During common hour on Nov. 3, 2016, faculty invited students to join them in the quad for food, drinks and live music. This Thank You Students rally was a thank you to all students for standing by the faculty during the strike that occurred from Oct. 19-21, 2016.

Dr. Ben Shaevitz talks with students at the Thank You Students rally as they wait in line to get served by other faculty members.

Complete with hot dogs, chips, cake and soda from the North Country Brewing Company, the Thank You Students Rally gave faculty the chance to interact with students and thank them for standing with them at the picket line. This rally drew a large crowd of students that lined the sidewalk in the quad to wait for their chance to get free food.

Students line both sides of the gazebo as faculty serve hot dogs, chips and cake while giving personal thank you's to all students for supporting them.

Dr. Ben Shaevitz, Professor of Physics, said that they had almost 100% student support on the picket line during the strike. Other faculty took the opportunity to serve students the food and beverages that were being offered, such as Dr. Danielson and Professor Holmes.

Dr. Stentor Danielson and Professor Debra Holmes serve North Country Brewing Company root beer and cream soda to students, thanking them for their support.

The faculty also asked the band who performed at the picket line to make a return to the Thank You Students Rally to give the crowd some music. The group called themselves “Back to Florida”, because that’s where Chancellor Brogan is from, and APSCUF was upset with his unwillingness to negotiate during the strike.

Slippery Rock University student Robert Kaup talks about his experience with the group "Back to Florida" and where the name originated during the strike.

Students were happy to have the opportunity to be thanked by faculty, and were talking and enjoying the food with them during their down time between classes.

Dr. Mark Shotwell, Associate Professor of Biology, talks with students as they eat food served by other faculty members as a thank you for student support.

The area surrounding the gazebo was extremely decorated with signs from the faculty, hoping to catch student attention as they pass through the quad during common hour. Faculty members held signs, and broke into applause periodically to thank everyone that was stopping by the gazebo.

Itzi Metzi shows his appreciation for student support at the Thank You Students rally surrounded by faculty-made signs.

The Oct. 19 strike happened because of a lack of negotiations between the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education and APSCUF, who went more than a year without a contract. State Representative Jaret Gibbons says that he did not want to strike, but was very happy that the strike was resolved as quickly as it was so that students could return to the classroom and continue their education.

Representative Jaret Gibbons makes the trip to Slippery Rock University to thank students for standing by the faculty during the three-day strike.

After serving food for most of common hour, “Back to Florida” began to perform for students and faculty. Brief intermissions were filled with a few faculty members taking the microphone to personally thank all of the students at Slippery Rock University.

Back to Florida, a group of students from the Slippery Rock University Department of Music, performs the same songs as it did on the picket line during the APSCUF strike.

The Thank You Students rally gave the faculty a platform to express how much they appreciated the majority of the student body’s support during the strike that everyone was hoping to avoid. The three-day strike ended with a contract for APSCUF.

Two of Slippery Rock University's counselors thank students for supporting faculty, even though they were not personally effected by the Oct. 19 strike.

Faculty members serve students free food and beverages during the Thank You Students rally.

Some faculty members wear APSCUF attire to the rally and thanked students personally as an additional sign of appreciation.

Student Kaitlyn Wright discusses how she stood by faculty during the strike and is thankful that they appreciated it.