Excerpt from the Dayton Daily News
The effects of Wright State University’s faculty union strike are starting to show, with the school cancelling some classes and searching for long-term substitutes to teach.
Members of the Wright State chapter of the American Association of University Professors have been picketing outside the entrances to campus for 15 days. With the strike entering its third week, Wright State academic departments started emailing students to let them know some classes would be canceled and that they could “pick up alternative classes,” said spokesman Seth Bauguess.
The majority of classes canceled for spring semester are “specialized” courses in which the university has been unable to cover. Students were told to contact their department chairs and advisers about how to find options that will not hinder the completion of their degree, Bauguess said.
“Students will receive further information this week about the layered options they have to stay on track for graduation and course completion,” Bauguess said.
Before the strike began Jan. 22, Wright State president Cheryl Schrader and other school leaders said that all classes and operations would continue. But, students have complained about classes being canceled since the first day of the strike.
To cover courses, WSU planned to combine some, move others online or have them temporarily taught by a substitute. Schrader, an engineer, is teaching two classes during the strike. Some classes were also given “alternative assignments,” such as a tour of the university’s archives at the library.
