So, by now you've heard comments, good or bad, about the faculty from 14 PASSHE state schools threatening to strike. Faculty is constantly saying that they don't want to strike, but will if they have to. Faculty members have been without contracts since June of 2015, but this is not just about a paycheck.

I am here to say that I stand with APSCUF and my faculty at Shippensburg University. Not only do I believe that my esteemed professors deserve a fair pay, but the faculty also deserves a healthcare plan that benefits them and their families. I also want educated and qualified professors teaching me. I don't want to go into massive debt in college for anything less than the best, qualified teachers.

People forget that the PASSHE strike is not about greedy professors, but the fact that what the state is proposing would mean fewer instructors, increased class sizes, and professors teaching extra classes every semester. I want qualified professors with the time and energy to be put into my educational experience.

It is terrifying to know that we do not live in a society that values higher education like it once did. Instead, our society values money and numbers. So, I hope that there can be an agreement made before the set strike date of October 19, 2016.

If not, my picket signs are ready. If the state wants to see numbers, let's show them some numbers they cannot negate by supporting our faculty members. I'm asking other students to raise their voices for a quality education.