State System faculty deserve a respectful deal
I urge the State System of Higher Education to treat our professors as the treasure they are and negotiate in good faith and respectfully with the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties. After more than a year without a contract, the union members have every right to go on strike (“Deadline Passes: Faculty Strike at 14 State-Owned Universities,” Oct. 19); it’s the failure of the State System that has created this impasse.
I am the mom of State System students (Edinboro University, Slippery Rock University). I have also had the good fortune to be both a daughter and a spouse of tenured professors. I know from the inside out that the faculty are not in it for the money. I have seen firsthand the long hours grading, the latenight preps for lecture, the very personal support given to a student in crisis and the deep satisfaction expressed as they share stories of “their” students who learn, achieve and succeed.
The State System faculty are the single most important part of the state university system. Please treat them with the respect they deserve, and give them a contract that demonstrates that respect. They have earned it! E.L. NORTON Mt. Lebanon
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know it’s already great? The reputation of the United States of America is at stake. FRANCES STEVE Penn Hills
I am an evangelical Christian, and I am voting for Donald Trump. I am under no delusions about his morality, or lack thereof. I am not voting for my pastor but for my president.
I would love for the Republican nominee to share my faith and the character that should result. But Jimmy Carter is “born again” and was a weak president. FDR was a great commander in chief despite his long-term affair. Ike, too. And we all know about JFK.
I support Mr. Trump because he will be a strong president who will make the USA stronger, not weaker, both globally and internally. Both candidates are sordid and seamy, but despite his all-too-obvious flaws, Mr. Trump is not a globalist, not a socialist, not an atheist.
Some Christians are not voting for Mr. Trump because they are troubled by his character. That is the view of our local Christian radio station drivetime hosts. This is disappointing because our duty as citizens is to be civic-minded, putting personal positions aside for the greater good. Not voting or voting for Hillary Clinton or wasting one’s vote on Gary Johnson is not doing what is best for our factious and fractured nation. That is why I will hold my nose and vote for Mr. Trump Nov. 8. MICHAEL BLACK
Greensburg
As an educator, I’ve seen a rise in bullying behavior from students recently. Is it any wonder, when a candidate for the highest public office in the nation acts like a bully, that kids think it’s OK to be a bully, too?
Donald Trump has for months waged a presidential campaign using behavior that shouldn’t be condoned in a public school from even the youngest children. He is setting the worst possible example, and it’s harmful to kids.
I work with students with learning disabilities and emotional challenges that make school very difficult. They are 5, 6 and 7 years old and don’t have the emotional maturity or skills to handle that frustration. Adults should be role models for how to handle those feelings. Having a presidential candidate who is exemplifying the behavior of the students I teach each day does not provide my students a helpful and appropriate example.
When Mr. Trump attacks those who disagree with him using cruel and juvenile insults, when he starts Twitter fights with a former Miss Universe in the middle of the night, when he calls people “haters” and “losers,” and when he mocks a disabled man to laughter and jeers from his supporters, he is sending a dangerous message to America’s children.
During National Bullying Prevention Month, all Americans should tell Mr. Trump to cut it out. We will not tolerate bullies in our schools, and we shouldn’t have to tolerate bullies in America’s political discourse. BRIDGET SEERY
Verona