LOCK HAVEN — Downtown Lock Haven roared with outcries against the possible outsourcing of jobs and layoffs of faculty at Lock Haven University.

The issues stemmed from the proposed integration of Lock Haven, Bloomsburg and Mansfield universities by Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education Chancellor Dan Greenstein.

Almost 100 people including LHU staff, students, union representatives and members of community, joined Saturday morning in Triangle Park to voice their concerns for the future of LHU and its impact on the lives of students and those who work there. Shawn O’Dell, president of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), led the gathering

Lock Haven Mayor Joel Long was the first to speak on behalf of the events currently transpiring with LHU, as well as the other state universities. He reflected on the emotional attachment to the school because he has lived in Lock Haven for so long, and attended the university.

“What is happening right now is very sad. Lock Haven University has been a part of this community for 150 years and they chose to do this on the school’s anniversary,” expressed Long.

“What it looks like to me is that they have not taken care of the system properly for a long time and now they will not fix it. The chancellor has been quoted as saying that ‘the larger schools have been carrying the smaller schools for some time,’ eluding that the funding formula that has provided us with money that could be put away as a reserve for situations like this was not achieved fairly.”

Long called it an unfair system that is against the workers giving life to the university.

“I am frustrated that the chancellor is taking action on a plan that is not complete or even has been approved yet. He is putting the wheels into motion before the board of governors has even approved the plan,” Long said, showing his anger toward Greenstein’s proposal.

“It took a long time for this situation to occur. Let us take our time and look at all of the different options and explore everything … how we could fix this without eliminating all of these jobs at once, without hurting our economy in the area — hurting the people that work and live here everyday.”

He then urged the audience and those giving their support to be proactive, fight, and reach out to the board of governers to express concerns and feelings about the integration plan, which PASSHE expects to release on April 28.

President of APSCUF and LHU professor Pete Campbell gave his thanks to the workers who are important to the university and how much they help the students as well as the faculty across campus. In giving thanks he also voiced his discretion with Greenstein’s proposition.

“Right now, we are dealing with a proposal that is looking to reduce faculty members on campus by 30%; 67 faculty members over a two-year period will lose their jobs,” explained Campbell. “This is based on the Chancellor giving us a mandate to hit a ratio during our 150th year celebration. We would need to hit a 19.3 to 1 student to faculty ratio or else we will need to reduce the staff through outsourcing and the faculty through layoffs. This is going to have a dramatic impact on the quality of education and the access to education in rural communities like Lock Haven that we support along with the students within the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.”

Campbell has hope that many of the local politicians in the area, like with the members of Lock Haven City Council, will agree with PA representatives such as Peter Schweyer of Lehigh County who is calling for the resignation of Greenstein.

Mary Dumm of AFSCME Local Council 2360, which represents dozens of staff at LHU, spoke with tears as she talked about the experiences she had with the university and specifically with the students who come and go every year.

“The students mean a lot to me,” Dumm expressed. “I have seen students come in as freshmen and then graduate as seniors. I have even seen them go on higher. They won’t get acknowledged if these jobs get outsourced.”

Zolly Rainer, director of AFSCME Council 86, said, “I think that it is important as we celebrate 150 years, to recognize the people who built this university. The employees here and not the ones in Harrisburg. The faculty are the ones that created the family atmosphere. The employees here see the students as their own children and look after them.”

He urged the group to stand in solidarity, telling them to contact their legislators and get hold of the board and let them know the impact of this plan. “It (solidarity) will get us through to the end.”

Rainer called integration a “death penalty,” saying they need to turn over every rock and every option.

Of the outsourcing of union jobs by local people, Rainer said, “You are not going to get that with a company that is outsourced for the bottom dollar.”

In between officials, LHU student Kayla Shutters took to the stage. “I want to talk about the idea of silence — how when students are not on campus, it is very quiet. What I think as a student when you start to cut faculty and staff members, it is going to become quiet for students even when we are on campus and we do not want our campuses to be quiet. Lock Haven is not meant to be a ghost town and without the students, it will be.”

LHU cross country coach Aaron Russell said the roles that custodians play for students and staff are beyond forgivable. “The number one thing that people say when they came to our campus is how clean and well taken care of it was. First impressions are the most important to fill our classrooms and dorms. Administration is prepared to decimate our campus, the community and it is coming at us from all sides. Here we are a family in a time when we need each other the most. The people who have never even set foot on our campus cannot separate us.”

Rick Bloomingdale, president of the Pennsylvania AFLCIO, said, “Chancellors come and go. They come to campus one time and go back to Harrisburg and make crazy plans to problems that may or may not exist. Every once in a while, schools do better than others. But the whole point of the system was to make sure that everybody in Pennsylvania had a university that they could go to without having to travel out of state or hundreds of miles. It was to bring money to all of the universities. It was not about profit…being the biggest. It was about providing opportunities to all of the children of Pennsylvania. That is what it should always be about. We need to fight. People in Lock Haven know what is right for Lock Haven. You come into Lock Haven and you see a vibrant community and that is because of the university, factories, and local business.”

Frank Snyder, secretary-treasurer of Pennsylvania AFLCIO, chanted, “One day longer, one day stronger.”

He said the Harrisburg Patriot News reported Greenstein as saying, PASSHE will organize or dissolve.

“I say we organize and dissolve his employment agreement with this university. Just like with any business, when mismanagement screws up the revenue, the first place they go is to take it off the backs of workers. There is dignity in all work — your fight is our fight with our 700,000 laborers.”

The rally lasted for about an hour and many of those in attendance carried signs letting their voices be heard loud and clear, emphasizing their admonishment toward Greenstein’s proposal and desire to continue the fight.