Excitement ran through campus as a tentative contract agreement was reached on April 4 between the United Faculty of Illinois State University (UFISU) and the ISU administration.
With concerns of a potential strike looming over the heads of all members of the Redbird community, there were debates as to whether they wanted classes canceled.
“I was pretty confident a strike would happen if a resolution wasn’t [met],” said Mallory Fairbanks, a sophomore special education major. “I had heard quite a bit about it [and] spoken about it with some professors after class, so it seemed pretty likely.”
“There’s always a part of you that doesn’t want class to happen, but ultimately, I wanted a resolution for the teachers to reach a point of agreement,” Fairbanks continued.
Throughout the madness, many education majors said the University’s misrepresentation of professors hit particularly close to home.
“I want my professors to be happy in their jobs. Before I came here, I was a teacher in an elementary school,” said Rachel Goodman, a first-year master’s student. “Being fairly compensated as educators, it really affects how we show up for our students.”
“As a student, I would want my professors to feel like they’re compensated fairly for what they’re doing so that they can show up for us as students and we can have a better education,” Goodman continued.
Lexi Woods, a sophomore middle education major, echoed the sentiment.
“It was a very sticky situation, but I can see all different sides of it, especially going into education and having my teachers talk about it from their experiences,” Woods said. “Overall, I’m glad they came to an agreement.”
Despite education majors being the most personally impacted, other students expressed similar opinions.
“I did not want [a strike] to happen,” said Charlotte Mahalla, a freshman animal science major. “But if my professor did strike, I would’ve gotten to take my test at a later date, which I was kinda hoping for.”
“I want them to get all that they want because I want good teachers who are willing to teach,” Mahalla continued.
For many, the agreement brought a sense of relief, but also a reflection on the effort it took to get there.
“Big picture: I don’t want strikes. I feel like it’s really difficult, just because it does put students in a very weird situation,” Woods said. “Especially if you look at how Chicago Public Schools are right now.”
Freshman special education major Briar Zimmerman felt a similar mix of concern and hope.
“I’m glad they came to an agreement,” Zimmerman said. “If they didn’t get what they wanted in the end, then I did see a strike happening. I think in the end, everyone deserves a fair contract.”
The arbitrations drew hundreds to protest on the Quad throughout the spring semester. Domenico Lacamera, a freshman business administration major, pointed out common issues with strikes in general across the country.
“Personally, I don’t like strikes because usually in America, we don’t know if people will protest peacefully,” Lacamera said. “I just want everything to be peaceful. If it were more peaceful, we could have more protests.”
Fortunately, UFISU demonstrated peacefully and respectfully on the Quad amid ongoing negotiations. The new agreement has reignited optimism among ISU students.
“We always look to the future and want to make more positive change, but it’s up to us as the people to make that future happen,” Lacamera said. “We have to make a positive future instead of a negative outcome.”
