Blog

Dr. Nadene L’Amoreaux

Dr. Nadene L’Amoreaux’s father, a union electrician, showed her the benefits of the union.

“I watched my father on strike many times,” she said. “I heard stories about how the union representation benefited or helped him.”

L’Amoreaux first joined APSCUF in 1998, shortly after becoming a faculty member in the counseling department of Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

“It wasn’t a question on whether I joined (APSCUF) or not, it’s join and then how active do I want to be once I’m in it?” L’Amoreaux said.

L’Amoreaux has been involved in meet-and-discuss at the local and state levels and has participated in legislative assembly. She said she has drawn heavily on her counseling skills during her time in APSCUF, especially as the local grievance chair at IUP. This included giving people good news — but also letting people down gently with bad news.

“It helped me get out of my silo,” referring to her time as grievance chair at IUP. It allowed her to meet people across campus, including administrators. It forced her to meet with grievance officials statewide, including other grievance chairs on other campuses, and with the staff at state APSCUF. She said the work on the grievance committee greatly improved her knowledge of the collective bargaining agreement; she became familiar with significant articles in the CBA that relate to frequently encountered issues.

L’Amoreaux became the state meet-and-discuss chair on June 1, succeeding Dr. Kara Laskowski, who was elected State APSCUF vice president.

She originally did not want to be M&D chair, she said.

“When Ken (Mash) contacted me, I was trying to give him reasons why I wasn’t the right person to be chair of state meet-and-discuss, and he wasn’t buying any of them,” L’Amoreaux said.

After that conversation, she decided to remain in consideration for the position.

L’Amoreaux noted the longevity of the M&D team; she served under immediate-past chair Laskowski and President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash when he chaired the M&D team. She praised the state meet-and-discuss team, saying that the team is what makes state meet-and-discuss so successful. State meet-and-discuss converses with the State System regarding issues related to contractual implementation, with the state level focusing on all the campuses. She said they are to be one voice for all 14 campuses in the System.
In her new position, L’Amoreaux said she hopes to push for decisions that are the best for students. In this, she wants to be able negotiate with the State System in a more productive way. One of the goals, she said, is to provide a quality education to the students in the State System.

MORE ABOUT L’AMOREAUX

Nadene L’Amoreaux earned her doctorate from Kent State University. She is a licensed professional counselor and an approved clinical supervisor.

—Jesse Daugherty,
APSCUF intern

Indiana University of Pennsylvania student Jesse Daugherty visited the Pennsylvania Capitol as part of his summer internship with APSCUF’s government-and-communication department. Click here to learn more about APSCUF internships. APSCUF file photo

Honestly, coming into this internship, I had no idea what to expect. I don’t come from a union background, nor do I come from a higher-education background (I’m a first-generation college student.). That almost deterred me from even applying, but I’ve learned that is what internships are for: to learn and explore interests. That is exactly what APSCUF has offered me.

I’ve been interested in government for as long as I can remember, and my program at IUP has deepened my interest in our governance. From talking with representatives to interviewing faculty and coach members, APSCUF provided me with such an insightful experience that I think may lead me to continue work in the government or with another union.

The public-relations or PR aspect of this internship really showed me another side of union work, and even working with the government. If I begin working in municipal management, I will need to know how to create press releases, how to answer questions, and how to talk to people. Coming from a government background, those were skills I just didn’t possess when I began this internship. Kathryn Morton, APSCUF’s communications director, not only has these skills, but also the patience of a saint when teaching them. I felt in over my head when I first started writing for the union, but Kathryn not only encouraged me to continue writing, but provided valuable feedback to help me improve. While this internship only lasted 10 weeks, these skills I will carry with me for a lifetime.

Sean Crampsie, APSCUF’s director of government relations, has provided me with so many experiences of meeting new people, especially legislators. Just this week I met with Rep. Jacob Banta, and Rep. Jim Struzzi, who represent districts that include State System institutions. These sessions allowed me to see faculty concerns and how legislators respond to them. If you have any interest in government, these experiences are going to be especially helpful as you progress in your career. You can see just how hard government relations are to manage, and Sean has really opened my eyes to how you can thrive in a fast-paced environment. I attended fundraisers and was able to experience firsthand how powerful a good lobbyist can be for an organization. I’m not sure if lobbying is in my future, but I learned so much about how important it is to keep up with the ever-changing nature of the state legislature, a quality that I feel will help me in my career later.

I almost didn’t attend the interview for this internship, feeling my résumé was lackluster and my background wouldn’t fit what APSCUF was going for, but boy was I wrong. APSCUF has a special thing going on here, fighting not only for faculty, but for us as students. They showed me how powerful the impact our State System has on students, and how important it is for us to do everything we can for our campuses. I see why student support was so strong during the strike back in 2016. If I can even come close to working with an organization as passionate as APSCUF, I would be thrilled. If you have any doubts about applying, go for it! This experience will be short but leave a lasting impact. I no doubt will take more than a handful of new skills with me as I begin my career.

—Jesse Daugherty,
APSCUF intern

Dr. Chris Hallen, left, and Dr. Kara Laskowski talk at APSCUF’s April 2024 legislative assembly. Hallen is immediate-past vice president, and Laskowski took on the role in June. APSCUF file photo.

Dr. Kara Laskowski began her career as a communication professor at a nonunionized private institution, giving her firsthand experience in a workplace without a voice for the rank-and-file employees. She joined APSCUF in 2003, shortly after joining Shippensburg University as a temporary faculty member, becoming the fourth generation in her family to be a part of a union.

Speaking to the State System Board of Governors in July, Laskowski reaffirmed the union’s commitment to students.

“As vice president of APSCUF, I’m both grateful and proud to assert that it is our union that most directly, efficiently, and successfully allows all of us to meet our (State System) mission and serve our students,” Laskowski said.

Laskowski brings a wealth of experience to the position of vice president, including her most recent stint as the chair of the state meet-and-discuss committee. Her other APSCUF service has included roles at the campus level, positions that are more internal to APSCUF, and duties that require interaction with the State System. Her levels of experience have taught her the different workings of the union, she said.

“I really felt a sense of obligation and responsibility,” she said about running for vice president.

Laskowski discussed the previous state vice president, Dr. Chris Hallen, and how he brought a sense of calm that allowed APSCUF leaders to think and better understand relevancy and requirements before they jumped into action.

“He’s been somebody I’ve learned a great deal from,” Laskowski said.

She assumed her new position on June 1, and said her responsibilities include being the president’s designee on the meet-and-discuss committee, being a member of the executive council, serving at legislative assembly, being an ex-officio member of many committees, and serving as assigned by the president. The vice president also has responsibilities during negotiations for faculty and coaches.

In her new position, Laskowski said she wants to improve the strength of the contract and to support the union membership and staff in any way she can.

Laskowski said she wants to bring her communication background with her into the role.

“(I want to) do a lot of listening, to really understand what’s important to people and why,” Laskowski said.

Laskowski said faculty and coaches should join the union for practical reasons. For example, when working at a nonunionized private institution, she had no dental insurance, and would ask for her parents to pay for a dental cleaning as a Christmas gift. Educators who are unionized are able to control the curriculum and are empowered to advocate for their students, she said.

MORE ABOUT LASKOWSKI

Kara Laskowski first started at Shippensburg University as a temporary faculty member in 2003, becoming tenure-track in 2004. Today, she is chair of the Communication Studies Department. She served most recently as the state meet-and-discuss committee chair, but also chaired the public-relations committee and personnel committee, served as an at-large member of the executive council, and was chapter president of SU-APSCUF. She received her bachelor’s from Juniata College, and her master’s and doctorate are from Penn State.

—Jesse Daugherty,
APSCUF intern

Dr. Eric Hawrelak addresses APSCUF’s legislative assembly in April 2024. APSCUF file photo

Joining APSCUF was a no-brainer for Dr. Eric Hawrelak, who signed up during his 2004 new-faculty orientation at Bloomsburg University. He has a family history of union membership, with both his parents serving in union jobs. On June 1, Hawrelak succeeded Dr. Tom Stewart as State APSCUF’s treasurer. Hawrelak in his new position said he intends to assist chapters in using union dues to “do more for the membership,” such as activities to involve members. He said his primary job is to “watch and maintain what’s going on with our budget,” as well as working with Beth Connelly, State APSCUF’s director of finance and facilities. He said he’ll work on the budget projections that are done in February and maintain the books, making sure that financial matters are on the up and up.

Hawrelak served on the state budget committee for over 15 years, and he chaired the state mobilization committee, where he participated in the planning and coordination of the 2016 strike. He has a close working relationship with former State APSCUF Vice President Dr. Chris Hallen, who was a faculty member in the same department as Hawrelak at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. Hallen, a past State APSCUF treasurer, encouraged Hawrelak to serve on the budget committee back in 2008. Hawrelak also is president of his local chapter at Bloomsburg.

“(Faculty and coaches) should join the union, because the union ultimately supports them,” Hawrelak said, outlining the benefits of the union. This includes pay, benefits, working conditions such as how many courses faculty teach, and union staff to assist members. Hawrelak stressed the importance of union membership, as it takes money to provide these services, and APSCUF can only do that with the help of the members.

HAWRELAK FACTS

Hawrelak is a professor in the department of biochemistry, chemistry, engineering, and physics at Commonwealth University-Bloomsburg. He received his bachelor’s from Hamilton College in 1995, his master’s from the University of Kentucky in 1998, and his doctorate from Virginia Tech in 2002.

—Jesse Daugherty,
APSCUF intern

Patrick McGinty discusses the Pennsylvania Promise at APSCUF’s February 2024 legislative assembly. The Slippery Rock University member is State APSCUF’s new secretary. APSCUF file photo

Patrick McGinty brought his plus-one to the APSCUF strike in 2016.

“I walked the picket line as an adjunct, with my wife — my wife who was eight-and-a-half months pregnant,” McGinty said. As a new adjunct, the union’s fight was especially pertinent to him: One of the major sticking points of negotiations was adjunct courseload and compensation.

McGinty assumed the position of State APSCUF secretary on June 1, succeeding previous office-holder Dr. Michele Papakie. The Slippery Rock creative-writing professor has been involved in APSCUF since he became an adjunct in the fall of 2015. Since then, he has been involved with his chapter, including SRU-APSCUF’s executive council as the Committee for Action through Politics (CAP) chair.

The new secretary noted the retirements of prominent APSCUF executive council members, such as Dr. Chris Hallen and John Gump. McGinty said one of the reasons he ran for the position was to learn from more veteran members of APSCUF, such as Dr. Kenneth M. Mash and Dr. Kara Laskowski.

“We do not live forever, nor do we serve forever,” McGinty said. He said he wants to “be present, and to learn, and watch,” to prepare for a future when these experienced members of APSCUF retire, and the next generation must step into leadership roles.

McGinty said the duties of secretary include ensuring that minutes taken are accurate and without errors. McGinty plans to take in all he can during his time in Harrisburg. He said he will help push for more affordable higher education in Pennsylvania.

MORE ABOUT MCGINTY

Patrick McGinty received his bachelor’s from Denison University and his master’s from Portland State University — where he also spent time as an adjunct professor. He joined the faculty at Slippery Rock as an adjunct and was converted to assistant professor in 2022. In APSCUF, he served as the adjunct representative and CAP chair of his local EC, and he chairs the PA Promise Leaders committee. He published his first book, “Test Drive,” in 2022 and has another novel, “Town College Crypto Road,” on the way, scheduled for release in 2025.

—Jesse Daugherty,
APSCUF intern