Students and alumni
Welcome to the APSCUF students’ page! Here you will find the latest information about how contract negotiations affect you, upcoming events, student-centered projects, contacting your legislator, and APSCUF scholarships and internships. Click the links below to jump to the corresponding sections:
- Help APSCUF advocate for you
- Scholarship
- Register to vote
- Student debt and college affordability
- Internship
- Pennsylvania Promise for affordable college
- United We Stand, Underfunded We Fail: What you can do now
- DACA resources
- Faculty and coach contract negotiations
- Watch a video to learn more
APSCUF is the voice for a quality public higher education that works to ensure students receive all the educational benefits and opportunities possible from our state-owned universities. Representing more than 80,000 students from the State System universities, APSCUF is dedicated to keeping students updated through our APSCUF Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. We’re also on TikTok (APSCUF). Follow us!
STUDENTS AND ALUMNI FOR ACTION: HELP APSCUF ADVOCATE FOR YOU
APSCUF faculty and coaches are proud to provide our students with the best education possible, and we work tirelessly in that endeavor. From time to time, we have opportunities for students and alumni to join us in the fight for quality, affordable higher education in Pennsylvania. If you’re interested in participating in select APSCUF activities, please complete the form below. (Hover over the form and scroll down to view the entire form.) Thank you for taking action.
STATE APSCUF SCHOLARSHIP
Photo courtesy of Alayna Haight
APSCUF offers a $3,000 scholarship to relatives of APSCUF or APSCURF members in good standing. The 2024 application deadline was June 3. Click here to download a fillable PDF of the application. Direct questions to APSCUF’s director of membership services at 717-236-7486, Ext. 3021.
Congratulations to our 2024 scholarship recipients: Alayna Haight of PennWest Clarion (daughter of Dr. Jesse Haight of PennWest Clarion) and Abigail Hancox of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (daughter of Dr. Melissa Gibson of PennWest Edinboro).
Alayna Haight is a senior at Pennsylvania Western University’s Clarion campus, where she is majoring in speech pathology and audiology. On campus, she holds a job in both the education department and as a peer mentor, a new position at PennWest Clarion. After graduation, Haight plans to continue her education at Clarion and attend graduate school to obtain her master’s degree. Eventually, she hopes to work with younger children in the home or a school setting in order to better their ability to communicate. In her free time, Haight enjoys serving as the community-service chair for the PennWest Clarion National Student Speech Language Hearing Association chapter, as well as being a member of Clarion’s Club Smile. She also loves spending time with her friends, family, and the kids she babysits.
Photo courtesy of Abigail Hancox
Abigail Hancox, from Albion, Pa., is a graduate student at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, pursuing master’s degrees in public affairs and student affairs in higher education. She is a graduate assistant at the IUP Academic Advising Center, working as an academic-success assistant. She holds a bachelor’s degree in political science, with a minor in homeland security, from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and is a 2024 graduate of the IUP Robert E. Cook Honors College. During her undergraduate years at IUP, Abigail was elected to two terms (2022–24) as the IUP Student Government Association president and has been a member of the PASSHE Board of Governors since July 2022. She will continue her service on the board as a graduate student. Abigail was awarded a James A. Finnegan Fellowship in the summer 2024 and served as a policy and legislative affairs aide at the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency in Harrisburg, Pa. She is dedicated to public service and advocating for public education in the Commonwealth.
Click here to view a list of past scholarship winners.
REGISTER TO VOTE
Make your voice heard by voting. Get started by registering here via this link or by downloading an application here. (Not sure if you’re registered? Click here to check.) Oct. 21, 2024, is the last day to register before the Nov. 5, 2024, election.
STUDENT DEBT AND COLLEGE AFFORDABILITY
Decades ago, a college student could work a summer job and complete college with a degree and little to no student debt. That’s not the story anymore. And the situation is magnified in Pennsylvania: The Commonwealth ranks at or near the bottom of U.S. rankings for higher-education investment, college affordability and student debt. Our state-owned university system was created to provide an affordable higher-education opportunity for all Pennsylvanians, but today that opportunity escapes so many of the people for whom it was intended. The state — which owns these universities — only funds about a quarter of their cost, almost the inverse of the commitment it made to students when Pennsylvania’s State System of Higher Education began.
APSCUF has been a constant, consistent voice in the call for additional state funding. We will not give up this fight. With your help, we can fight even harder.
What would you do if you could afford college without having to take on massive debt? In our fight to secure necessary and needed funding for our State System universities, we want to share your stories as students and alumni. Numbers are important, and we point out the startling and depressing statistics about Pennsylvania’s higher-education rankings when we meet with legislators. But the numbers don’t tell the whole story — or your story.
Your story can make a difference, and we want to help you share it with those who make decisions about funding and costs for our universities. Here’s how you can take action:
- Record your message and upload it to Twitter, Instagram, TikTok or Facebook (Make sure the settings are set to public.)
- Tag your video with #fundPAfuture.
- We want to hear from current students and alumni (many of whom may still be grappling with the effects of student-loan debt).
As you consider the message you want to share, consider how a truly affordable college education affects your:
- Ability to afford food (Have you visited food pantries on campus?)
- Ability to buy books
- Ability to fully pay tuition and/or fees
- Ability to afford rent/housing
- Ability to afford a car/public transit
- Ability to take an unpaid internship, participate in student activities, participate in volunteer opportunities
- Ability to take a job in their field following graduation
Sydney's stress
“Although I’m not paying my student debt right now, thinking about paying it in the future really does stress me out, and I hate thinking about how much debt I’ll probably be in for the next decade,” Sydney, a student at Slippery Rock University, shared. It’s time to #fundPAfuture, so students can afford higher education without the stress of student debt.
Click on the boxes below to watch other student stories.
Abigail's experience
“I don’t feel like I’m getting the full college experience — all because it’s a little bit too much,” Abigail, a freshman at Slippery Rock University, shared. It’s time to #fundPAfuture so students can afford to live on campus without going into debt.
Fischer's concerns
“Seeing other people struggle and not being able to get that jump-start in life is hard because I feel like not everyone’s given a fair chance,” Fischer, a student at Slippery Rock University, shared. It’s time to #fundPAfuture so students can afford higher education without starting their careers in debt.
Emma's worries
Emma, a Slippery Rock University student, shared her written concerns about the costs of college. Her comments have been edited for length and clarity. Click here to view and share Emma’s story on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
In high school, I did not think about college a lot — the expenses it was going to cost or the difficulties I may have in the future. Luckily enough, my parents saved money up for me to go to college, but it still did not cover all expenses — like books, the new computer I needed and living on campus. Sure, a loan here and there has helped me, but it is still scary to think I have three more years after this one to pay for college. I had no clue how much it would cost to live on campus, and another big shock to me is how much one book can cost.
In the summer, I started a babysitting job to make extra money going into college, but I still need more. I didn’t think it was going to be as expensive as it was. I am unable to work, due to my hours of schoolwork and the classes I have. Plus, I know it would add on more stress than I already have. As much as I want to work and make money, I am already stressed enough about my grades and just getting by day to day without having anxiety about my classes, tests and homework I have to complete.
I have some friends that commute, and they have difficulties getting to class and worrying about weather because they can’t afford to live in dorms … It makes me sad people I know have to deal with things like this and can’t have the full college experience and live on campus with their peers, but I understand where they are coming from. Living on or off campus is expensive, especially off campus in an apartment, which I don’t think I will be able to do without saving up for two years.
Madison's challenges
Madison, a Shippensburg University student, wrote about balancing the cost of college with her grades and experiences. Click on the links to view and share Madison’s story on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
“Most people have student debt. Debt shouldn’t turn you away from college.” Something I’ve been told since I started my college career. While I always had slight concerns about how I would afford repaying student loans while starting adulthood, I continued my higher-education journey.
After my freshman year of college, I realized that I needed to find an on-campus job to help pay for various expenses. Every year I spend close to $25,000 toward a bachelor’s degree. Of that $25,000, 20% goes toward tuition and other institutional costs to provide education to students. Total costs at Pennsylvania’s state-owned universities — including tuition, fees, and room and board — have increased 62.4% from 2009–10 to 2018–19. Required textbooks started costing hundreds, and miscellaneous expenses added up. I continued my sophomore year taking 17 credit hours per week, working a part-time job, and playing in the Shippensburg University Marching Band. I was trying to maintain good grades and experience college while balancing the crippling expenses of college. It was hard.
I am very privileged in that I don’t have to commute to campus daily, but there are students who don’t have the opportunity to live on campus and experience college due to the decreased affordability. I still worry about how I will afford loan repayment after graduation. I am hopeful that I will secure a job that will allow me financial freedom as I navigate post-education adulthood.
GOVERNMENT/PUBLIC RELATIONS INTERNSHIP
We offer a paid internship in government and public relations for undergraduates attending a Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education university. The APSCUF internship is a great opportunity for a student interested in government, politics, public affairs, journalism, or communication. APSCUF interns must be professional, self-motivated, and skilled communicators. Our interns have gone on to jobs in the legislature, lobbying, and the news media (see Where are the APSCUF interns now?).
We are seeking a junior or senior majoring in political science, communication, journalism, or a related field to serve as a government relations/communication intern for the state APSCUF office, which is based at 319 N. Front St. in Harrisburg. The student internship must be for academic credit under the supervision of a State System university faculty member. The successful applicant should have strong knowledge of government workings, as well as excellent oral and written communication skills. APSCUF will pay $11 per hour, and interns are expected to work 35 hours each week, Monday through Friday.
Upcoming and current internships:
- Our summer 2025 internship will run Tuesday, May 27, 2025, through Friday, Aug. 1, 2025. Click here to download the 2025 application.
For more information, please contact Kathryn Morton, communications director.
Want to learn a little more about our internship — from past interns’ perspectives? Read their blog posts:
Daugherty: Short experience leaves ‘lasting impact,’ APSCUF intern says
Kissinger: ‘APSCUF was the right place for me,’ summer intern says
Johnson: ‘Invaluable’ experience built connections, sparked interests
Stough: Solidarity and humanity are keys to higher education
Bower: APSCUF intern makes valuable connections during summer of meaningful, appreciable work
Ford: Work for a union that’s working for you
Miller: Enjoy the time you have to learn
Danvers: Be confident with an open mind
Leahy: People make APSCUF experience, fall intern says
Newton: Summer internship full of learning, experience
Mansfield: Winter intern reflects on month at APSCUF
Rebuck: Why an APSCUF internship is for you
Matthews: 10 Reasons Why You Should Intern for APSCUF
APSCUF interns have gone on to great careers and adventures. Click here to read about where some of our past interns are now.
STAND UP FOR AFFORDABLE COLLEGE NOW WITH PENNSYLVANIA PROMISE
Pennsylvania students are leaving college with tens of thousands of dollars of debt, and who knows how many students are simply not going to college because they cannot afford it? Pennsylvania, which U.S. News for several years has ranked 50th in higher education, is failing a generation by not providing affordable public higher education. It’s time for Pennsylvania Promise — a plan to make higher education affordable in the Commonwealth. APSCUF is a proud partner of this plan, and we encourage you to get involved as well. Click here to visit the Pennsylvania Promise website to learn more information about how to attend a rally, contact legislators to show your support, or to share your story about paying for college. And be sure to follow PA Promise on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
FUNDING FOR OUR STATE SYSTEM: WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW
About 500 people filled the Capitol rotunda Feb. 8, 2016, to advocate for fair funding for our state-owned universities. The event was a roaring display of unity and activism featuring legislators and State System students, faculty members, and alumni. But our work is not over, and there is much you can do:
- Contact your legislators and tell them the importance of fair funding for your university and the entire State System.
- Contact your university’s APSCUF office to find out how you can get involved on your campus.
- Apply for an APSCUF internship to learn more about what the organization does for students, faculty, and coaches — and to take an active role in our efforts.
DACA RESOURCES
APSCUF’s September 2017 legislative assembly approved two statements about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, one of which called for APSCUF to compile and post a list of local and statewide resources available to students (and staff and faculty) on our campuses whose immigration status is at risk in the wake of the recision of the DACA program. Click here to view the list so far.
FACULTY AND COACH CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS
Your professors, coaches, and other faculty members are organized in the Association of Pennsylvania State College and University Faculties. This union negotiates with the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education to reach fair collective-bargaining agreements that facilitate faculty and coach members’ ability to provide quality, affordable higher education. Our current agreements expired June 30, 2023, and we are in the ratification process for our next contracts. Read updates about negotiations in our news center here.
LEARN MORE
Click this link or the image below to watch a video about how APSCUF provides students with the best education possible.