Who Silenced Us?

A cult-like abhorrence to question anything uttered by Old Main pervades Penn State's culture. Silence and apathy are the glues that bind the Penn State way.

If you work at Penn State, decisions are made by the administration and those edicts are expected to be treated as though they're etched on stone tablets and brought down from Old Main by Moses.

Your opinion on tuition hikes, salary cuts, job titles, working conditions, spending decisions and building projects aren't needed. After all, you're fortunate just to have a job. Managers have little say if those decisions are off target, either; they're just responsible for pulling the trigger.

Penn State employees are disconnected from the Penn State legacy, a legacy that is reserved for deans and presidents, trustees and chancellors, whose pictures, they believe, will one day adorn the hallowed halls and ivory towers that they spend so much money on.

And, exactly, what type of legacy will it be? High tuition. Crippling debt. Reckless spending. Declining wages. Hostile working conditions.

It's time that Penn State staff members realize that they are critical in re-righting one of Pennsylvania's proudest educational institutions. If we are expected to sacrifice, we should at least be able to add a voice to the decisions that affect our students and our future.

Penn State Values and the Value of Penn State Staff

What is the core of Penn State values?
It isn't people.
In the most recent strategic plan the word "staff" is found three times, and only then referring to diversity and resource sharing.
The words "employee" or "employees" never appear.
Contrast this with one of the State College area's premier employers Restek. They make employees the center of their values.
From their Culture and Philosophy page:

Restek was founded on the vision of a place where people look forward to coming to work as much as they look forward to going home—a vision of a company whose successes make it a model for others to emulate.

What is more troubling is that Penn State's core mission, according to the Strategic Plan, is:

"Penn State will be the nation’s finest university in the
integration of teaching, research, and service."

Teaching? That requires people.
Research? That requires people.
Service? That requires people.
The lack of respect for staff and the minimal value the administration holds for the people charged with accomplishing these tasks doom these objectives.
In the lofty rush to become "the nation's finest university" and a Big Ten powerhouse, to build snazzy buildings and concert venues, the administration and leadership has lost focused of what made Penn State a great university: People.
Recent actions are just a reflection of this attitude.