EAST STROUDSBURG -- Thousands of students showed up to the ESU campus to empty classes Wednesday morning. Many of their professors have been walking the picket line on strike.
Students we spoke with hope this strike ends sooner rather than later.
"I went to my 11 o'clock and it was completely empty," said East Stroudsburg University student Grace Tynemouth.
"So far none of my professors have showed up and I know it's the same for a lot of students, too," said Andrew Kissling, a senior and the ESU student body president.
While Kissling understands why professors are fighting for better pay and better benefits, he also believes students’ education should come first.
"I never think that a strike is a good thing. It hurts students at the end of the day without a doubt," Kissling said.
Some students spent their day at the library keeping up with their academics because they don't know when this strike will end.
"I understand where they are coming from, but at the same time, I would like to have class and keep on track with what is going on," said junior Kate Zimmerman.
More than 100,000 students at 14 state-run universities are impacted by the strike that was called by the faculty union early Wednesday morning.
Students affected in our area attend Lock Haven University, Bloomsburg University, and East Stroudsburg University.
More than 5,000 professors have been working under an expired contract for more than a year.
"I’m a little worried about what it's going to do to graduation dates and how it will work in the long run," said student Grace Tynemouth.
"We are paying to go to school and every day they are on strike, we are paying to not go to class, so it's a little concerning,” added Zimmerman.
"If the strike only goes for a week or something like that, it would kind of be like when we have a big snow storm, so it's not bad, but beyond that point, that's when it gets really tricky and when it comes to making up classes, financial aid, graduation, it all ties into it," said Kissling.
According to the university provost, if this strike goes on longer than a week, the plan to help students get their classes in includes holding classes on alternate days, weekends and nights, or online for those that allow.