Blog

Rocky Rees, right, received APSCUF’s Distinguished Service Award in 2009. Dr. Steve Hicks, left, was APSCUF president at the time. File photo

Tributes to the late Shippensburg Coach William “Rocky” Rees have detailed his accomplishments on the field and his influence on football players. Rees, who passed away in December, was part of APSCUF’s team, too, and his union sisters and brothers reminisced about his importance to them and the organization.

Past Coach Executive Leader Keith White met Rees as APSCUF was welcoming coaches into the union.

“We both had strong opinions on how to structure the union in its early stages,” White said. “Our two ideas were complete opposite of each other, and neither of us wanted to give. The meeting, when we met each other for the first time in person, was the day before Shippensburg played at Millersville in football. Rocky came to my office at Millersville the day before the game, and four hours later we had a starting point to begin the infancy steps toward an agreement that all coaches in all sports could support.”

William “Rocky” Rees, top photo, right, appears in a 2001 APSCUF newsletter for his work on the first coaches’ collective bargaining agreement.

White, who later coached at Kutztown University, praised Rees’ tireless work on behalf of all State System coaches.

“He was fair and brought good perspective to the difficult task of writing from scratch a new collective bargaining agreement,” White said. “That agreement is still the basis for what the PA State System abides by today. All (Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference) coaches in the past, present, and future owe Rocky for his selflessness into forming the APSCUF coaches (bargaining unit).”

Betty Wesner, retired Kutztown University coach, worked with Rees on the first coaches’ negotiation team.

“The biggest thing is his loyalty,” she said of Rees. “He was very loyal to his fellow colleagues — and I’m not only talking about Shippensburg people — but throughout the whole State System.”

And he treated all sports equally, she said.

APSCUF colleagues remembered Rees’ more whimsical characteristics, too.

“He just loved his ice cream … ” Wesner said. “When we were out to dinner after negotiating all day, that was his big thing in life.”

Don Mayer, retired Shippensburg University professor, described the Shippensburg coach’s love of motorcycles.

Mayer had experience negotiating the faculty collective bargaining agreement, so he served with Rees on the first coaches’ negotiation team. His relationship with his Shippensburg colleague grew through the experience, during which Mayer spent a lot of time in Rees’ office, he recalled.

“We all had a great deal of respect for Rocky,” Mayer said. “What impressed me was how much he cared about his fellow coaches — in particular the younger, assistant coaches. He really wanted to make sure the jobs were protected as much as they could … We were able to go to the table and say the coaches were in charge of their own destiny.”

Mayer spoke of Rees’ kindness and camaraderie.

“Once you befriend a coach, you have a friend for life,” he said.

Deirdre Kane, who retired from coaching at West Chester University, was one such friend. She, too, worked with Rees on the first coaches’ contract.

“After each contract, I tried to bow out gracefully, but some football coach, sort of a big guy I recall, bullied me into to staying for one more contract!” she shared from an email she wrote to Rees a week before he passed.

She shared the lessons learned from Rees, too.

“You taught me that taking care of our fellow coaches was more important than any athletic contest,” Kane wrote. “No game was as important as our colleagues being treated with respect and paid a fair wage. You made me look outside of the selfish microcosm that we, as coaches, often times allowed to swallow us. Realizing this gave me a sense of purpose even more so than coaching did. I also tried to pass this on to my players. I feel they were better for that knowledge, I know I was.”

—Kathryn Morton
APSCUF communications director

Photo/Pexels.com

All faculty who receive dental and vision benefits through the Pennsylvania Faculty (PAFAC) Health and Welfare Fund: Please take the time to read the Health and Welfare fund’s notice in its entirety here. Fund administration changes Wednesday, Jan. 16.

APSCUF members are welcome to contact Bim Arthun, member-benefits specialist, via email at , should you have questions about the change. If you are not yet a member of APSCUF and would like to join, please click here for information about joining.

We’re looking for interns to join us in the APSCUF office this summer — and these opportunities aren’t just for students. APSCUF offers a summer internship for a State System student as well as learning opportunities for faculty and coach members. We’re accepting applications for both internships now.

West Chester University Professor Victoria Tischio, right, was APSCUF’s summer 2018 faculty intern. File photo

Faculty/coaches internship

APSCUF’s faculty and coaches orientation internship is for APSCUF members who have some local APSCUF responsibility and are interested in expanding a working knowledge of the union. Interns spend a week in the summer in the Harrisburg office to observe the entire spectrum of union administration. They interact with staff members who serve in various capacities. The program aims to prepare APSCUF members for increased local and/or state responsibilities. Click here to download an application (The form has not changed since 2016.) and more information about hotels, travel, and meals. Questions? Email Andrea Mahoney at .

Student internship deadline Feb. 18

The application deadline for APSCUF’s summer government relations/communications internship is Monday, Feb. 18. The summer 2019 internship begins Monday, June 3, and concludes Friday, Aug. 9. Interns earn $11 an hour and are expected to work 35 hours per week, Monday through Friday. APSCUF interns have gone on to jobs in the legislature, lobbying, and the news media. The internship is based at the state APSCUF office in Harrisburg. The application and more details, including testimonials from past interns, are online here. We will accept applications by the Feb. 18 deadline that have faculty recommendations forthcoming.

When longtime State System governor Rep. Matt Baker (R-68) retired from the House last fall, Pennsylvania House Speaker Mike Turzai (R-28) surprised many by appointing himself as the House Republican Caucus representative to the State System Board of Governors for the remainder of the legislative session. On Tuesday, Turzai made another surprise appointment, tabbing Crawford County Rep. Brad Roae (R-06) to succeed him.

Rep. Brad Roae. Photo/Pennsylvania House of Representatives

Roae has been a harsh critic of State System administrators, Edinboro University administration, and APSCUF. A frequent poster of anti-System diatribes on his Facebook page, today he posted about his appointment and wrote: “The board is kind of like a school board but rather than operating a school district it operates the 14 state owned colleges.”

“It is true that the representative has said some very insulting things about faculty in the past, but we (APSCUF) trust that with this position he will develop a more comprehensive view of what our universities do and the critical role of faculty and coaches in advancing student success,” APSCUF President Dr. Kenneth M. Mash said. “We also hope that the representative will be a partner in finding constructive solutions to the challenges that lie ahead as we all continue to work to provide affordable, high-quality higher education for all Pennsylvanians.”

The Board of Governors next meets Jan. 16–17 at Dixon University Center in Harrisburg.

Graphic/Kathryn Morton

The APSCUF office is closed for the holidays and will reopen Jan. 2, 2019. We wish you and your loved ones all the best and look forward to serving you in 2019. APSCUF.org is open during the break with forms-and-benefits information, contracts, and members-only benefits details.