Metropolitan State University of Denver’s Staff Senate has launched the 2025-26 fiscal year with renewed focus, expanded initiatives and a commitment to amplify staff voices while improving the student experience. With 58% of senators new to their roles, the Senate is approaching the year with fresh perspectives and a strong sense of purpose.
“As President Janine Davidson noted in her Welcome Back address, the Staff Senate is hitting the ground running — tackling the ‘Roadrunner runaround,’ those confusing and unclear processes that frustrate staff and students alike — and building a culture of transparency and clarity designed to improve the experience for everyone,” said Barbara Fricks-Romero, president of the Staff Senate.
During June orientation, senators identified six priority areas ranked by impact:
- Supporting staff: compensation and workload
- Streamlining processes
- Student support
- Staff professional development
- Increasing transparency
- Advocacy with the Auraria Higher Education Center
“To drive progress, the Staff Senate is adopting new structures that keep efforts focused and intentional, ensuring that all activities — from policy discussions to guest speakers — connect back to the Senate’s core priorities,” said Fricks-Romero.
Developing an administrative-staff handbook
One key outcome of these efforts is the creation of an administrative-staff handbook, a resource that will provide clarity, transparency and easy access to policies that directly affect staff members.
While faculty and classified staff already have handbooks, administrative staff does not. The Staff Employment Policy and Support Committee is leading this project and is in the discovery phase, evaluating best practices at other universities to mirror effective models.
The handbook will consolidate critical information, including:
- Employment benefits
- Policies on conduct and terminable offenses
- Existing regulations that apply specifically to administrative staff
“Staff (members) deserve a one-stop resource that outlines rights, expectations and policies,” said Fricks-Romero. “This is one deliverable that illustrates our larger vision of elevating transparency across the University.”
Increasing visibility and influence
To ensure that staff perspectives are represented in decision-making, the Staff Senate president and executive-committee members are also approaching the term with the intention of leveraging their “seat at the table.”
Specifically, senators will:
- Attend all Board of Trustees meetings, leveraging the opportunity to provide written comments and highlight key issues.
- Increase visibility with senior leadership through participation in the President’s Cabinet and other governing committees.
- Ensure that the Staff Senate is appropriately engaged wherever staff-related decisions are discussed.
This elevated presence aims to strengthen collaboration across the University and ensure that staff priorities remain front and center.
Meeting structures
The work of the Staff Senate will be supported by a two-meeting structure to balance listening and action:
- First Tuesday of the month: Open Senate sessions featuring guest speakers and staff updates; all staff members are invited to attend.
- Fourth Tuesday of the month: Working sessions reserved for senators to focus on projects and policy development.
Open Senate sessions are publicized on the Staff Senate SharePoint site, in the Early Bird newsletter and on the University events calendar.
How to get involved
- Attend open Senate meetings and share feedback.
- Speak directly with your staff senator — and if you haven’t heard from them yet, contact them.
- Bring forward ideas for improving processes and resources.
