Early Bird

Changes to student governance

Learn more about the Student Advocacy Council and the transition of Roadrunner representation.

By Braelin Pantel, Ph.D.

May 25, 2021

Metropolitan State University of Denver students have voted to transform their leadership structure. A recent referendum authored by the Student Government Assembly Senate was passed in a student-body vote. See more information on the outcome in a letter from student Sheldon Solis-Manus, who led this year’s election process.

Important highlights:

• The SGA and its Constitution have been dissolved.
• The Student Advocacy Council will replace the SGA as the formal student body to represent student interests.
• Other than the positions of student trustee and two representatives on the Student Advisory Council to the Auraria Board, there are no formal positions within the council, nor is there a hierarchical structure or similar to organize its operations at this time.
• The nine students who were elected in this cycle will become a part of this new council, with seven of the nine holding the general title of “council member” rather than “president” or similar. The council’s goal is to have 22 council members, and the advisors will work with the students and advise them to hold a fall election.
• The The Student Advisory Council Assembly Roster 2021-22 next month will begin to formalize their mission and some framework for operations. Advisors Cynthia Baron, Ed.D., and Guillermo Ramirez will work to provide council members with guidance and resources to strategize about an effective mechanism for working within the MSU Denver community to realize goals related to student advocacy. The former SGA documents can be a resource from which the new team may choose to draw as it crafts its path forward.

Next steps for faculty and staff:

• Please welcome the new group of passionate and engaged student leaders. If you are interested in offering council members training and mentorship, please contact the Center for Multicultural Engagement and Inclusion.
• Please update your communications to reflect the shift from SGA to the Student Advisory Council.
• If you have questions for the council, please contact Baron or Ramirez to facilitate.

Thank you and welcome to our new student leaders, and thank you to faculty and staff members as well as our council advisors for their patience through this transition.