Man in neon construction vest stands in a doorway to the right to a classroom in the West building.
Man in neon construction vest stands in a doorway to the right to a classroom in the West building.

Dear Roadrunners, 

I’d like to begin this week by thanking all employees for their hard work and dedication to Metropolitan State University of Denver and to our students. We’re already off to a great semester, which began with the announcement of fiscal 2023 salary increases.  

The Human Resources team has received some great questions about the increase, so thank you to the team for providing the following information: 

Salary increases

Faculty members 

  • The flat $2,100 increase is based on pay from August. 
  • To receive the increase, faculty members must have been employed at the University as of June 30 and must continue to be employed through October. 
  • The faculty compensation order is as follows: 1) promotion, 2) $2,100 (flat rate), 3) College and University Professional Association adjustments, 4) promotion/tenure/reappointment. 
  • The increase will take effect Oct. 1 and will be reflected in October paychecks. 
  • Transitional faculty members will also receive the increase (prorated for full-time-equivalent status). 

Affiliate faculty members 

  • The planned 3% increase will be effective in the spring semester. 

Professional staff members 

  • The flat $2,100 increase is based on pay from August. 
  • To receive the increase, professional staff members must have been employed at the University as of June 30 and must continue to be employed through October. 
  • The increase will take effect Oct. 1 and will be reflected in October paychecks. 
  • No other increases will apply based on the current compensation structure. 
  • Part-time professional staff members will receive prorated increases based on their FTE.  
  • Part-time employees will receive the increase based on the percentage they are employed. 

Classified staff 

  • Classified staff received 3% across-the-board increases in July as appropriated by the state. 

Student employees and hourly staff 

  • With the minimum wage increasing in the City and County of Denver effective this Jan. 1, any student or hourly employee below the hourly wage of $17.29 will be moved to the new minimum hourly rate in the new year. 

Academic-spaces renovation wraps up

It’s exciting to see faculty and students getting settled into the newly renovated academic spaces, and our project teams are grateful for all the positive feedback. The University’s general contractor will continue to work through various scopes of completion relating to audiovisual, lighting, window treatments and other miscellaneous items throughout the fall semester. The Facilities team will continue to share information with affected academic contacts as necessary. For questions, please contact [email protected].

Keeping an eye on campus health

Monkeypox

The Health Center at Auraria offers monkeypox testing and will offer the vaccine when State of Colorado allocations are distributed. The campus community will be informed when the monkeypox vaccine is available on campus.  

To learn more, visit the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s monkeypox data dashboard or visit the vaccine information page. 

Covid-19 omicron booster shots and flu shots

Overall, Covid-19 positivity rates on the Auraria Campus are not concerning. The Health Center at Auraria, in consultation with the Denver Department of Public Health and Environment, is no longer tracking cases. The new bivalent booster is now available for free at CVS and Walgreens and will be available at the Health Center at Auraria on Sept. 19. Watch the Early Bird on Monday for an article that will outline how to make an appointment at the Health Center at Auraria. Flu shots will also be available and can be administered at the same time as the Covid-19 booster shot. Both vaccines will be available to Auraria constituents and their family and/or household members. The Covid-19 booster adds additional protection against the omicron variant. See more specifics on age authorization and other details. 

Other updates: 

  • Thank you to all who have participated in recent fire drills. Buildings that were not included in this semester’s drill schedule will be included on the 2023 calendar. 
  • RSVP to attend the Fall 2022 President’s Welcome Back on Tuesday.   
  • Sincerely, 

Larry Sampler 

Vice President for Administration