Staff regent candidates addressed the need for a more positive work environment during a candidate forum Tuesday.
Dedrick Brooks, Leanna Linn McClure, Audrey Neal and David Wilson are running to serve the rest of former regent Jessica Evans’ term, which will begin on Dec. 15 and end on June 30. Brooks is the director of institutional research; McClure the coordinator for first-year advising; Neal the director of Talent Search and Wilson is the director of housing.
Led by Trish Lofton, staff congress president, each candidate had three minutes for opening and closing remarks and two minutes each to answer questions.
McClure said she feels the most important issue facing staff at the University is lack of transparency.
“There is a perception that, oftentimes, administration begins an initiative but doesn’t fully support that,” McClure said. “I think the most important issue is that staff have clear, honest representation.”
In a questionnaire sent to candidates, Brooks said it is important to him to prioritize goals for creating a more positive, productive work environment.
“My top priorities include promoting transparency amongst staff members by being open and honest about all issues, actively listening to their concerns and collaborating with admin to find effective solutions, and finding ways to help them achieve a healthy work-life balance,” Brooks said. “By prioritizing these goals, I aim to create a working environment where everyone feels heard, supported, and valued.”
McClure said one of her overall goals, if elected, is to have increased morale with more joint conversations between faculty and staff.
“There are often silos at the university that may or may not actually exist, that we need to break down, or we need to squash perceptions,” McClure said. “We’re working together as a university to be the Racer family that we tout ourselves as there are so many great initiatives and so many great staff on this campus. I want to make sure everyone feels represented and that we’re all working toward the collective university mission.”
In his questionnaire responses, Wilson said he wants to continue working towards a consistent pay structure for staff. He also indicated plans to work with human resources and staff congress to address concerns over filling job positions.
Neal finds equitable pay and work-life balance to be issues on campus.
“Not only do staff feel that they’re underpaid, but they also feel like they’re overworked in those positions,” Neal said. “The University has talked about how we’ve not had to lay folks off, but we have lost positions in areas for other reasons…so a number of folks have to take on the work that’s created when that position is not filled.”
In order to increase staff retention and recruitment, Wilson said he wants staff to feel more comfortable in sharing their concerns.
“They’ll do a survey because it’s anonymous, but that doesn’t help really get to the issue of why you feel underappreciated,” Wilson said. “I would love to have focus groups by pulling staff together, but we have to create an environment where people do not feel that it’s gonna be held against them.”
In her questionnaire, Neal said she aims to engage in open conversations with staff to better understand their concerns on campus.
“I want to serve as a resource that staff members can turn to for representation, communication, advocacy, collaboration, and problem resolution,” Neal said. “As Regent, I’ll work toward ensuring fair and competitive compensation for staff members and advocate for initiatives and policies that enhance the overall well-being of MSU staff, including measures to address work-life balance.”
Brooks said his priority, if elected, is to hold listening sessions to get a better idea of what issues staff on campus.
“I feel like sometimes we have the tendency to talk more than we actually listen and so getting a better understanding of what’s happened was or actually going through,” Brooks said. “I feel like that the more and more you can actually get an idea of what staff members are needing, the better you can actually serve those staff members.”
Another staff regent forum will be held today at 1:30 p.m in the Barkley room of the Curris Center and live streamed on Facebook.
The election will open at 12:01 a.m., Tuesday, Dec. 12, and close at 11:59 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 13. The form is available through myGate.
