Pat Yarrow’s passion is traditional music; she sometimes plays the traditional harp for College events. Photo by Jason Andrade

Patricia Yarrow, program assistant in the Art Department, says her biggest challenge as president of the Classified Staff Council is to make sure everyone’s voice is heard.

“It’s a tremendous responsibility,” says Yarrow, who was elected president in May of 2007 and re-elected this year. “I have to pay attention to all their needs and to many who feel their opinions are not valued.”

To make sure of this, Yarrow brought forth to the council a vision statement that calls for the participation of all classified staff at Metro State.

“We not only have the opportunity but the responsibility to participate (in shared governance), and getting people to participate in that responsibility is a challenge.”

Yarrow says that one of the major obstacles the classified staff will face in the near feature is to make sure that current members have the correct knowledge to succeed. “We need to be sure that many of the classified staff who are up for retirement pass down their knowledge to the next generation,” she says. She believes this potential risk of lost expertise could affect the student body.

After 18 years at the College, Yarrow understands how important Metro State is to nontraditional students. “A lot of our students are not straight out of high school–many of them are older and bring their experience and share it with the other students,” Yarrow says.

She has gotten to know many students over the years and they have gone on “to make real differences in the world.” Yarrow credits Metro State for their accomplishments.

Yarrow came to Metro State as a state employee from another agency and also as a post-baccalaureate student studying traditional music through the College’s Individualized Degree Program. Finishing more than 60 credit hours at Metro State, she has been able to have her passion for music and her Metro State career cross paths by playing her traditional harp at various exhibition openings, receptions and award ceremonies around campus including the Gay Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender High Tea .

Now, most of Yarrow’s free time is dedicated to research, as she compiles information into a book that discusses the modes of the traditional harp. Yarrow describes these little-known modes as “opening a toolbox that hasn’t been used in centuries.”