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Welcome to SUBU's Your Idea Platform!

This is where your ideas make real change!

 

This platform is for submitting ideas for change across SUBU, BU and Beyond. Below you can also vote and comment on other ideas, and popular ideas will be taken to our Student Meetings to decide whether it will become SUBU Policy!

 

Submit New Idea

Before submitting your idea

Before you submit your idea, consider what it is you want to change. This can be big structural changes or small amendments. They can call for change from within SUBU, BU or even the wider community. Your idea could be action based such as having SUBU lobby the university on an issue or your idea can be more ideological such as supporting a specific group or cause.

You can find out more about Union Policy, as well as viewing the current list of live policies here. Please ensure you look at existing policies before submitting your idea so we can avoid duplicates of policies.  

Please also note the Your Ideas platform is NOT for complaints.  

Example of what IS an Idea: 

For SUBU to lobby BU for lecture and seminar resources to be shared one week in advance.

Example of what IS NOT an Idea: 

Misleading packaging on food sold in SUBU shop.

This is not an Idea as this is something SUBU would action immediately for the health and safety of students. An Idea of this nature would not need to go to a SUBU Summit or Student Members Meeting to be voted upon.  

When submitting your ideas, you’ll be asked to answer the following questions: 

  1. What is the problem or idea? – what do you think needs to change, be amended, be introduced;  keep it concise and relevant and use research/data/feedback where necessary to back up your Idea 

  1. How is your suggested solution? – what steps should SUBU take to achieve this, what is the solution to the problem. 

  1. Which Full-Time Officer you think should lead on it?

    1. President 

    2. VP Education 

    3. VP Student Opportunities 

    4. VP Welfare and Community 

Once you have submitted your idea

We review ideas continously throughout the year, but an idea can only become policy at one of four democratic student meetings. Each meeting usually takes three ideas to be voted on by attendees but this may differ throughout the year. Additionally, some ideas may be easy to implement, already in policy or can be done without the need of an approved policy, in which case we will action these seperately.

Once students submit an idea, other students can vote and comment on this to indicate their support or lack thereof for the proposed ideas. Students will be able to  vote in favour of  the idea or to vote against the idea. Ideas require 15 votes in favour to be moved forwards to the discussions stage. Subsequently, ideas with 15 votes against will be rejected.

SUBU reserves the right to reject any Idea that poses a financial, reputational or legal risk to the Union. SUBU may also reject an idea if it does not align with our student-led and informed strategy found here.

Once an idea achieves the necessary votes the student who submitted the idea will be invited in by a member of the Democracy and Campaigns team to discuss their idea in greater depth, to provide further context and create a draft policy. This draft policy will then be taken to an agenda setting meeting where Officers will discuss and vote on whether to take the motion to either SUBU Summit or Student Members Meeting.  

If the idea is not selected by the committee to go to meeting, it can receive one of two outcomes; Decline – The idea is closed and updated accordingly but can be resubmitted without time penalty OR Revisit – The idea will be on hold and reviewed again before the next SUBU Summit where it will either be selected to go to meeting or will be Declined. 

If an idea that is made presented as a motion at either the SUBU Summit Meeting or Student Members’ Meeting it will be updated on ‘Your Ideas’ accordingly and made into Union Policy. 

All ideas on the platform will be kept updated accordingly .

Your Ideas

  • Ideas 57
  • Submitters 43
  • Last submission 13:49 on 14 Oct 2024
  • Voters 219
  • Commenters 21
  • Current 15
  • Locked 0
  • Passed 13
  • Rejected 4
  • Expired 25

Your Ideas

Back to list
  • 6 up votes 0 down votes
    6 voters

    Provide HOT WATER in Gateway building

    Passed
      The coffee machine in the Gateway building used to provide free hot water, which was convenient and cost-saving for those who bring their own tea bags and coffee. However, this option is no longer available, and we can only get hot water from the café while it's open. When students plan to spend long hours in the Gateway library, we have to bring multiple thermal flasks, which is heavy and inconvenient. The Gateway Building’s library is open 24 hours, so it makes sense to have hot water available at all times, especially for the many students studying at night or overnight.

      What is your suggested solution?

      I'm not sure why the hot water option on the coffee machine was removed. It might be due to students using the provided cups, which require payment. Could we either reinstate the hot water option on the coffee machine, set up a small area or machine for hot water, or provide a communal kettle for all students to use and share?

      Which Full-Time Officer should lead on it?

      VP Welfare and Community
    Vini Semp Semp
    12:39pm on 17 Sep 24 Good call!!!
    Zainab Jalloh
    8:51pm on 18 Sep 24 It is very important and essential to have hot water at the campus because Gateway Building's library is open 24 hrs for students to study overnight, and this would help students to have a hot drink when its cold to keep them warm and active while doing their coursework at the campus. Also, this would be cost-saving for students like us that bring our own tea bags/instant coffee. The coffee's price from the coffee machine can be considered at a higher price for some of the students. Please make the HOT WATER option available again.
    Aide Simons
    6:51am on 19 Sep 24 Good idea kai, the masters students spend a lot of unsocial hours in the gateway and all students pay high prices for tuition. The provision of basic amenities like free hot water should reflect that.
    Zach Braid
    9:56am on 19 Sep 24 Good Morning, Thank you for submitting this idea, we are always pleased to see students using their voice to create change at SUBU, BU or Beyond. I will be passing this idea without the need for further voting as SUBU already provide free communal hot water in the gateway building. This can be found on the 3rd floor in BG-301, which is the Student Union area of the building. You can access this space via your Student card and the hot water and other amenities are completely free for students to use!