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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 83
  • Submitters 51
  • Last submission 12:04 on 01 Apr 2025
  • Voters 299
  • Commenters 34
  • Current 23
  • Locked 9
  • Passed 20
  • Rejected 6
  • Expired 25

Your Ideas

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

    Zen Pods

    Submitted 4 weeks ago by Kayleigh Arney
    Locked
      3comments
      We are a multidisciplinary team (MDT) working on a service improvement project aimed at addressing the issue of student overwhelm in the academic environment. We have identified that many students experience feelings of being overwhelmed, which can stem from various factors such as Additional Learning Needs (ALN), anxiety, other mental health conditions, or simply feeling overstimulated. While there is a designated quiet area in the library on the main campus, we found that it is often unmonitored, lacks privacy, and does not provide the level of isolation needed for students who require a distraction-free space. Research has shown that certain individuals benefit greatly from private learning environments free from external sounds or distractions. The impact of overstimulation on a student’s ability to focus and thrive is significant, and we are currently gathering statistics to explore how this may affect university success rates and academic performance. At BU, 25% of the 17,000 students have declared ALN, which is higher than the national average—and this figure may actually be greater, as some students may not have disclosed their needs. Additionally, a proportion of students live with anxiety or other mental health conditions, further underscoring the need for solutions that support well-being. In response, we’ve developed the idea of “Zen pods”—individual, private spaces where students can retreat to avoid distractions and overstimulation. These pods would be available to all students, but we recognize that certain individuals, particularly those with ALN or mental health conditions, could benefit the most from this initiative. The intention behind the Zen pods is to improve students’ well-being, which in turn could enhance their university experience and academic outcomes. We’ve discovered that other universities have successfully implemented similar spaces, resulting in significantly improved student experiences. We are also considering how best to manage access to these pods. Our current proposal is to offer half of the pods via a booking system and the other half on a "first-come, first-served" basis. However, this is open to further discussion and refinement. We’ve initiated conversations with the estates team to explore how this could be implemented and have received positive feedback from various teams across BU.

      What is your suggested solution?

      As above. Installing individual quiet pods to create isolated, distraction-free workspaces or wellbeing areas could significantly benefit students by providing a peaceful environment for focused work and relaxation. However, funding is a major consideration, with pods ranging from £3,000 to £5,000 each. Could sponsorship be explored as a potential solution? While the initial cost of Zen Pods may be substantial, they could offer long-term savings and benefits. By improving student wellbeing, these pods may reduce the need for additional support from other teams, potentially lowering the dropout rate and enhancing the overall student experience.

      Which Full-Time Officer should lead on it?

      Admittedly, we're not sure. Potentially the VP of Welfare and Community.
    Claire Brookes
    6:56pm on 16 Mar 25 As a student with ALN the Zen pods would be an additional support when I am feel overwhelmed. The pods are spacious, and a safe space to relax and reconnect with studies.
    Carolanne Barry
    7:22pm on 16 Mar 25 I think this is a fantastic idea, to have a quiet pod suitable for individuals to rest, and restore themselves would be invaluable. I think all students could benefit from this, but it would be especially beneficial for those with ALN.
    Kate Ballingall
    9:05pm on 16 Mar 25 Sounds like a wonderful idea for all, to revise, recharge and/or reset.