Make It Better
Have an idea? Make it better.
You know what student life is actually like – what’s working and what’s frustrating. And you probably have ideas about how things could be better.
Make It Better is LUU’s new year-round platform for turning those ideas into action.
You can use it to raise a problem, suggest a solution, get other students involved and help decide what happens next.
Your idea could be small enough for a quick fix, or big enough to become a campaign or an LUU policy. Either way, you don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.
What can I submit?
You can submit pretty much anything that you think could make things better for students at the University of Leeds and Leeds University Union.
Your idea could be about:
- Something LUU does
- Something the University does
- Student life in Leeds
- A problem affecting a particular group of student
- Something you’d like to see changed
- An idea for a campaign
- A new project or initiative.
A good idea starts with understanding the problem. When you submit your idea, you will be asked the following questions:
- What’s the problem and how does it affect students at the University of Leeds?
- What’s your solution and how would that benefit students?
- Would your idea have a particular impact on marginalised or underrepresented students?
‘Make it Better’ isn’t just for clubs and societies, anyone can get involved. Be a part of making LUU the best you can!
How Make It Better Works
Step 1: Have an idea
Start with the problem you'd like to solve or something you'd like to change.
If you need help developing your idea, the Student Voice and Organising team can help. We can help with things like spelling, punctuation and structure, and we can connect you with relevant LUU or University staff if you need expert information.
Step 2: Submit your idea
Go to Engage and find the Make It Better section.
You'll be asked to tell us about your problem, your proposed solution and the potential impact on marginalised and underrepresented students.
Once your submission has been checked and prepared, it will be published for other students to see.
Step 3: Get other students involved and support your idea
Once your idea is live, other students can vote and comment on it to show their support or raise concerns.
Other students can also suggest changes, provide feedback or help to further develop the idea.
This is an important part of Make It Better as it makes sure that students want your solution or are also facing the same problem.
As the person who submitted the idea, you can help build support around it and encourage other students to get involved.
Step 4: What happens next?
The amount and type of student engagement will help determine what happens to your idea.
Little or no engagement - If fewer than 20 students vote on your idea, it will be archived. That doesn't mean it's deleted. Your idea will remain visible so students can see it.
Some engagement - If 20–49 students vote, we'll send the idea back to you with feedback from other students. You can then refine your idea, respond to concerns and make it stronger before potentially resubmitting it.
High engagement - If 50 or more students vote, your idea can move to an Assembly. This gives students the opportunity to discuss the idea together and work out what should happen next.
Lots of engagement - Some ideas may receive a particularly high level of engagement - whether students strongly support them, strongly disagree with them, or both. These ideas may be fast-tracked for further action.
Depending on the issue, that could mean working towards implementing the idea, developing it through a Portfolio Committee, or taking it towards Better Forums as a proposal for LUU policy.
Step 5: Assemblies
Assemblies are where students come together to discuss ideas and decide what action should happen next. You don't need to be a Rep, elected officer, society member or campaigner to take part as anyone and everyone is welcome to join.
At an Assembly, you might: develop an idea into a campaign, work out what needs to changed, suggest how an idea could be implemented, develop a proposal for LUU policy, identify who needs to be involved, work out what resources or support are needed.
Your elected student leaders, student groups and communities can all be part of these discussions.
The aim isn't simply to talk about problems and instead work out what we're going to do about them.
When are Assemblies?
Assemblies currently take place three times a year: October, February and April.
Step 6: Portfolio Committee
Some ideas need LUU's elected leaders to coordinate action. That's where the Portfolio Committee comes in. Think of it as the doing space after the discussion.
This meeting brings together relevant elected student leaders and other people involved in LUU's leadership to work out how an idea can move forward.
They might decide:
- Who needs to speak to decision-makers
- Which meetings or committees to be involved
- What resources are available
- Whether LUU can implement something directly
- Whether a campaign is needed
- Whether an idea needs to become formal policy
In other words, this is where we turn an idea into an organised plan of action.
Step 7: Better Forums
Some changes need a longer-term commitment from LUU. These ideas can go to Better Forums, LUU's formal policymaking process.
Policy is simply a written statement about what LUU believes, intends to do or has committed to working on.
Better Forums are where students can decide whether an idea should become LUU policy. If it becomes policy, it gives LUU's elected student leaders and staff a clear commitment to work towards that change.
Some changes can happen quickly whilst others need months or even years of work.
Make It Better helps ideas move from being something a student thinks about to something students can collectively act on.
And because Make It Better is open all year round, if you have an idea today, you can start today.