Your Big Ideas!

Big Ideas are a way to suggest changes that you would like to see at the University or the Students' Union.

 

Here you can find or submit any ideas for improving your student life, whether huge, small or somewhere in between. Vote on the ideas you like the look of, or submit your own.

 

Once your suggestion has been submitted, you will be invited in to talk it through with us, and we'll see if it's something we can make happen. Student Council will then discuss the idea (and you'll be invited to pitch your campaign!).

Everything you need to know about Big Ideas

Want to make a change? Once approved, you can work with staff or Officers to create a campaign. Every Big Idea gets discussed, no matter what it is. You can like/dislike other people’s Big Ideas too. Example: Add more beanbags to the CSU foyer

Petitions are used for lobbying the University or the local community to implement. They’re used as evidence of student and community wishes. They can cover anything from large-scale academic improvements to policy changes. You can sign petitions if you agree with them, and comment on them with your views. Ideas sometimes get turned into Petitions. Example: University departments to boycott Amazon

Before you submit, consider...

• The catchy (yet informative) name for your Idea
• The reason for your idea - how will students benefit?
• What you're proposing - outline your idea fully
• What your goals are - what do you hope to achieve or change?
• How popular it is - is it a widely or deeply felt issue?

You can work with the Democracy & Campaigns Coordinator to talk about what sort of campaign or action you want to see from your idea! You can pitch your Big Idea yourself at Council Meetings BUT... you don't have to get involved - when you submit a big idea, you can choose to hide your name on the website!

What Big Ideas have we passed?

• Bring back the punching bag game to the Union Bar
• Registration to be more inclusive of Trans and Non-binary students
• Put University printers in Storyhouse
• Create a postgraduate study space in the library
• Have a wellbeing Portal tile
• Create a Sustainability Officer role in Student Council

We're also currently working on these ones:

• Sanitary bins in all bathrooms
• Take time before you sign
• Mandatory consent training 
• Drink spiking awareness
• Shuttle bus between Chester campuses

...and many more!

Important information

• If your Big Idea involves changing something that you consider to be discrimination, or a health and/or safety risk to students, tell us or the University directly, rather than using Big Ideas.
• CSU reserves the right to reject ideas that pose a financial, reputational or legal risk to the union, or ideas that are not physically possible.
• Your idea can be about anything, from big structural changes to tiny amendments. Any idea, big or small, is important and valued, and is a necessary part of how a union is run. Not every single idea can be passed, but every idea is considered and/or discussed.
• You can work with the Democracy and Campaigns Coordinator to provide further context, create a draft policy and talk about what sort of campaign or action you want to see from your idea. You can even attend Student Council meetings to talk or work with Officers on your Big Idea.
• You don't have to get involved - when you submit a big idea, you can 'post anonymously' so your name is not visible on the website. We'll still know who you are, but no one visiting the website will know it's your Big Idea.
• You can contact studentvoice@chester.ac.uk if you have any further questions.