Leeds University Union Better Forum Decides The Next Three Years of LUU Policies

Once a term, the LUU (Leeds University Union) Better Forums provides students a platform to contribute ideas towards improvement of the student experience and decide on the policies LUU will focus on for the next three years. 

The forum aims to empower student voices, with any student able to submit an idea to one of the three forums – Better Union, Better University and Better Leeds. 

This year on the 18th of November, the Better Forum’s event took place within LUU, with those in attendance including the LUU student executive, faculty, school and society representatives and a randomly selected student panel, aimed to be representative of the wider student body. 

Whilst there were no submissions for the Better Leeds forum, the forum saw the discussion of four new ideas, two for Better University and two for Better Union. There were also updates from the student executive on the progress of previously voted policies. 

Following discussion by the student panel, feedback from the student executive and faculty and society representatives, all four ideas proposed at the forum were passed in turn by the student panel. 

The ideas passed included increasing graduation funding support, widening of content note guides, changing LUU bye-laws to fit with the NUS’ democratic structural changes and lobbying for change to the unsustainable higher education funding model.  

Each policy will now become part of LUU’s commitments for the next three years. 

Fabiha Chowdhury, the Policy and Campaigns Coordinator for LUU told The Gryphon:

“Following the success of November Better Forums earlier this week, I am so excited to see the level of involvement our students have with wanting to petition for changes that will improve their time at university. 

We had such a variety of ideas – from graduation funding support to content note guides – and it was great to see our panellists so engaged. The discussion that evolved from each idea presented was really interesting and showcased the fact that all of our students have unique points of views.

The forum itself was a nice introduction to the political side of LUU for those that attended as it has inspired a few to submit their own ideas, attend future forums and put themselves forward for LeadLUU [the election that votes in the Student Exec Officers].

If you have an idea for change or want to start a campaign, please get in touch with us at the Political Engagement Team [LUU.PET@leeds.ac.uk] as we are so keen to see what our students want to achieve.” 

What are the new policies?

The Better University Forums saw the discussion of two student proposals, aimed at improving the academic experience for students. 

The first Better University proposal, submitted by Oriana Campbell-Palmer, called for the university to expand funding support to graduations in response to the current cost of living crisis, arguing current financial support for graduations does not go far enough to empower students.  

The idea outlined the often unexpected and extensive expenses involved in graduation, with gown hire going all the way up to £65 if hired on the day, meaning an event intended to celebrate the academic achievements of students is often accompanied by unnecessary financial stress. 

The second Better University proposal, submitted by Shivani Gug and Iliyana Fahim, called for the University to continue to encourage the use of content note guides for lecturers and module leaders. They’re widely known, ‘trigger warnings’, and provide advanced warning to students on module content that may be potentially distressing or sensitive. It was argued that whilst significant progress has been made in schools within the Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures, the changes are not yet experienced across all schools and subject types. 

Feedback from the student panel sought clarity on whether the policy would be implemented across courses that are required to access distressing content, such as medicine courses, and it was determined that the implementation would ultimately come down to individual faculties. 

The two Better Union policies passed were proposed by Union Affairs and Communications officer Lucy Hart. 

The first idea proposed that LUU should change their bye-laws to be in keeping with the current representative structures of the NUS, which has implemented structural changes following feedback from student unions across the country. Lucy Hart proposed the changes would include changing the roles and responsibilities of the Student Executive Officers to include a responsibility to act as an NUS representative.

This idea is separate to the previous referendum held on LUU’s membership in NUS that took place in May this year, following controversy around the NUS including accusations of antisemitism and Islamophobia. Lucy Hart argues that whilst LUU remains in the NUS, the bye-laws should reflect the current representative structures. 

The second proposal called for LUU to support lobby for governmental change to the higher education funding system, which was described as unsustainable for both students and Universities. 

The proposal established the potential consequences for students in raising tuition fees, but also the structural financial problems many universities across the country are facing. As the policy was passed, LUU will now work to call on the government to reform the funding structures of the university system until November 2027. 

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Following the Better Forums, Lucy Hart told The Gryphon:

“I was pleased to see all the policies passed, including two of my own ideas on changing LUU bye-laws to fit with the NUS’ democratic structural changes and lobbying for change to the unsustainable higher education funding model.

It was great to see the student-led nature and democratic processes of LUU being put into action at Better Forums last week. The student panellists were excellent at representing the diversity of the student body, asking lots of questions to the policy idea holders and using their right to vote on the policies. It was also brilliant to have so many LUU student reps attending, including the Activities Exec and school reps, to provide feedback on the ideas from the various student groups they represent. 

If you have an idea on how student experience could be improved, I would really encourage students to use their voice and submit ideas to the next Better Forums or to simply attend the event and ask any questions they might have!”

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The next Better Forums is set to take place in March 2025. 

Words By: Sadie Kendall