Idea Scale pushed back

By Babur Ilchi, December 4 2014 —

The Students’ Union has delayed the launch of their Idea Scale profile, an online platform that will allow students to consult directly with the SU, until after their elections in March.

The platform will allow students to post policy suggestions on the Idea Scale website and up-vote other students’  ideas.

SU president Jarett Henry said they hope to get a better picture of student priorities.

“It allows us to get to work on these ideas. Whether it’s advocating for the university to change something or something internal,” Henry said. “We can also respond to them, and our response is public for everyone to see.”

The University of Calgary originally piloted Idea Scale when the provincial government cut the post-secondary budget in 2013. Staff and students gave input on how to save money to deal with the cuts. However, it was discontinued afterward.

“One of the highlights of the Idea Scale is being able to respond with information on where we stand. If that’s happening during the election process, we’re compromising our impartiality,” Henry said.

Henry said the original plan was to launch the Idea Scale in October. However, they delayed it to focus on market modifiers.