Makerspace reopened its doors to an eager crowd of returning students and plenty of new faces Monday, Sept. 15. This year Alissa Lund, the Makerspace coordinator, sat with us to share what to expect this year as far as goals and events that the space is helping to curate.
Currently the space is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from noon to 4 p.m. This may change next semester depending on both Lund’s schedule and her student assistants. “The students really love working here, it’s a valuable work experience that allows them to mesh together their personal hobbies and passions while also cultivating a skillset in the work world.”
Lund herself also teaches on campus a Liberal Studies course Art in the School and Community. She also used to be an elementary school teacher joking, “compared to that, college students know how to clean up after themselves just a little bit better.”
Lund shares that none of this would be possible without her student assistants, “We have community minded staff that really love and respect this place, I’m constantly learning from them, also students teaching one another is such a fun thing to witness.”
She also expressed major gratitude toward the Student Fee Advisory Committee (SFAC) for their support in keeping the space alive. “Labor is paid through the SFAC funding, so that funding is essential for us to be able to compensate the student workers and purchase supplies. We are incredibly grateful that they have been able to fund us so generously.”
“We do also take donations, so if students or clubs have a bunch of extra supplies after an event we will happily take them, or if someone’s grandma has some spare yarn hiding in a box in the garage we’d be grateful for it!”
Their opening week was very successful with the first two days already showing a lot of fresh faces. “Since Monday we’ve had 173 people come in. So thank you so much to the RAs and all the others that appreciate the Makerspace and have mentioned it to the new students as a place that is safe, where you can find community, inspiration, innovation and a sense of belonging.”
Events in the future include campus sports teams, team building by creating crafts like matching bag tags for their gear, while clubs like In the Ords and Lit Match have an open mic at the end of October.
Community through crafting is really what the Makerspace is all about. “I think of the Makerspace as the hub of a wheel and the spokes are made up of the students, clubs, sports teams, the faculty that bring their classes here and the staff council,” Lund said.
As they inch closer to October they have already begun to see an influx of students coming in to create Renaissance Fair and Halloween costumes. Lund suggests students check out clothes in Basic Needs and bring them here to alter for fun costumes on a budget.
Lund concluded the interview by sharing, “Yes this is a place where you can come to learn a new skill and make a craft but it’s also a place where you can come and make a new friend.”
For more information on the Makerspace and hosting events there email is [email protected]