User Policies

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The Maker Hub has a diverse user base. This page seeks to describe the access and expectations for each type of user. Maker Hub access should be considered a privilege, and the Maker Hub staff members reserve the right to revoke user access privileges as they see fit.

Anyone who will be using Maker Hub equipment/tools or will be participating in any hands-on activity in the Maker Hub must sign a waiver beforehand. Specifics for each type of user are explained below.

GFU Affiliates

GFU Students

The Maker Hub is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and ADP students. This includes both full-time and part-time students. All majors are welcome.

Aside from official tours, special Maker Hub events, and work study duties, all students who desire access to the Maker Hub's space, tools, and equipment must follow the Maker Hub's training system to gain access--regardless of prior experience. This means that students cannot sponsor other students into this space. The Maker Hub defines "sponsoring" as a user with Maker Hub access (i.e. passed the Maker Hub Introduction Canvas Course) who is hosting/supervising a person within the Maker Hub who does not have access. Apart from the exceptions listed at the beginning of this paragraph, all students must follow the Maker Hub's training system in order for the Maker Hub to comply with safety standards and legal requirements (external to GFU). All GFU students have access to the wiki and Canvas course(s) necessary to gain access; therefore, all students who will be in this space are expected to pass the Maker Hub Introduction Canvas Course and sign the waiver at a minimum. And yes, this expectation also applies to students who are "just going to the Maker Hub to do homework with friends." But really, that's what the library is for... :/

GFU Employees

The Maker Hub is open to all GFU employees: faculty, staff, administrators, etc. This includes both full-time and part-time employees.

GFU employees who desire access to the Maker Hub's tools and equipment must undergo the same training that students suffer (I mean... receive) regardless of prior experience.

Student Staff

The Maker Hub has several regular work study positions over the course of the semester. These positions include: machine shop supervisors, prototype lab supervisors, helpdesk attendants, and the social media intern. These positions oversee their respective areas and work closely with the Maker Hub staff and College of Engineering to train users, maintain equipment and tools, host events, and advance the makerspace/engineering program. The Maker Hub also employs a couple work study students during the summer.

Student Aces and Student Volunteers

Student aces/volunteers are key to the training process and overall function of the Maker Hub. Student aces become an expert on a particular piece of equipment and help conduct training and demonstrations for that piece of equipment. Student volunteers oversee a particular facility and help conduct training and demonstrations for several pieces of equipment within that facility. Student aces/volunteers often receive additional privileges such as extended access to their facility.

Alumni

The Maker Hub maintains a good relationship with GFU alumni, but currently, there is no membership system available for GFU alumni. Alumni may serve as a Maker Hub volunteer (see the Volunteers section).

Spouses, Family, Minors, and Guests

All spouses, family members, minors, and guests who will be using Maker Hub equipment/tools or will be participating in any hands-on activity in the Maker Hub must sign a waiver beforehand (including parent/guardian signatures for minors).

Student Spouses and Family Members

Students may sponsor their spouse and family members into the Maker Hub. This means that student spouses and family members may accompany the current GFU student within the facility. The student sponsor assumes full responsibility for ensuring that his or her guests adhere to the proper safety protocols, cleanliness, and professionalism required in the Maker Hub. If the family members have signed a waiver, they are permitted to use tools under the direct supervision of their student sponsor. Student family members are prohibited from using Maker Hub equipment. However, student spouses are an exception. If desired, student spouses may achieve equipment certification through the Maker Hub's standard wiki/quiz/training/demonstration process. The first step in connecting the student's spouse with the Maker Hub is for the student to initiate a background check with HR. CC makerhub@georgefox.edu in your email correspondence with HR to keep the Maker Hub staff in the loop. HR will pass their information to the IT department so they can create a GFU ID and the proper computer accounts. Once the computer accounts are created, the student spouse may read the wiki and enroll in the Maker Hub Introduction Canvas Course. Student spouses may also serve as a Maker Hub volunteer (see the Volunteers section).

Employee Spouses and Family Members

Employees may sponsor their spouse and family members into the Maker Hub. This means that employee spouses and family members may accompany the employee within the facility. The employee sponsor assumes full responsibility for ensuring that his or her guests adhere to the proper safety protocols, cleanliness, and professionalism required in the Maker Hub. If the family members have signed a waiver, they are permitted to use tools under the direct supervision of their employee sponsor. Employee family members are prohibited from using Maker Hub equipment. However, employee spouses are an exception. If desired, employee spouses may achieve equipment certification through the Maker Hub's standard wiki/quiz/training/demonstration process. The first step in connecting the employee's spouse with the Maker Hub is for the employee to initiate a background check with HR. CC makerhub@georgefox.edu in your email correspondence with HR to keep the Maker Hub staff in the loop. HR will pass their information to the IT department so they can create a GFU ID and the proper computer accounts. Once the computer accounts are created, the employee spouse may read the wiki and enroll in the Maker Hub Introduction Canvas Course. Employee spouses may also serve as a Maker Hub volunteer (see the Volunteers section).

Minors, High School, and Middle/Elementary School Students

For clarification, the Maker Hub's usage of the word "minor" applies to a person who is both under 18 and pre-college. The Maker Hub is not counting freshmen students at GFU who are still 17 at the beginning of the fall semester as minors.

Minors may only use equipment under the supervision of the Maker Hub staff. The opportunities for minors to use equipment will be almost exclusively during the Maker Camps in the summer, official tours, or school visits to the Maker Hub. At this time, the Maker Hub does not allow non-staff-members to supervise a minor's usage of equipment unless specifically delegated. High school, middle school, and elementary school students may coordinate with Admissions or the College of Engineering to take a tour of the Maker Hub. In all cases, all minors must deliver a waiver with both their signature and parent/guardian's signature before they are permitted to use any Maker Hub equipment or tools.

The Maker Hub can be made available to in-semester outreach programs for minors; namely, special middle/high school programs or homeschooling groups that are seeking access to the Maker Hub during GFU's fall or spring semester. These outreach programs must first be approved by the Maker Hub Manager. Outreach programs that are requested less than two months in advance will probably be denied; early communication is key for the Maker Hub to properly host and support outreach programs. These outreach programs will need to follow a specific curriculum, follow a specific schedule, obtain the necessary staffing, receive proper training for the activities they will perform, and operate in a manner that minimally impacts any GFU academic work in the Maker Hub. The Maker Hub staff will administer training to the group teachers who will, in turn, conduct the training and curriculum for the students. Group teachers and students must comply with the same principles that all Maker Hub users observe: Safety First, Reset the Space, Be Professional. The Maker Hub staff reserves the right to terminate any outreach program that does not comply with the 3 commandments.

The following are the necessary teacher/student ratios by facility:

If all criteria has been met, here is the breakdown of equipment available to minors under the proper supervision:

Outside of official family-friendly Maker Hub events (e.g. Santa's Workshop), minors under 8 years old may not use any Maker Hub equipment or tools. However, they may tour the Maker Hub.

Tours

The Maker Hub welcomes friends, family members, local industry partners, schools, and prospective students for tours. Guests may accompany a tour guide from Admissions or the College of Engineering to see all that the Maker Hub has to offer. Tours--by themselves--do not include hands-on activities. All hands-on activities need to be coordinated with the Maker Hub staff.

Volunteers

If you are interested in volunteering in the Maker Hub, email makerhub@georgefox.edu to schedule a tour and interview with the Maker Hub staff. The Maker Hub will share a volunteer handbook and waiver with the potential volunteer that need to be reviewed and signed before the tour and interview occur. If everyone is in agreement, the Maker Hub staff will initiate a background check with HR and request a GFU ID and computer accounts through the IT department before the volunteer can work with GFU students. Volunteers can be alumni, student spouses, employee spouses, or local community members.

The Maker Hub's vision for bringing volunteers into the space is for training and mentoring students alongside people who have significant experience in a certain field or craft that is represented in the Maker Hub. Volunteers need to have a heart for teaching and guiding college students. It is a great benefit to our students to have subject matter experts available as a resource for consulting and skill mastery.

Volunteer participation is quite flexible, but here are some suggestions that may maximize the benefits for all parties involved. The busiest periods of student activity in the Maker Hub are on weekday afternoons and early evenings. Often, we recommend that volunteers pick times in those windows to be present in their respective area(s). Consistent availability helps the training process greatly. For example, if a wood shop volunteer comes in on Thursday and Friday afternoons, we can direct students who need training on wood shop equipment to visit the wood shop during those hours. Some volunteers may choose to work seasonally (e.g. only the fall semester or only the spring semester).

There is no contract. Volunteers are free to adjust their schedules, take a hiatus, or terminate their service to the Maker Hub as desired. Our primary request from the volunteers is that they maintain good communication with the Maker Hub staff. The Maker Hub seeks to cultivate a symbiotic relationship with our volunteers.

What's in it for the volunteers? Volunteers are free to use the Maker Hub's equipment for personal projects when student traffic in their respective area is low or outside of their volunteer hours. Of course, the same material policies and production policies apply to volunteers as they do to all other Maker Hub users. The Maker Hub is primarily an educational space, and this will always remain a top priority. Volunteers are also encouraged to take some ownership of their particular area. What does this mean? This means you can dream with us about developing the Maker Hub. Are there certain tools or pieces of equipment that we should purchase? How could things be made more efficient or aesthetically beautiful? How could we upgrade the training process in your area? Are there certain machines you enjoy maintaining? Are there certain skill seminars that you want to teach? Do you have ideas for promoting the Maker Hub on social media? Lastly, volunteers have the joy of passing down wisdom to the next generation. There a satisfaction in getting to know the students and equipping the next generation of Christian leaders with both technical skills and life skills as they transition to adulthood.

We are extremely grateful for our volunteers; their contributions are vital to ensuring the successful operation of the Maker Hub.

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