Authorization and Area Leads

Official Policy

• Area and equipment access policies will be approved by the Makerspace Director in cooperation with the appropriate Area Lead(s), subject to review and veto by the Board of Directors. Access policies and reasons for said policies will be submitted to the membership for review 7 days prior to taking effect.[1]
• In functional areas requiring an authorization, a no-cost route to authorization of tools or equipment must be provided. Fee-based courses are explicitly allowed if a no-cost method of authorization is provided.
• Area Leads should find, name, and document publicly enough Deputy leads that at least 2 people are able to teach necessary authorization and safety courses. Other duties may be delegated except for liaising with the Board and budget submittals.
• Required area orientation and safety courses must be offered at intervals of 30 days or more frequently and at least one such course shall always be on the public calendar, at all times.
• Non-authorized Members are allowed to use tools under the direct supervision of an authorized Member for purposes of learning and instruction.
• Failure to abide by these policies may result in removal from area lead position.

Area Lead Guidelines Suggestions

• Offer Area Orientation courses that provide general shop safety but authorize few or no tools. The course should be 90 minutes or less and should be on the calendar at least 2 times a per month. Train enough Deputies to offer this course to keep Area Lead workload low. Allow members to take the course individually if needed by the individual. Since this course is required for entry to a given functional area, it is offered at no charge.
• Follow the same template as the Area Orientation for specific Tool Authorization courses. These may be for a fee if there is an alternate path to authorization. These courses should be 2 hours or less.
• Courses are requested to be offered at least every two weeks instead of once monthly.

Guidelines for Board of Directors to follow when selecting Area Leads

• Whenever possible, Members of the Board of Directors should not apply for Area Lead positions.
• Area Leads are not to be compensated monetarily or with subsidized memberships for their service. That is not to say scholarships are not available, but they are not dependent on services rendered.

Approved by the board on February 20, 2017

Payments for Authorization Classes

Approved by the board on February 15, 2024: Since area safety authorization classes are important to the membership, MakeICT agrees to pay the primary instructor $22.50/hour (rounded up to the nearest hour) not to exceed $90/class. Additionally, MakeICT agrees to pay the approved assistant $15/hour (rounded up to the nearest hour) per assistant, not to exceed $60/class. Instructors must submit requests directly to the treasurer with hours, class type, and date taught.

In the event that the instructor is not available to teach, and the assistant teaches the class instead, that assistant will receive the primary instructor salary of $22.50/hour.

The treasurer must be notified and approve of the selection of assistant(s) at least one week prior to the authorization class, and the assistant must be in attendance to receive payment for the class.

Neither the instructor nor the assistant will be paid if no one attends the class.