Club ousted from home in library
By Duncan Fingarson, Senior Columnist
The DSU Maker’s Club has been left without a permanent room for their equipment after their usual room, the Hackerspace in the Douglas College library, was allegedly shut down.
The Hackerspace included a 3D printer, an Arduino computer, a Raspberry Pi computer, and various other equipment used for âhacking,â according to a February 2017 bulletin on the Douglas College website announcing the opening of the Hackerspace. The DSU Makerâs Club, which called the Hackerspace home, used a 3D printer, as well as a number of hand tools for member projects.
Dixon Cohee, president of the DSU Makerâs Club, said the Hackerspace is now closed, leaving the club limited in what they can do on campus.
“The Hackerspace was being run by a member of the faculty, who had granted us the use of the space,” Cohee said in an email interview with the Other Press. “That faculty member turned the running of the space over to the library. The library did not want to continue running the Hackerspace, and so shut the room down.”
The DSU Maker’s Club is a collaborative group, with around 21 active members. True to its name, the clubâs focus is on creation, and the members have a broad collection of skills, from knitting and woodworking to 3D modelling. The point of having the club is to share skills, allowing the members to make things together that they wouldn’t be able to accomplish alone. The club has been active since May 2017, with Cohee holding the position of president since the clubâs inception.
Progress on finding another permanent home for the club to use has been slow, according to Cohee.
“So far, not much [progress],” Cohee said. “I don’t think it likely that the school will give a club a permanent space, with space in the school at a premium.”
Despite the lack of a permanent workspace, the club continues to hold meetings on campus. The DSU Maker’s Club meets every Friday, from 4 to 6:30 p.m., in room 328 of the DSU building at the New Westminster campus.