We had some good discussions last night during the board meeting about the formation of a Community Working Group to help resolve some of the disputes going on in the space, and I was planning to propose the formation of the group via the mailing list today. However I was notified today by some of those directly involved in the disputes that they would prefer to immediately bring the topics to a membership vote, based on the proposals that were previously submitted to the discuss list. These existing proposals deal with the validity of the sub-lease to Something New Entertainment, and the voting to remove a board member and officer from their positions for breach of trust.
Given that these items will be coming to a direct member vote immediately, the need for the formation of a temporary Community Working Group to discuss and resolve these issues is pointless, therefore I will not be making the proposal to create this group. All of the members involved in these disputes are very passionate about SYN/HAK and essential to our long term success - and in talking with everyone we're really not that far apart in our thinking about what is best for us. Please, let's try to find some common ground and starting working again together to build up the space into something great. Let's get back to being excellent to each other again. I will not be attending the meeting tonight, as I'd prefer to remain impartial on these matters for now. Ken -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Ken Burns Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 3:26 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [SH-Members] Fwd: Akron Makerspace With all the heated discussions currently going on, I recommend that we take a pause to get some things figured out and to hopefully chill out a bit. There is a board meeting tonight, the first of the newly elected board members. I'd recommend to the board to not make any policy decisions or discuss in length a number of the topics or accusations that have been flying around tonight. Doing so at this point will likely lead to more argument and further tear the community apart. I made a draft proposal to create a Community Working Group over the weekend, which ideally would be an independent group of members to look into the current set of disputes, since consensus has obviously failed on several topics. I plan on coming to the board meeting for a short bit tonight, and I would like to finalize the wording of this proposal for an official submission to the full membership at tomorrow meeting and on the discuss list. If we can come to an agreement to allow this group to help resolve these disputes, can was also agree as a membership to chill out for the time being on the following topics: - Lease of racks to a Something New Entertainment - Votes to remove of any board member or officer from their position for breach of trust - Discussions on any policy changes, such as Drug Policy, illegal activity policies, etc - Breaking up SYN/HAK into different parts (aka Hackerspace / Makerspace) I look forward to meeting tonight, and also tomorrow night at the standard meeting, to discuss the formation of a Community Working Group, and also to not discussing the other items at this point, until said group has its chance to review the issues in an independent way. There is a way forward out of this mess, let's just give it a chance and hold off on the arguments for a while. Thank you, Ken -----Original Message----- From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Torrie Fischer Sent: Monday, March 10, 2014 2:43 PM To: [email protected] Subject: Re: [SH-Members] Fwd: Akron Makerspace On Monday, March 10, 2014 12:30:56 Michael Griesacker wrote: > oops, that was for everyone > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: Michael Griesacker <[email protected]> > Date: Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 12:29 PM > Subject: Re: [SH-Members] Akron Makerspace > To: Torrie Fischer <[email protected]> > > > I think Synhak is already a healthy part makerspace, although we're > not trying to push out the hackers. I did read the article, and think > that we have developed into what we are as we evolved from our humble > beginnings. I don't see the need to try to separate the two at this > stage, and I think that trying to do so denies what we've built so far > as a community. -but I will try to remain open about that. Based on these recent developments regarding the heavy handed attempt to use the board for dictating how we approach community issues and the vitriolic responses I get in my inbox every day, I think there is certainly a demand for a more regulated and top-down approach to governance along traditional business lines. Hence, a makerspace. I don't think starting a makerspace would break apart the community as much as it would provide an outlet for some of these managerial and anti-communal energies. Plus, it'd be a much better platform for the formal education initiatives that others want to use SYNHAK for. I'd say that this stuff has been developing for the past 7 months or so. Its time we had a serious conversation about this, likely using the CWG framework that Ken proposed. I feel that the decision to step forward and build a makerspace could spring forth as a compromise between those who feel that renting out SYNHAK to startups is an acceptable use of the space and those who do not. If I'm not building SYNHAK or making bank, I'm spending my time working on OSC and helping rebuild the economic situation in Akron. I'm not against cheap rent for startups who want to get things moving, but renting out a hackerspace is way beyond reason. > > > On Mon, Mar 10, 2014 at 12:07 AM, Torrie Fischer > > <[email protected]>wrote: > > Hi, members@ and board@. > > > > Is there interest in starting a real Makerspace here in Akron, or is > > this effort to re-appropriate SYNHAK into one going to continue? > > > > I need to know, so I can figure out when I should give up fighting > > and start looking to sell my house and skip town. I'm pretty tired > > of beating my head against this wall of opposition and seeing this > > community shared goal of a hacker collective dry up before my eyes. > > > > If you're not sure of the difference, please thoroughly read this > > link I posted on friday: > > > > > > http://makezine.com/2013/05/22/the-difference-between-hackerspaces-m > > akersp > > aces-techshops-and-fablabs/ > > > > Here's what Noisebridge is all about, which was the basis for > > starting > > SYNHAK: > > > > http://noisebridge.net/wiki/Vision > > > > I really do want to know if your vision for SYNHAK is incompatible > > with mine. > > It certainly feels like the community is intent on taking this idea > > and transforming it at its very foundations. > > > > If y'all want a Makerspace, let me know. It can happen, we don't > > have to argue about it, and it can coexist with SYNHAK. There is a > > $3.7 million grant from the state of ohio already coming to Akron to > > build one in the morley health center, but the people building it > > have no idea about the makers and hackers in the city. I'd rather > > the expertise from SYNHAK continues to do awesome things instead of > > being swiftly extinguished. > > > > Here's the details about the Makerspace grant: > > > > > > http://www.crainscleveland.com/article/20140223/SUB1/302239986/1072/ > > TOC?Pr > > ofile=1072&template=printart > > _______________________________________________ > > Members mailing list > > [email protected] > > https://synhak.org/mailman/listinfo/members _______________________________________________ Members mailing list [email protected] https://synhak.org/mailman/listinfo/members _______________________________________________ Members mailing list [email protected] https://synhak.org/mailman/listinfo/members _______________________________________________ Discuss mailing list [email protected] https://synhak.org/mailman/listinfo/discuss
