Stewardship of Shared Spaces: Shop, Lab, Facilities, and Equipment Policies

Stewardship: Caring for shared spaces, equipment, and community at Olin

There are numerous spaces available for you to work on projects at Olin, such as shop and lab spaces in the Miller Academic Center (MAC) and the Library in Milas Hall. These spaces are equipped with many different tools and resources. The spaces themselves, and the staff, faculty, and students who support them, are incredible resources for our community and the spaces require stewardship from the whole community to keep them accessible and safe for all community members and visitors. Please be thoughtful in your actions. If you have questions about a piece of equipment or about the project you’re working on, please ask. There is a wealth of experience at Olin and we are here to help you!

Some general stewardship guidance:

A clean space is a safe space for all.

Keep your project materials in designated spaces. We need to keep hallways clear for fire code reasons, and the rest of the space clear for being-a-good-neighbor reasons. Do not annex surrounding space. If you leave items behind, label them with your name, date, and the best way to contact you. Any unlabeled items left behind may be tossed out.
Keep your space open and presentable. Tours of prospective students and other visitors walk around Olin every day so please keep your project space presentable and safe for those passing by. There is a difference between messy and organized mess. Please avoid putting up barriers or aggressive notes between spaces. Public project space is available in the spirit of collaboration--“working in public”--not creating cubicles in hallways or other spaces. If your project materials require privacy, please consider finding a private space for storing your things.
Do not commandeer public resources. This includes not removing common space tables and chairs from the spaces as well as leaving project materials in a very public common area for an extended period of time. If there’s something that you need and can’t procure it yourself, reach out to staff or faculty responsible for the space.
Protect yourself and others. Don’t do any work in public spaces that require safety glasses. Any powered tools require safety glasses, and a shop space is the best place for that type of work. If you need to wear safety glasses, everyone around in a 10 ft. radius you should be too. It’s not reasonable to expect that anyone and everyone walking down the hall or other public spaces will be wearing safety glasses.
Help others be safe. If you see something that might be unsafe, say something. Help others see how things might go wrong, or how things could be done more safely. Try to do this in a kind and supportive manner, not an antagonistic or aggressive or controlling manner. We're all trying to learn here, so let’s help each other.
Clean up your mess, and put your tools and materials away when you are done.

Guidance on Tools:

Tools stored in individual Shops are intended to be used in those spaces and Shop staff work hard to keep them available for users. To borrow circulating tools from The Shop, use the sign-out sheets available in The Shop Office (MAC105 Monday - Friday 9 am - 6 pm, most Saturdays during the semester 1 pm - 5 pm). Tools in the Community Tool chest (MAC first floor hallway near 105) are free to borrow and use whenever needed. All borrowed tools should be returned promptly so others may access them.
If you would like to borrow tools from a lab space, contact the lab manager to obtain permission first. Always return borrowed items promptly. Do not ‘borrow’ tools from the shop/labs/spaces and then keep them indefinitely. We want everyone to have access to the tools they need to complete a project.
The Library has a small collection of hand tools for in-Library use. These tools are located on the small carts in the lower level of the Library near the printers. Library-owned items have pink labels (or tape, in some cases), to identify them as such.
Report broken/damaged tools and equipment to the appropriate instructor/staff/faculty as soon as possible. We understand that sometimes things break, but we can’t repair or replace a broken or worn tool if we don’t know about it. Please let one of the faculty or staff in the space know immediately so we can replace it.

If you have any questions about academic spaces at Olin, especially within the Miller Academic Center, please reach out to the Space Force at space-force@olin.edu. Space Force is a cross-functional team comprised of faculty, staff, and students. Together, they work towards optimizing the use of academic spaces and making improvements to academic spaces at Olin College.

Miller Academic Center Space Policies

The Olin lab and shop spaces in the Miller Academic Center are an important part of our community. Our collective goal is to enable opportunities for students to bring ideas to fruition and assist with academic learning, which requires collaboration. Olin is a small college with a relatively large number of resources for its size. At the same time, the College may not have the space or the equipment available for other types of applications and fabrication methods. Shop and lab staff will work with students to meet their goals whenever possible.

Olin has fabrication shops supporting a variety of materials and processes; the Laser Shop (MAC103), the Welding Shop (MAC104), the Spinning Machine Shop and Abrasive Room (106/107), the Mini Shop (MAC108), the CNC Shop (MAC109), the Bot Shop (MAC 116), the Proto Room (MAC125), the Wood Shop (MAC 129) and the Green Shop (MAC207), plus four labs on the 4th floor (MAC404, 406, 409, 413), the large project building, and the electrical engineering prototyping facility (MAC329).

In addition, there are numerous smaller facilities for fabrication and testing across campus. The main shops located in MAC104-107 are open from 9:00am to 6:00 PM, when the staff leave. Additional rules regarding access may be in place for particular equipment and processes in other labs or shops. Students have traditionally been permitted access to the mini and wood shops past 5pm, but this privilege is not granted lightly. Students are not allowed to use any shop or lab spaces between 2am and 6am. During the academic year, only currently enrolled students are permitted to use shop and lab spaces. During the summer, only students working on campus are permitted to use Shop and lab spaces.

These privileges come with significant responsibilities. The entire Olin community must adhere to, and help ensure that others are also following, the rules regarding lab and fabrication space usage. These are the main rules for a safe working environment for the entire community but be sure to check each individual space for unique rules or policies prior to use. Specific safety and operating procedures can be found on the machineshop.olin.edu site in addition to the training documents available in the Shop.

Access to the labs and shops only works when the entire community abides by these rules. If there are issues that arise, the College will review access to the labs and shops.

Working In Laboratories

Students wishing to use the 4^th floor laboratory spaces (MAC404, 406, 409, 413) for student group or independent work must speak to the laboratory managers before beginning a new project. Students may work in labs unsupervised if they have permission from the faculty or staff member managing the lab and they adhere to the rules of the lab space. Students working in these spaces outside of business hours (before 9:00AM or after 5:00PM, not including closure time from 2:00AM – 6:00AM) should let the lab manager know they will be working.

No student is allowed to work in such facilities alone; students must be accompanied by at least one authorized person (a “buddy”) at all times. If there is an accident, other people will be essential in calling for help and coming to the injured student’s aid. Never operate a major piece of equipment unless specifically trained and certified by a qualified Olin staff or faculty member.

Facilities, equipment, and furniture

Care for equipment and furniture: All members of the college community are expected to treat college equipment and furniture with sufficient care to avoid damage. Furniture and equipment should, when not in use, be left intact and in location. Each student is responsible for any damages caused by themselves and their guests.

Footwear

For health and safety reasons, shoes must be worn at all times in the Campus Center, Miller Academic Center, and Milas Hall.