User:William Kent/Election 2021 Survey

How long have you been a member of i3?

I first became a full member in November of 2019. I first heard of i3 on an Internet search, and I fell in love at first sight.

What is i3?

i3 is a community of passionate people who come together to support each other, both with our projects and with our day-to-day lives. The i3 community helped me endure the 2020 COVID-19 lockdown, because even though the space was closed, the people I met there never went away.

What types of personal projects do you work on?

Cosplay, cosplay, cosplay. I have owned and worn many costumes over my career as a cosplayer. (There are so many that I can’t even guess at a total count.) However, I have never actually completed creating a costume from scratch yet. My interests tend towards armor or masked cosplays that have parts that can be 3D printed.

What appointments have you held/do you hold now at i3?

I was a member of the COVID-19 Committee for a brief time during the summer of 2021.

What projects have you worked on to improve i3?

None — yet. This is a result of the realities of being a part-time college student with a part-time job. (Also, the length of my commute to and from i3 is quite long. Since I do not drive, I must Uber back and forth, and the cost of doing so adds up quickly.) I have not directly participated in any PotLocks or other dedicated improvement projects to date. However, I have followed the expansion plans closely, especially those for the Sewing zone.

What qualities do you look for in a fellow board member?

Being able to count on them being reliable. The i3 Board has a great responsibility to the membership-at-large.

Why are you interested in being a board member?

I want to give back to the organization that has given so much for me. I am honored to have been nominated for elections to a seat on the Board.

What is the biggest issue at i3 you hope to address in the next year?

Finishing the expansion. I remember donating to the i3 expansion crowdfunding campaign shortly after I joined, and I want to see the project through to the end.

What are your long-term goals for i3?

Making i3 be the best makerspace it can possibly be. I want i3 to have a large membership, be financially prosperous, and to hold regular events both inside the i3 membership and in the outside community. But above all, I want i3 to be a place that people can look to as an example of a well-run makerspace.

What makes i3 great? Why do you keep coming back?

The community, by far. Everyone here has been extremely supportive and welcoming every time I have interacted with them, even when the rare disagreement crops up.

What isn’t i3 for?

Taking things we provide and not giving anything back. Although, once you become as involved a member as I am, it becomes quite difficult to not give back to the community in some form.

What will I do if the board or members pass a decision you disagree with? Will you enforce it?

Even if I disagree with a rule that has been passed, the rule must be extremely odious before I would even think about defying it. I am a very rules-abiding person, and should I be elected, I would expect that of others. There is also a huge difference between not complying with a rule because you believe it is wrong, and flaunting a rule just because you think that it is annoying.

What changes do you feel need to be made in i3 policy?

I'm not terribly qualified to speak to this point, so the best answer I can give is that no changes are needed. In my experiences i3 policies are well-designed and have had very few problems.

Can you commit to responding to direct questions in a reasonable (48-72 hour) time frame?

Always. I try to make a point of responding immediately to any emails or messages sent to me whenever doing so is possible.

Will you participate in solving uncomfortable discipline problems, or will you just do nothing and hope they fade away?

I would advocate for solving any discipline problems that may arise in a prompt but fair manner. It is my responsibility as a Board member to handle these cases, no matter how uncomfortable the issue at hand may be.