User:Books/Club Vote 2026

Sponsor

• Books

Vote Results

 Quorum:[ ~75 ]

Statement of Purpose

Amend the original club vote based on a year of club oversight experience and expedite boosted status for established clubs that are seeking further support.

Schedule

Proposal Date

Date this proposal was posted to the membership and a request for a vote date was sent to the Board.

March 24 2026

Member Input

Does the Sponsor choose to open the language of the vote for changes due to member input? (optional and can be modified at any time)

YES

Vote Announcement and Beginning Date of the Discussion Period

March 24 2026

Language Lock Date and Start of Voting

Five days prior to the Day of the Vote, the vote language is locked, all edits are frozen, and the language of the vote is converted to a pdf file. Ballots that include the pdf are sent to the Membership, and electronic voting begins. Note that the minimum discussion period of seven days leaves only two days for changes before the lock takes place.

March 26 2026

Day of the Vote

Date the Board has assigned for the vote. The Day of the Vote is the day the vote closes.

March 31 2026

Background

Clubs - member initiated activities and meetings which are often open to public participation, also known as Interest Groups arise from the Membership Agreement which specifically permits members to invite visitors to the space as long as they are supervised, and the foundational concept of JFDI. The oldest documented continuing group activity that could be called a club was Power Wheels Racing Series in 2009, only a year after Pumping Station: One was officially founded, and is now known as Power Racing Series. It has since formed its own non-profit, but continues to use Pumping Station: One for storage and meetings. NERP or Not Exclusively Raspberry Pi also has a long history, hosted by Ed Bennet since 2012. Both of these groups have increased the profile of Pumping Station: One and been of great benefit to the membership.

James Lamken has identified the need to expand on the clubs and activities we have at PS1 in his campaign for President, as well as the importance of member involvement. At the time of this vote, we now own the PS:1 building and are making good progress towards paying off the loan. The loan payments are currently funded primarily by member dues. We've seen the membership continue to grow at a modest rate. Our support for clubs and activities that can be attended by prospective members and enhance the membership of current members are essential in continuing that trend.

I can attest to the effectiveness of clubs bringing in new members. When Shellie was Arts Area Host, she organized regular craft nights and put them on the calendar as open to the public. I had toured Pumping Station before, but regular interaction with members at crafts night was what lead me to eventually become a member myself. It should be noted that while many clubs are long-lived, some are ephemeral. There are no longer public craft nights in Arts, but several other great activities have sprung up to take its place.

Most clubs require only a room to meet, and are completely member organized without any input or direct supervision from the board. Electronic Music Mangling Group, Linux Club, and Python Office Hours are current examples of these kinds of groups. Other groups are organized or develop in coordination with Area Hosts, who give them funding and area space to grow. For example, Ceramics Office Hours operates with the support of the Small Metals Area Host, and shares the kilns for clay firing.

The Open Organisation Of Lockpickers (TOOOL) predates Pumping Station: One by several years, but had made it the center for its regular monthly meet-ups. TOOOL Chicago has been a great resource for PS:1 and organized several popular large events. Lyn Coel discovered TOOOL after becoming a PS:1 member in 2013, and went on to win the 1st place Chicago Locksport award in 2017. In addition to the volunteer positions she has held at the space, she became co-president of TOOOL in 2023. TOOOL meets the first Wednesday of every month in the lounge. Due to the stigma associated with developing a deep understanding of the design and vulnerabilities of locks (a stigma with which hackers are keenly familiar) reporting individuals who attend TOOOL meetings has become a barrier to its continued participation in the boosted club framework.

Linux Meetup has been meeting bi-weekly on Thursday at 7pm in electronics for several years, and has seen a significant increase in attendance and activity since it began being lead by Rubin A. Rubin has also been hosting Home Lab meetups on alternate Thursdays in the same place and time slot. He has recently combined the events, making this a well-attended weekly social highlight at Pumping Station: One.

Ceramics Office Hours has been meeting weekly from 6:30-9:30pm and often continuing until later. Meetings were listed on the public calendar starting in February, and have been running in an unofficial capacity on the Discord calendar since last year. Knute and Claudio have been hosting classes on clay throwing, glazing, and modeling. They've built a vibrant ceramics community at PS:1, and organized members to pool their funds to make group bulk purchases of clay and other supplies.

Sewing Machine Maintenance has been meeting monthly on the first Tuesday from 7pm-8pm. They began meeting in the Member lounge in February 2025 and have done an excellent job of advertising the event to the public. They fill the lounge monthly with people and sewing machines, and give free help and guidance to people seeking to keep their private sewing machines working and well maintained. This publicizes Pumping Station: One's existence more broadly and helps us fulfill our 501c3 responsibility to the community. Joe S., Henry and ??? have done a great job of creating a welcoming and safe space for people to come to support each other's independence.

These clubs are great examples of people being excellent to each other and building the Pumping Station: One community.

Synopsis

The goal of this amendment is to:

1. Advertise that organizing activities and hosting events is valued and can be subsidized by the Pumping Station: One membership, and that boosted club establishment and small resource requests can be handled by the committee without requiring hosts to write additional votes or increasing the risk of vote fatigue by the membership.
2. Amend the policy to allow select clubs to report attendance numbers instead of naming specific individuals in their reports.
3. Amend the policy to reflect realistic expectations of the committee when it comes to removing boosted status from clubs not meeting the club policy expectations.
4. Amend the policy to explicitly allow hybrid virtual / in-person events.
5. Amend the policy to make posting to the public calendar a more explicit requirement.
6. Expedite some long-running clubs to the roster of clubs with boosted status, as well as give their volunteer Club Hosts free membership.

While the previous iteration of this document made it clear that boosted club events need to be posted publicly, I'd like to add further explanation for this policy since the requirement has been questioned. Pumping Station: One events that only require space do not need any amount of advertisement, and posting publicly or on the forum is only encouraged to increase participation and avoid conflicts with other events. Once an activity gets special resources and support from the membership, it also receives the special responsibility to give back to the membership. Not all members have access to the calendar on the forum. Posting directly on the website is a more reliable way of granting all members (whose funds and service allow the club to exist) equal access to boosted activities in the space. While not all boosted activities need to allow participation from non-members, sharing boosted activities publicly also creates a more accurate picture of how active the community at Pumping Station: One is to people considering joining the organization.

In addition to amending the policy and framework for boosted clubs, this vote will establish some existing activities as boosted clubs.

1. Linux Meetup (Rubin A.)
2. Ceramics Office Hours (Knute M & Claudio V.)
3. Sewing Machine Maintenance (Joe S.)

This vote will grant Rubin, Claudio, and Joe free membership and volunteer status.

Giving the formalized status and support to these clubs comes with the responsibility to report minutes via email regularly to the Club Committee (clubs at ps1) on attendance and activity. Boosted clubs that consistently fail to fulfill this requirement may lose their boosted status.

Any group of members can start a club, schedule meetings, and report attendance and activity (minutes) via email to the board secretary. After 3 months of fulfilling these requirements, the club will become eligible for boosted club status and able to request privileges from the board without a member vote. Since the original Club Vote in 2024/2025, the CCO has granted Windy City Amateur Radio Society (WCARS) and Python Office Hours boosted status along with granting Garett M. and Carl K. WILD status. The CCO has also granted WCARS and Renegade Recycling catwalk storage, and Cycle Station: One a $1.1k budget.

Members who are interested in getting organizational support for social activity in the space are encouraged to contact a member of the Club Committee or a Club Host of an existing boosted club for help meeting the requirements of this policy.

Language of the Vote

Terms for the Status Quo

This is language not intended to add new features to Club behavior, but to create useful terms to describe already existing activity.

A Sponsoring Member (referred to in brief as "Sponsor") is a Pumping Staton: One member in good standing who voluntarily and intentionally offers their personal assurance for a guest or guests to Pumping Station: One, and is responsible for their supervision. The expectation for guests are outlined in the Membership Agreement. This vote does not change any aspect of that agreement. The Membership agreement is currently the primary document that governs guest behavior in the space.

A Club Host is the person designated to be responsible for the activities of the Club. The Club Host may be, but is NOT REQURIED to be a Pumping Station: One member. The only requirement for a Club Host is that they are not banned from the premises of Pumping Station: One. Club Hosts that are members in good standing also qualify as Sponsors for the Club and for Club Events. A Club Host may choose to pass responsibility for the Club to another person eligible to be a Club Host.

A Club Event is a group meeting or activity attended by members of the club and advertised beforehand to encourage general participation. Club Events are listed on the Pumping Station: One public calendar, as well as posted on the forum. The current public calendar is available on the website operated via Google Calendar. The current forum is hosted by Discord. The hosting service for either of these may change without amending this policy.

Club Minutes (referred to in brief as "Minutes") are a report of a scheduled club activity or meeting. The essential components of that report are

1. a list of the names of people in attendance (or attendance numbers alone in some circumstances.)
2. a list of activities or topics of discussion, agreements, or arrangements that occurred during that specific activity or meeting.

An Area Club is a club that receives financial support and reserved space from an Area Host. Area Hosts are given significant autonomy in establishing the rules for their Area and how they spend their budget. Activities that need reserved space and are thematically aligned with the Area are often given exemption from normal Tidy Space rules when confined to space designated for that use by the Area Host.

Boosted Clubs

The Committee for Club Oversight (referred to in brief as "Club Oversight") is a committee formed by the Board to assist the Board Secretary in reviewing Club Minutes and making recommendations to the Board. Club Minutes, Boosted Club Host changes, and requests for funds, space, or membership, should be directed to Club Oversight. In the absence of a designated Committee, those items are instead sent directly to the Board Secretary. Decisions of the Committee should ideally be done by consensus, but in the case of an impasse, decisions can be made by vote. In the event of a tie vote of the committee, the President's vote is the tiebreaker. If the President is not part of the committee, the Vice President's vote becomes the tiebreaker. If neither of those offices are represented on the committee, the Secretary's vote is the tie breaker.

Boosted Clubs are groups of people that meet the following criteria:

1. Have a designated Club Host
2. Include at least one sponsor, which may be the same person as the Club Host in the case that the Club Host is a member
3. Are recognized by the board or by vote as a Boosted Club

Boosted Clubs are expected to

1. Hold (at a minimum) one boost-qualifying Club Event every calendar month
2. Report Minutes via email to the Pumping Station: One Committee for Club Oversight (CCO).

Boosted Clubs may correlate to not-for-profit entities distinct and independent from Pumping Station: One but that share space and resources. Those clubs may share the name of their not-for-profit organization, but the Boosted Club and the organization remain separate entities. For example, if the Boosted Club is loses its status by Board or Member vote, the organization would still exist. Likewise, if the organization loses its charter from the state, the Boosted Club may still continue to organize Events. It is suggested that the leader of the organization also serve as the Club Host, but as the organization is distinct from the Club, this is not required.

Club Hosts of Boosted clubs hold more responsibility. While Club Hosts are not required to schedule Club Events or send Minutes themselves, they are ultimately responsible if these essential tasks are not performed. Boosted Club Hosts can pass responsibility for their club to a new eligible person, but they must inform Club Oversight about the change.

For a Club Event To meet the qualifications for Boosted status, a Club Event must meet the following criteria:

1. It must appear on Pumping Station: One's public calendar at least 72 hours before the event occurs, and the calendar post must accurately represent the event's actual place and time
2. If all attendees are not members, must be attended by at least one Sponsor
3. Must be open to attendance by any member of Pumping Station: One in good standing

The event can take many forms.

1. It may be a meeting or activity where participants attend in person on the premises of Pumping Station: One
2. It may be a virtual event or virtual / in-person hybrid event where club participants interact through teleconferencing technology
3. It may be a meeting or activity that takes place in person at a location within 30 minutes of travel via public transportation from the premises of Pumping Station: One.

Qualifying club events will NOT restrict Pumping Station: One members from attending based on an entry fee or other material remuneration. A Club Event can be held in a commercial establishment like a restaurant or cafe, on the basis that all attendees are not expected to purchase service; it is advised that those organizing such events make arrangements with the proprietors of those establishments beforehand. This policy does not change the status quo with regard to existing clubs and their events. While all clubs are encouraged to appropriately advertise their activities to the membership (and when appropriate, to the public), make their events accessible, and meet regularly, these higher expectations are for Boosted Clubs and Clubs seeking Boosted status.

Club Minutes may contain any number of names of people who attended, but to count toward the criteria set for Boosted Clubs, there must be at least three people in attendance, and if there are people who are not members in that group, at least one of the group must be a sponsor. In special circumstances when the Club Host is a PS:1 member, Club Oversight may waive the requirement that individual people in attendance be named in the minutes. Minutes for a scheduled meeting or activity must be submitted to Club Oversight within 8 days from the date of the scheduled meeting or activity. Keeping minutes and submitting them to Club Oversight is important for existing Boosted Clubs, and Clubs seeking Boosted status, but is strictly optional for all other groups and activities. Clubs may also send photographs taken during events to assist the board in promoting the mission of Pumping Station: One.

A Boosted Club that fails to hold events that attract the minimum attendance, or fails to report events in an accurate and timely manner will jeopardize their boosted status. Its Club Host may no longer be eligible for waived membership for holding Club Events, and if the Club has reserved space, that space may become subject to either the Area Host's rules or the rules governing general areas. The Club Host may no longer be permitted to spend member funds earmarked for their Club's events.

Resources allocated to Boosted Clubs may also be increased or decreased by Club Oversight. Club Oversight should consider factors such as need for resources, the size of the Club, the frequency the Club meets, how much publicity the Club attracts, how well the Club is documented, how well the Club cleans up after events, how organized/clean/well-labelled their allocated space is, and finally the Club's history of regular attendance.

A Club that has lost its Boosted status can regain that status by following the steps expected of Clubs seeking Boosted status.

The following Clubs are Boosted by this vote

1. Linux Meetup is granted boosted status with Rubin A. as the Club Host. Rubin A. is granted membership status at no cost for the duration of his service.
2. Ceramics Office Hours is granted boosted status with Claudio V. as the Club Host. Claudio V. is granted membership status at no cost for the duration of his service. Ceramics Office Hours is granted storage in the Small Metals Area and a $500 slice of the recently allocated Club Oversight budget. This grant does not change the balance of unallocated member funds.
3. Sewing Machine Maintenance is granted boosted status with Joe S. as the Club Host. Joe S. is granted membership status at no cost for the duration of her service.

Updated Reporting Requirements

1. TOOOL was granted boosted status under the previous vote, and has met all the reporting requirements for boosted status until very recently. TOOOL is now exempt from reporting individuals in attendance, and instead is expected to report approximate attendance numbers instead. Other clubs may request a similar change in reporting expectations to be granted by the determination of the Committee for Club Oversight.

Authoritative Document

Once this vote passes, it becomes the authoritative document on club policy, supplanting the original Club Vote. Other documents on the wiki that exist to communicate the policy defined by the vote will be updated to reflect the changes. The Club Vote page will be updated to indicate its deprecated status and a link will be added directing people to this page.