[Noisebridge-discuss] Charging for classes at Noisebridge

Christie Dudley longobord at gmail.com
Fri Jul 16 20:06:55 UTC 2010


I haven't posted in a while, but think this discussion is important.

Historically, people have objected to charging for classes for two reasons:
1) There's an implied restriction on access to the class area for those who
have not paid for the class.  Traditionally, we've maintained that the
entire space remain open to the entire community without having to pay to
gain access to any part.
2) People who have donated money and who pay dues to see Noisebridge remain
afloat feel it's inappropriate for people to make money based on their
donations.

That said, I think if these concerns are met, it's entirely reasonable to
ask for money for classes.  I think we could get a higher-caliber class
going on, with more student commitment, as well as more dedicated
instructors.  Also, instructors would have a better idea of how many
students would be attending, so would be better able to prepare accordingly.

I think Josh's example addresses both these concerns:  He didn't restrict
access, as well as provided a "low-income" participation solution to those
who asked, and donated a portion of the proceeds to Noisebridge.  I think it
would be a bad idea to codify this, as every class is unique, so long as
everyone is excellent in terms of respecting everyone else's perspectives.

One of the big issues when I was coordinating the German classes was
people's lack of commitment to show up.  We had a highly qualified
(award-winning, even) teacher who put a lot of effort into the class for
free.  The teacher eventually gave up on us after a few sessions of nobody
showing, which made me feel really bad.  She offered her services for free
and we wasted her time.  I think if we had some sort of pay-in-advance
system set up with that, people would be more committed to showing up for
what they paid for as well as been less likely for people who are unlikely
to actually do so to say they're coming if they have to put their money
where their mouth is.



_______
"Great spirits have always found violent opposition from mediocrities. The
latter cannot understand it when a man does not thoughtlessly submit to
hereditary prejudices but honestly and courageously uses his intelligence."
-- Albert Einstein


On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 12:48 PM, Mike Schachter <mike at mindmech.com> wrote:

> Thanks for bringing this up Josh!
>
> I'm pro-free-education, but am not anti-getting-paid. Some points I
> have from a previous email about the subject:
>
> 1) People paying for classes are not more privileged to use
> the space than non-paying people, and should not be given priority
> in regards to space.
>
> 2) Any for-profit class takes up space at NB and thus money should
> go to NB. Transparency and profit sharing with NB should be strongly
> suggested, and enforced if possible.
>
> 3) There should be a cap on the per person/hour charge so that low-income
> people don't feel excluded.
>
>   mike
>
>
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jul 16, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Albert Sweigart <asweigart at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> I'm for for-pay classes at Noisebridge where they are to get people
>> invested in the close and/or cover the classes expenses. Though I like
>> and encourage free and open workshops, I also support (for lack of a
>> better word) more commercial classes at Noisebridge (though in that
>> case Noisebridge should be getting money for providing a venue.)
>>
>> Either way, I think this is something that the secretary should
>> coordinate and make decisions on.
>>
>> -Al
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>>
>
>
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