More than two years ago, Delta College hosted a grand-opening event for the campus Maker Space.
The December 2022 event included tours of Holt 126. Not much making is going on these days however, as the center now sits closed.
“There is considerable potential to unlock here,” said Associate Vice President of Career Technical Education & Workforce Development Pedro Mendez.
The inactivity of the space jeopardizes the alignment to Delta College’s Strategic Plan, which includes an action to “establish the Makers Space on campus as a small business incubator to facilitate innovation and entrepreneurship in partnership with high schools and community organizations,”. The Maker Space has not been used in accordance with this objective.
“The project had significant momentum until March 2020. However, it faced numerous challenges during the implementation and opening phases, including the negative impact of COVID-19-related closures, leadership transitions and supply chain delays. These factors made it difficult to launch the space and prepare it for community engagement,” said Sokun Somsack, Director of Delta’s Strong Workforce Program (SWP) when asked through email correspondence to expand on the disparity between the school’s strategic plan and Maker Space’s inactivity.
The Space was funded by the SWP over the course of four years and cost $91,518 to open.
“SWP funds were allocated to support this project across four SWP funding cycles from 2017-18 to 2020-21, with each cycle covering two academic years. The majority of the expenditure was dedicated to purchasing equipment and supplies to furnish the Maker Space,” said Somsack.
Sarah Maimone is a former business and entrepreneurship intern who was part of the grand opening team for the Maker Space. Maimone is now an intern for Fierce Mustang Media, a student-run media production and content creation firm based out of the Multimedia department.
Maimone said she worries there are resources and machinery that are subject to decay and require consistent maintenance, such as 3-D printer filament and the laser-engraver, but are not receiving adequate attention.
Maimone was instrumental in the launch of the Maker Space, contributing student guidance, design and production of merchandise for the space, operating the laser-engraver, sticker printer and heat press to manufacture Maker Space branded dog tags, stickers, and tote bags respectively. Her involvement in the grand-opening reflects the potential for student growth and participation in a reopened maker space.
“It’s really disappointing, especially after the turnout for the grand-opening,” said Maimone, when speaking on the inactivity of the space.
She noted excitement for the potential of reviving the space as a means of localizing the production of school “swag,” “instead of relying on imports and third party printing sites.”
At a time where President Donald J. Trump’s tariffs are endangering the longevity of independent businesses that source imported blanks for their products, reopening the Maker Space could put the means of merchandise manufacture into the hands of Delta students and faculty while also imparting valuable work experience through a dedicated internship program, for example.
By making use of student talent and abilities, Delta has the opportunity to cut out third-party production as a middle-man and potentially cut down on merch expenditures.
Mechanical engineering student, Adrian Recaniya said “it could benefit the mechanics,” by seeing “if a design works before the large scale.”
As of now, the space remains closed.
“…it may be the right time to reevaluate how the space fits into the curriculum, work more closely with the student clubs and intentionally partner with similar makerspaces or incubator efforts in Stockton and San Joaquin,” said Perez in an email. Interest in the revival of the campus Maker Space is strong among faculty and students alike.
A reopened Maker Space could present valuable growth opportunities for aspiring students on campus and the cultivation of a unified student-culture through expanded collaboration between interrelated programs.
