The Olin Shop Community Values

Welcome to The Shop. Whether you're a current student, faculty, staff, or a visitor exploring what we do, these are the values that shape how we work, teach, and build together.

The Shop is a space to take care of

• This space is yours — and it also belongs to everyone else in our community, regardless of their role at Olin or the path they're on.
• Your project is never more important than your physical safety. If any part of an operation, the space, or your own wellbeing feels unsafe, ask for help. The Shop has deep resources, and there's almost always a better way to do it, or someone who can show you how.
• No one has an exclusive right to the tools or resources in The Shop.
• Always clean up after yourself, and leave the space the way it should be: clean and ready for the next person.

The Shop is a learning space

• It's okay not to know how to do something — ask. If something goes wrong even when you were confident in what you were doing, ask for help figuring out what happened and fixing anything that broke. Things break. You're not in trouble. We just need to know, so we can repair it, understand why, and keep The Shop working well for everyone.
• Everyone arrives with a different level of experience, and most of us started with none at all. We learned what to do here — you can too.
• Even if you've used a machine extensively elsewhere, you'll still train and demonstrate your ability the way everyone else does, using the safety standards we've set for our equipment.

The Shop is accessible, and everyone belongs here

• You don't need a particular major, background, or resume of prior experience to be a maker. If you're curious, you belong in The Shop.
• We work to remove barriers — physical, financial, and social — that keep people from participating fully. If something about the space, a tool, or a process isn't working for you, tell us. That feedback helps us make The Shop work better for everyone.
• Belonging isn't just about being let in the door. It's about being seen, supported, and given a real chance to learn and contribute, no matter your identity, experience level, or how long you've been part of this community.
• If you ever feel unwelcome, unseen, or unsupported in The Shop, that's something we want to know about and fix — not something to quietly work around.

Questions are encouraged and welcome

• We learn by asking questions. No one in The Shop will make you feel like your question is a dumb one.
• If you know something someone else doesn't, share it constructively. There's no room for condescension toward someone who hasn't learned something yet.

We celebrate in The Shop

• Made something well, or gotten something working? We want to hear about it, see it in action, and maybe even display it once you're done.
• Fantastic failures are just as valuable as successes — they're often where the real learning happens.

The Shop is an evolving community

• People make The Shop what it is. As a member of this community, you have both the power and the responsibility to help it keep improving and evolving.
• What worked for Olin a few years ago might not be what's best for Olin now. Every part of The Shop described here is a living, evolving thing — and that evolution only happens if the community takes an active role in shaping it.
• That means you. You're now responsible, too, for what The Olin Shop Community becomes next. Make it what you want to see.