BUILDS, an innovation and design center located in Boston University’s Math and Computer Sciences building, plans to use over $100 in funding granted from BU Student Government to purchase electric circuit-building equipment for its space.
Max Mesirow, president of BUILDS, said the funding amount of $116.84 will secure new equipment purchases to facilitate innovation-based construction and collaborative learning in the space, which is open to all BU students.
Mesirow said that appealing to SG’s Senate was the best way to receive funding, as Student Activities Office would not have been able to grant them money due to its strict guidelines.
“The way that the BU funding is structured is not very flexible,” the College of Arts and Sciences junior said. “If you’re trying to get money from the SAO, it has to be for events, making it really hard for us because a lot of the items we needed are things not really for a specific event.”
Mesirow said BUILDS offers plenty of opportunities for BU students to engage in project building and programming.
The club serves two primary functions: offering students guidance on constructing projects and providing equipment to build structures they might not otherwise be able to, Mesirow explained.
“If we offer students more resources that enable them to do more. It enables them to make more things,” Mesirow said. “And that’s really what our mission is — to help students and to encourage students to make things.”
Mesirow said the new equipment — made possible by the funding — will be beneficial to this mission.
The funding will help pay for larger safety goggles, since the current ones cannot fit over the glasses worn by many club members.
Mesirow said BUILDS will also be purchasing a new precision screwdriver set, a vise and breadboards, which are used for testing circuits. In addition, the funding will provide new batteries and anti-static bags, which are used to ensure the durability of computers, he added.
SG Executive Vice President of Internal Affairs Eva Jungreis wrote in an email that she hopes SG’s funding will help BUILDS maintain the creativity and support SG seeks to foster.
“Their goal of providing students with the resources they need to pursue their interests is laudable, and having an environment which is not only accessible but also safe is important in accomplishing that goal,” Jungreis wrote.
Jungreis added that the funding will ensure maximum student safety while working on projects, especially with the new safety goggles.
The funding from SG will support BUILDS and encourage students to start their own projects in the space, Mesirow said.
Several students said they enjoy BUILDS’ ability to foster a collaborative environment and members appreciate SG’s contribution to their club.
Chris Joe, a senior in CAS and BUILDS member, said the club and its activities provide a unique sense of community for technology-oriented students.
“It really fosters a really good aspect of coming around, building stuff, hanging out and also there are workshops I personally enjoy,” Joe said. “It’s somewhere I can just be without a lot of pressure to do anything for good or worse.”
Brooke Mullen, a junior in CAS and BUILDS member, said she finds the club welcoming and has made several friends there.
“BUILDS is really good at interacting with other organizations and clubs, not just in the department but throughout the school, so I think that says a lot about the really involved aspect of it,” Mullen said.
Fiona Whittington, a junior in the College of Communication who is not a member of BUILDS, said as the president of Girls Who Code BU, she’d like to see SG’s funds evenly distributed among clubs on campus.
“We actually host events with BUILDS periodically, like socials where girls can become more familiar with what BUILDS does, encourage them to join the club and kind of diversify their friendship,” Whittington said. “BUILDS is an excellent resource for some students, but I would like to see a more mainstreamed practice and regulations for distributing funds to clubs.”
