You may have discovered the reason that the low effort predators are there, as well.

Ha ha ha it really is full of creeps.

You have an email address form an expensive university. You make good posts and seem thoughtful. Why do you think that you have no choices in an event space? Question your assumptions!

What's the ownership / management structure?

If the point is for it to be used as a hacker space, and it isn't being used as such, are they interested in focusing it on that?

What about the local library? They usually have meeting rooms.

Yes, it's an unusually disfunctional hacker space.

Maybe rooms for individual study, but not meeting rooms for ~20 people. That shit costs hundreds of dollars per hour.

I can't tell from your post if this is something you checked or an assumption. My small town library not only has space for 20 people events, it has a dedicated tech space used for it-related education and events.

I'm sure not every town has that kind of facilities, but if you haven't actually checked yet, please do. Libraries are awesome and often overlooked.

Alternative idea: Some cafes that close in the afternoon are happy to open as a meeting space in the evening at not-terrible prices.

Trust me, I have checked. And I wish you had trusted me to be truthful without making me reiterate it.