With October celebrating National Co-op Month, if the Inter-Cooperative Council has its way, the terms "guff," "picker-mint" and "tres chez" will become a part of your everyday vocabulary. Yet, to people living in the Student Housing Cooperatives, such lingo is not only frequently used, it has become integrated into part of the special language used in communication between co-op members.
How the co-op known as Joint House derived its name remains questionable. Joint - could it possibly be an indication of the so-called special activities rumored to have occurred within the house's history? Its members, however, attempt to appear convincing as they claim that it is because the house, in reality, is two houses joined together in the center by a newly constructed hallway, often endearingly referred to by its members as "The Ghetto."
Each cooperative has its own distinctive personality reflective of its members, as in the case of Joint House which is also reputed to have large parties. Another co-op, Stevens House, is popular for its studying atmosphere, whereas members of the Gregory House voted to have their house substance-free. The knock-stomping Nakamuras ... well, enough said.
The Nakamura House is one of the 18 group houses in the centrally organized nonprofit Inter-Cooperative Council, which is located on 337 E. William St. This organization is recognized by the IRS as non profit and protected under state law. With a $2 million annual budget, the ICC is able to offer scholarships to students having difficulty with their dues. Bradford Karrer, president of the ICC, stressed these scholarships
when he said, "Fundamental about co-ops is that it's a group of people coming together to meet a common need they couldn't meet otherwise."
The ICC is involved with University Housing. A five-year retreat is in progress at which the ICC's board members, together with the presidents of the co-ops, gather on Sundays. Currently, the members of the ICC are working on an exercise called "vision building," in which they create long-term goals, or visions.
They are also rewriting the ICC's mission statement. The statement reads, "We the members of the ICC shall work together using cooperative principles to provide affordable, high-quality housing for all students. We shall strive for an open, diverse and empowered membership, positive social change and expansion of both the cooperative and the cooperative movement."
Student housing cooperatives house around 5,000 students on 50 or so college campuses throughout the nation. The North American Students of Cooperation - a national organization for student co-ops with education as their main purpose - is based in our own Ann Arbor.
The co-ops on campus are not solely restricted to University students and aren't even University-affiliated, although one is required to be a student to live in a co-op. Many students from Washtenaw Community College and Eastern Michigan University live on campus together with University students. The co-ops on the University, which are all coed, are sprawled across the entire campus - they are located anywhere between Washtenaw Avenue to Gilbert Court on North Campus.
Perhaps the most unique aspect of living in a co-op is the incorporation of the idea of true empowerment. Without a landlord to enforce rules and make profits, the co-op does more than simply house students: It is owned, made up of and exists for the students. Thus, co-ops offer members / owners more control over their own lives.
Each member contributes about four hours of chores per week. Time allotted for each job, such as cooking or cleaning, is decided beforehand. One will do such jobs as restocking the pop machine or being a "food czar," co-op lingo for food-ordering stewards.
Decisions are made democratically, on individual, house and ICC-wide levels. House budgets are collectively set by members. The savings of cooperative living mean that co-ops usually cost over $1,000 less than dormitories per academic year. The price of living at a co-op is what most attracts its members.
Ping Chu, a co-op resident and LSA junior, was attracted to the co-ops for many reasons. "The main reason a lot of people live in co-ops is the economics. We get a nice room, six meals a week including snacks and breakfast. It's a good deal, a bargain, a chance to meet all these people that I wouldn't have met in a dorm or apartment. More amazing is the fact that with so many people in the house, we all seem to get along pretty well," he said.
An occasional argument over which beer to serve at a party or a squabble in the co-ed bathroom may occur. Disputes will also arise during room assignments. Rooms are given according to seniority and single rooms as well as doubles are options at the cooperatives. "It's not a utopia, we have our own problems. Problems living with the opposite sex arise too," said Eric Gellert, a co-op resident and LSA junior.
Thus, one who expects co-op lifestyle to be free of responsibilities while simultaneously allowing absolute freedom might be disillusioned. High amounts of personal freedom are stressed, but only if a high amount of group responsibility is also emphasized.
" ... And incest is strongly discouraged," added Gellert with other co-op members chuckling. Possibly another inside joke? When asked to elucidate, it was discovered that incest, in co-op terminology, is defined as a romantically involved inter-cooperative relationship. Incest, it seems, is discouraged in favor of maintaining the one-of-a-kind camaraderie formed in the student co-ops.
The special bonds developed among co-opers are best described by co-oper Mike Nellis, an LSA junior, who said, "The people here are not as judgmental. You can be yourself, act the way you are. Everybody can be who they want to be, act how they want to act without being fake. You don't have to put on a little air or disguise 'cause everybody is different. Really, the best way to fit in is to just be yourself."
For those still curious, it is rumored that "guff" is a term meaning free food. An excerpt from the Owner's Manual for the Inter-Cooperative Council at the University provides a more eloquent definition: "As you may be aware, the dorms and most of the Greek houses have a nasty habit of putting huge locks on their refrigerator doors, but the co-ops provide food to members 24 hours a day, for even snacking and creative late night concoctions. This food is known as 'guff.'"
Co-ops provide a truly unique living experience that is unlike dormatories, Greek houses or even apartment buildings. And besides, if you have later night cravings for some "guff," where else can you go?
JENNIFER BRADLEY-SWIFT/Daily
Engineering graduate student Mike Hernandez and engineering senior Adrienne Johnson prepare dinner Monday night at Luther House.