Co-op Life
Co-op Living
Life at the co-op is HUGELY DIFFERENT than any other student living arrangement. The communal dining, the chore shifts, the special projects, the committees, the social events, and the many common areas all combine to offer countless opportunities to connect with the other several hundred of your fellow members.
Most of the value of living at the co-op is not the affordability, but the connections you make and the experience you have that may well last a lifetime. In addition to making friends, the co-op offers many leadership opportunities, which will serve as practice for the time you will find yourself in leadership positions in your career.
The Co-op hires limited full-time staff to help facilitate the day-to-day operation of the organization.
Chore Shifts & "QPH"
Every member is responsible for performing 4-5 hours chore per week. Members do the vast majority of work to make the place run. Chore areas include: maintenance, kitchen, administration, mail handling, gardening, tech support, security, social events, governance, and many other specialties often proposed by individual members. Members commonly move from one type of chore shift to another from one quarter to the next.
All chore shifts are arranged so that they do not conflict with classes or outside employment, and members are welcome to reschedule as necessary.
In addition, members must take turns cleaning their bathroom and must do additional 4 hours on some kind of project or projects any time during the quarter, what we call Quarter Project Hours or "QPH." A "project" can be anything that enhances life at the co-op, either physically, aesthetically, emotionally, or socially. The possibilities are limited only by your imagination.
Activities & Social Life
Even the shiest members cannot help but connect in with other members, even if only their roommate(s) and chore shift mates. Beyond that, member are continuously encouraged to participate in a wide variety of aspects of co-op life, including attending committee meetings, working on a team project, joining an interest "circle," and coming to events organized by fellow members.
Ultimately, it will be the connections you make with other members that will enrich your stay and hugely enhance your life well beyond your time here.
