A house shrouded in secrecy with its own set rules — you would think Cornell would condemn this sort of behavior. However, Cornell not only recognizes this behavior, but endorses it via Cooperative Housing.
Cooperative Housing, more commonly referred to as “co-ops,” is an alternative housing arrangement for students looking to live on campus, but with fewer restrictions than those you would find in a residential dorm. There are currently eight University owned co-ops, each with their own distinct atmosphere. One house boasts of a basement that is used to host parties for bands, while another is rumored to have a house with six showerheads for one shower.
Though most students opt to live in their Greek houses, residential dorms or off-campus housing after their freshmen year, for some students, co-ops present an opportunity for more independent living but also the reassurance that the University will help them in a problem arises in their living situation.
Living in a co-op is also considerably less expensive then living in some parts of Collegetown and Ithaca. A two bedroom apartment costs on average $893 per month, according to an article in The Ithaca Journal. Comparatively, to live in Von Cramm, where a double costs $3,840 according to the Cornell Housing’s website, it is only $426 per month.
Co-ops also offer students a more familiar environment where residents can more easily form family-like bonds due to the abundance of common space in the houses. What also makes the co-ops unique is their architecture, many of them older houses with historical ties to Ithaca.
One such house is 660 Stewart. They are currently in the process of trying to build a new roof, but because the house is located in the historical district of Stewart, residents of the house have encountered many difficulties in trying to get a new roof, since every tile has to be specially made.
Julie Paige, assistant director of campus life residential programs, who is overseeing this process explained that even though the project has not gone as well the residents would have liked, she explained, “We get to work with a group of students who are dealing with problems that most people don’t encounter in their adult life until they’re 40 or 50 years old. This is an experience that will guide them for the rest of their lives.”
Co-ops generally try to maintain a balanced ratio of males to females in the houses if they are coed, but in recent years it has become increasingly difficult for females to secure a spot in the house of their choice because more females than males apply to live in co-ops. Paige said that one house that might not be having as much difficulty with this problem is Watermargin since they have a lot of single rooms.
She offered one explanation for this trend. Paige said, “Co-ops want it to be as balanced as possible so they’ll try to save more spaces for males because they want them in the houses.” She added that fewer males may apply to live in co-ops because of the connotation of the word “co-op.”
“The only thing I can think of is gender stereotypes where females are more cooperative and males are competitive. The word ‘co-op’ has certain connotations tied to cooperative, but there is nothing grounded in that answer.”
Andres Ohara-Plotnik ’08, current president of the 660 Stewart co-op, has another theory. He said, “Guys are more reluctant to join co-ops because they are seduced early on by the fraternities … Guys think [frats] are the only game in town.”
The primary difference between living in a co-op and traditional university housing is that students are responsible for cleaning and maintenance. In a co-op, students sign a University housing contract with similar terms and conditions as those used for traditional dorms. But students living in co-ops also have to abide by house rules established by the individual houses themselves. House rules usually delineate the chore schedule including bathroom, cooking and cleaning obligations.
Paige explained, “They all have chores, but each house does them in a different way.”
However, one problem that frequently arises in the co-ops is people not doing their chores. Yet, this is not a unique problem, as anyone who has ever lived with a roommate can explain. But unlike living with a roommate in Collegetown, usually a facilities inspector will not knock on your door to remind you to do them.
Emma Marshak ’10, who lives in the Triphammer co-op said, “Chores are due on Sunday at 6 p.m. But if your chores aren’t done by 10 p.m. then the house manager will knock on your door to remind that person.”
Residents living in the Triphammer co-op must also perform four house hours every semester, in which they take it upon themselves to improve one aspect of the house from decorating to cleaning. Marshak explained that if a person fails to do their hours, they face a $50 fine for every hour of service not completed.
One girl who did not complete her hours had to face a $200 penalty from the University.
Paige, who coordinates facilities and maintenance projects, said that it is very rare for a house to remove someone for not doing their chores. But there was one case where a house voted to remove a student after she failed to follow house rules. In incidents like this, Paige acts an “independent facilitator” and tries to hear information from both sides, as well as overseeing the voting process. Confusion over house rules often arises depending on the clarity of the language used.
“Some of the houses have constitutions that are very clear, but for others it is looser, so they might need more guidance on how to implement it,” Paige said.
The University strives to keep the co-ops up to safety code like every other residential building on campus and will respond in a timely manner depending on the nature of the repair. Even though co-ops are not supposed to throw parties according to Campus Life, many of the co-ops are known for throwing unconventionally themed parties that you wouldn’t find at a typical frat party, such as drag balls.
Ohara-Plotnik said, “[The co-ops] are comfortable and kept up to date since we are a part of Cornell. The facilities are well taken care of.” But he added that one downside of functioning as part of the University is that “they treat co-ops like dorms, which might not be appropriate as we have undue costs imposed upon us.”
Despite these setbacks, Marshak said that co-ops’ family-like atmosphere offer a break from the hustle and bustle of Cornell life. She said, “If you ever want to procrastinate from doing work, someone will always be around downstairs in the common room or cooking in the kitchen.”