With an emphasis on sharing, University co-ops offer a living atmosphere like no other
Chessie Woodruff and Sara Albee (above) chat in the frog room, named for the frog mural on the wall. Samantha McCoy (below) takes the spiral staircasetoherrcmm
The general consensus around the house was that the Lorax is, “an amazing place to live.”
TEXT BY LISA R. GRIFFINS
PHOTOS BY ADAM AMATO
Imagine living with 30 other
people under one roof and shar
ing one kitchen; imagine having
the liberty to paint anything, any
where and anytime. Imagine
walking in the door after a long
day of lectures and note-taking.
You paint a sun, moon and Ken
ny from South Park in the hall
way while the president of the
co-ops walks by and says, “You
should paint something in the
bathroom too.”
A few of the luxuries of living
at the co-ops include: sharing a
bathroom with 30 people, creat
ing unforgettable moments and
having the license to splatter
paint anywhere inside the house.
“When you move in, you have
80 instant friends. I find myself
playing Twister or Risk in a group
of people shooting the shit,” said
the co-ops president and chair
woman Robin Brandt, who lives at
the Lorax on Alder Street. “All
ways of thinking and ideals live
here, and it’s accepted. People
agree to disagree.”
A wide cross-section of people
live in the co-ops, from religious to
non-religious, punker to folk and
low-key to hyper. The atmosphere
is busy, much like a beehive. Resi
dents come and go at all hours,
and activity never ceases.
“The best part about living in
the co-ops is that people sponta
neously come out of the wood
work, and you have 15 people
talking,” Brandt said. “The
weirdest thing was sitting on the
toilet and having a heart-to-heart
while someone was brushing
their teeth.”
The assortment of personali
ties living in one house creates
unique memories that are sure to
linger. The most bizarre moment
for Betsy Hunt, the social coordi
nator of the Campbell Club, was
the “hide and seek lingerie party.
Even the boys wore [lingerie].”
Brandt said the ideal co-op
consists of a group of people who
live together to cut costs and cre
ate a specific community for spe
cific purposes for students.
“The people tend to be liberal,
but not exclusively liberal,” she
said.
With all of these college stu
dents under one roof, who takes
charge? The answer: no one.
“Students are in equal control;
it’s unhierarchical,” said recruit
ment coordinator Ben Cutler.
“There’s no landlord. Any per
son can participate in the process
and say what they feel. ”
In addition to providing inex
pensive living, the co-ops also
with people.”
Each person has a specific role
in order to take care of the neces
sary duties.
“We all pitch in for chores and
jobs,” Brandt said. For example,
Nance rides a six-foot long bike
with another nominated person to
carry 1,000 pounds of organic gro
ceries every week from west Eu
gene. Also, there are designated
granola, hummus and salsa mak
ers. Everyone contributes to the
housework in turn.
In a tour of the Campbell Club
on Alder Street, the kitchen is the
first stop. The cooks chat and
host huge parties and generate
profits in the process.
“It’s really cool when we can
throw a party and bring people
together, and use proceeds to get
solar panels or support good
causes,” said the co-ops mainte
nance czar Arjon Nance. “I really
like the principles of people liv
ing together and sharing re
sources. It makes sense. It’s em
powering for people to meet on a
certain set of ideals socially, en
vironmentally and economical
ly. I’m learning about group dy
namics and ways to get along
dance. Thirteen loaves of bread
stick out of the wooden side shelf.
Purple, blue, yellow and other
hues of paint decorate the walls.
“Paint is provided for anyone
who wants to paint their room or
something like that,” Brandt
said. “You can paint anywhere.”
Bins full of ingredients stock the
kitchen. Stickers plaster a huge
metallic fridge, among them: “Join
the Army: Travel to exotic distant
lands, meet exciting unusual peo
ple and kill them.”
Cozy couches and chairs cover
the living room floor. Stationary
bikes crowd the corner of the liv
ing room. Echoes of guitar riffs
and bantering fill the air. A “free
pile” sits at the top of the third
floor.
“If someone doesn’t want their
clothes or other stuff, and you
want it, you take it,” Brandt said.
“You’ll get the coolest clothes.”
Nance’s room, also known as
the “frog room,” displays a col
lection of healthy plants, school
books and CDs. “If you don’t
stand for something, you will fall
for anything” proclaims a sticker
near the cream-colored ceiling.
The position of the flat-surfaced
roof allows the horizon to meet the
eye. It is an escape for those who
enjoy gazing at galaxies.
Eighty people live in the co
ops, but there are still some open
ings. Singles are $1,110, smaller
singles are $970 and doubles are
$833 per term. The money in
cludes meals and toiletries such
as “tampons, razors — basically
everything you need,” Brandt
said.
“You can even make food re
quests,” Cutler said.
The Eugene co-ops consist of
the Campbell Club, Lorax Man
ner and Janet Smith.
“All three houses are all very
socially active,” said Brandt.
“The Lorax is an environmen
tal house,” Cutler said. “They
put on benefit concerts; it’s a mel
lower house.”
He said that Janet Smith is an
academic environment.
“We are trying to encourage it
to be a quiet house to recruit peo
ple more focused on studying,”
Cutler said.
“Campbell Club is socially ac
tive,” Brandt said. “It tends to have
students that are new, and it tends
to have more parties. It’s boister
ous.”
Cutler said the Campbell Club
will host open mic nights and
serve coffee and food starting in a
few weeks.