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About Eugene weekly. (Eugene, Oregon) 1993-current | View Entire Issue (April 14, 2016)
utilizes pre-existing homes or buildings while maintaining low rent costs, and all the while building community: cooperative housing. Prior to living in co-ops for four years, I didn’t really know how to be a part of a community. I paid too much for rent and ate too much pizza. That changed after living under one roof with about 30 other folks for nearly two years, and with 16 other people for another couple of years. Not all co-ops are full of radical punks or on the verge of being a squat. Not all of them are big, smelly hippie houses. Most are actually pretty darn nice, dawning DIY projects or their own sustainable gardens. Co-ops are more a reflection of their members than a defined and manufactured space, which, depending on the house and its turnover rate, can be ever-changing. BATHROOM WALL AT THE LORAX GETTING COZY Cooperative housing in the U.S. is nothing new — in fact, the National Cooperative Law Center states that cooperative housing dates back to 1876 in New York City. A cooperative is usually a shared home or cluster of houses in which community members construct a set of norms that accommodate that community’s needs. Since cooperatives are usually organized by independent, nonprofit groups or by local community members — instead of, say, a profit-hungry investment company — rent prices tend to be more reasonable. Cutting down living prices can mean negotiating on personal space, though. Folks generally share common space in cooperative houses (kitchens, living rooms, etc.). Depending on how many people you’re living with, it can be a little overwhelming if you’ve had the luxury of apartment privacy. Affordability comes at a price, and that cost may be having your own bathroom. Students looking to live on their own can suffer a blow from over-priced homes. Finding affordable housing while paying tuition is a beast — even with financial aid. And when students find something in their price range, at what point are they a part of the community or merely stopping at the University of Oregon like a late-night Taco Bell run — quick, temporarily rewarding and a bit sloppy at times? Community, then, is one of the more significant perks of co-op living. You’re building friendships as well as life skills, such as being able to get along with other people. HOME GROWN THE CASE FOR CO-OPS T here’s something odd about 13th and Olive. Better known as Crap, er, Capstone, it’s a pretty blunt edition to downtown Eugene. But something about it just doesn’t quite make sense. A handful of the first-floor rooms are completely uninhabited, and yet they’re all done up: televisions turned on, beds made, journals on the desks and one or two lone T-shirts hanging in the closet. It’s a little creepy. 14 A pril 14, 2016 • eugeneweekly.com UO students have options BY KELSEY ANNE RANKIN Eugene has a handful of new apartment complexes popping up just like 13th and Olive, from campus onward. Most of these buildings seem like viable housing options for students. But does Eugene really need so many new units — or rising rent prices? Maybe more apartments isn’t the only approach to better housing for students. For those who don’t have their parents’ credit card to get them through school or are looking for a richer experience on their path to getting a degree, there is an option that My first Eugenean home was at the Lorax Manner (okay, so I’m a little biased). Settling in was something of a shock; for instance, I’d never seen so much mold in my life, and I didn’t understand why people had so many patches on their clothes. I spent two years in that old, creaky mansion with wall-to-wall art and a rat problem every now and then, but I learned what a community is and became active in Eugene, all while being able to pay tuition. Eugene has a handful of co-ops scattered throughout town, some of which have been around for decades. The Student’s Cooperative Association (SCA) buildings are located between 16th and 18th on Alder Street and consist of the Campbell Club, the Lorax Manner and the Janet Smith (which is geared towards graduate students). The SCA is a nonprofit housing option with the most affordable rent in the area. Room prices clock in at about $306-$398 per month — as opposed to The Hub on Campus, where you can pay approximately $764 per month to live with four other students. SCA membership includes a meal plan and utilities, and each of the houses has its own personality, culture and level of cleanliness. That’s the trick with co-ops: some are spick-‘n’-span and run butter-smooth, while others prove rougher around the edges. The intent, though, is to provide people with the experience of learning how to be in and of a community — one that ultimately reflects the city at large. Melanie Sicotte worked for the SCA roughly 17 years, as well as being involved with the East Blair Housing Collective over in the Whiteaker. “There is a natural community need that is met to a lot of people whether you live here or not,” she says. “That I’ve definitely seen from day one.” Sicotte says she’s watched dozens of college kids live at the SCA and blossom into community leaders.
