Hannah ([info]divine_aphasia) wrote in [info]oberlin,
@ 2004-12-15 21:51:00
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someone talk to me about co-ops -- what each of them is like, pros and cons of each, what people like, etc.

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[info]magicekim
2004-12-16 03:40 am UTC (link)
Brown Bag Co-op: Dining Only. For students with off-campus or village housing status.

Fairchild: Dining Only. Most vegan and dietary need friendly. More active in OSCA politics than most co-ops.

Harkness: Living and Dining. Maintains the hippie vibe associated with co-ops. Fairly active in OSCA politics and usually attracts good cooks.

Keep: Living and Dining. Usually vegetarian and vegan friendly, though most likely to change from year to year. Usually the most chilled out of the housing co-ops.

Kosher-Halal: Dining Only. Adheres to religious dietary restrictions, and those who wish to join for that purpose are allowed to jump the waitlist. There are only 36 members, so this co-op requires more work from its members than most co-ops.

Old Barrows: Living (Upperclass students only) and dining (all students). Although it has been a co-ed housing co-op in the past, it is currently housing only female and transgender students. Dining portion is all co-ed. Furthest away from campus, but lovingly referred to as the "Co-op Retirement Home."

Pyle Inn: Dining Only. Located within Asia House. 110 members allows for a smaller workload for each individual co-oper (ideal for Con students and athletes). Sometimes described as the "Dining Hall Co-op", since it is usually a transition co-op from CDS to OSCA.

Tank: Living and Dining. Popular among OSCA members who are not into the politics of OSCA. The housing portion is the most house-like of the living co-ops. Large and interestingly shaped rooms.

Third World: Dining only. Co-op intended for first-generation/low income/traditionally marginalized or disenfranchised students. Membership is self-selected. Application required. Active in OSCA politics and a strong sense of community since membership tends to be low.

You might also want to check the OSCA <a href="http://www.oberlin.edu/~osca>website</a>.

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(Anonymous)
2004-12-16 03:52 am UTC (link)
Also: the only ones you're likely to get meat in if you eat meat are Tank and Keep, occasionally, although there are always veggie/vegan options. They're the only meat-friendly co-ops I'm aware of. The rest are mostly veggie/vegan and such.

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[info]infidel
2004-12-16 04:01 am UTC (link)
Pyle Inn has had meat a few times

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[info]electricpotato
2004-12-16 04:08 am UTC (link)
So does old b, and sometimes Kosher I think.
Hark and Fairkid are the only real All Veggie ones, I think.
I don't know about Third World..

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[info]currentlee
2004-12-16 02:54 pm UTC (link)
kosher-halal has meat the most regularly, with chicken for monday dinner, beef for wednesday dinner, and shabbas dinner on friday nights.
i also think we've got the best food, but i'm biased.
and we've got a maximum of 32 members now.
we also tend to be the one voice of dissent in osca politics, but only when groupthink has gotten out of hand.

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This might be incoherent.. I've been up since 5:30 am
[info]electricpotato
2004-12-16 04:07 am UTC (link)
Hi. I am a third year currenty on a leave of absence, but I started the semester as the HLEC in Hark, and lived there last year.
To add to the previous post, every co-op is different every year depending on the group of people. For example, some years Harkness isn't very hippie-like, some years Keep isn't very chill. I'd never heard Keep described that way, anyway. But it all depends on the community, and on what people make it. Your co-op experience can be whatever you want it to be.
Like I said, I only have experience living in Harkness, although I have friends in all the other co-ops. Harkness has the largest freshman population (a third of the house) and typically has an awesome freshman community, and an awesome community in general. Because there are so many underclassmen the bond is almost immediate, and people become friends very quickly. Not to say that the freshman only hang out with each other. In my experience with Harkness, friendships definitely transcend grade level, and this is much more common in co-ops than in regular res halls. Also, the Harkness freshmen kick ass almost every year.
Harkness is the most centrally located co-op, and the largest living co-op, second largest dining co-op. It tends to get dirty, and sometimes there is a smell, although a lot of that was my hamster's fault, so it might be better now.
Some general info about why co-ops are awesome:
They cost less because you do all of your own cooking and cleaning, but the cleaning part is usually about half an hour a week.
OSCA is student-run, although there is a Reslife RD who works with us. Her name is Becca, and she is amazing. OSCA housing has fewer Residence hall-like regulations, and Housing Loose Ends Coordinators instead of RA's.
You get to have house meetings where all residents get to vote on housing policies using consensus. So if you want it, you get a say in almost anything the house does.

And I can't emphasize enough how awesome the OSCA community is. Living in Harkness probably changed my life because of the people I met and the experiences I had.

I'm sure I forgot to mention a lot, but I think everyone else can fill in the blnaks and tell you about the other co-ops.
Also, check out the OSCA livejournal community.
Feel free to email me if you want to know more... I know a lot about OSCA because of my short run as HLEC.
Sedmunds@oberlin.edu

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[info]epeolatry
2004-12-16 04:37 am UTC (link)
hey, i'm becca from electricpotato's post. thanks for the compliment, darlin, i think very highly of you too!

i would just re-emphasize that as i understand it, co-ops are different each year depending on the people living in them. i'm very biased as pro-osca and think osca is fantastic, but do want to mention that it is not for everyone. if someone is interested only for financial reasons, it might be a gateway into loving osca for other reasons, but it may not. it can be a little time consuming, but so can other activities within the college (clubs, partying, etc...) and i think it's definitely a worthwhile way to spend your time.

i think that almost all of the first year students have adjusted extremely well in osca housing (i can't speak for dining since i don't have much interaction w/ the people who only dine). electricpotato is right--the first year students in harkness are amazing this year (and i'm certain they were last year too) and bring a lot to the community and to each other. for the most part, 1st year students in osca housing are placed w/ other first years (or transfers) as roommates. another great thing about osca is that there is no hierarchy, so as a new person, your voice, thoughts, ideas, & opinions are equally important to those who have been around for a longer amount of time.

if you're down with direct democracy, lots of interesting food, a broadly talented and interesting group of people, osca might just be for you.

and harkness does have great food this year--i had a delicious lunch there today of pasta w/ peanut sauce and one of the yummiest cookies ever. the cider was also tasty!

good luck!

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[info]haleth_the_elf
2004-12-16 03:45 pm UTC (link)
Eating in a coop (Harkness) has been one of the most significant parts of being at Oberlin for me, and one of the parts that has changed me most. If you want to eat delicious food, prepared by people who care about cooking, and have control over where your food comes from, join a coop. It's a tight community, and the experience of relying on the people around you to take responsibility for things like meals... well, there are adventures along the way, but the results are overwhelmingly positive.

For me, the quintessential coop moment is going down to the kitchen at midnight for a glass of chocolate milk, finding freshly baked bread, and spending an hour there just hanging out with people who happen to be there, cooking.

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[info]ursiflora
2004-12-16 09:26 pm UTC (link)
I don't want to hate on OSCA, I think if it works for you, it works great, but it's definitely not for everyone. I was in Pyle for a semester, and I had a hard time with quantity and timing- I hated having to eat at the same time every day, I hated the fact that there was rarely enough food for seconds. The community was really great and the food was definitely better than in the dining halls, but it can also be inconsistent. For me, the consistency and flexibility of CDS works a lot better. I just wanted to throw that out there, since there weren't any cons posted.

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[info]infidel
2004-12-16 10:08 pm UTC (link)
very true

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