\As a freshman I came and lived in the dorms as most people do, and also like most freshmen do, made the mistake of setting up housing [for sophomore year] the first day you could sign a lease. I ended up living with a bunch of other random kids from the dorms in this cramped house,"" UW-Madison senior Megan Lipke said.
It was not until her junior year that Lipke looked for other housing options. What she found was a well established co-operative community in Madison.
Co-ops are a relatively unknown option for UW-Madison students. And when students come to college, the choosing of a college location is an understandably large concern-much larger than housing options. This is especially true when students meet in the dorms and often remain roommates for the in subsequent college years. Or students settle into a fraternity or sorority, thinking there are no other options.
Along with several independent co-ops, Madison is home to one of the largest co-operative organizations in the country, Madison Community Co-ops. MCC is a non-profit parent organization to 12 autonomous houses scattered throughout the isthmus, with seven of the houses only a few blocks away from campus.
As communities of people, co-operative houses are established for the purpose of sharing economic resources and fulfilling the social needs of their residents. Houses are run democratically, with house decisions made through consensus at weekly house meetings.
Along with rent, which averages around $310 for most single rooms, a house member also pays between $70 and $90 a month for food. Dinner is cooked most nights of the week by co-op members. By sharing resources and chores in this way, they can provide affordable living for diverse groups of people. Houses Ofek Shalom, 122 N. Bassett St., an all-Jewish house, and Womyn's, 20 N. Franklin, an all-women house, along with family-friendly Ambrosia, 225 E. Lakelawn Place. demonstrate this.
Several other houses such as Lothlorien, 244 W. Lakelawn, Emma Goldman's, 625 N. Francis St., and Phoenix Place, 636 Langdon St., include a diverse mix of students and non-students living and working together.
""There really isn't anyone apathetic to the house,"" UW-Madison sophomore and Lothlorien resident Lauren Nielsen, said. ""We all get along and are pretty cohesive as a house, which is amazing.""
Nielsen lived in Zoe Bayliss Co-op as a freshman, an all-women's co-op run by the UW-Madison. Originally attracted to co-ops by their relatively cheap price tag (Zoe Bayliss residents pay at most $4,420 for a large single room per year for room and board, compared to the average dorm double room going for $4,461 without food), Nielsen also enjoyed the diversity.
""Throughout the year we had around 11 foreign languages spoken fluently in the house,"" Nielsen said. However, Nielsen looked for something different her sophomore year, and came upon Lothlorien.
""I just felt most at home at Loth ... I loved that you could have your own space without giving up a family, so to speak ... And I wouldn't get this diversity otherwise. You get to meet people you probably wouldn't meet otherwise,"" she said.
Along with MCC, several independent co-ops function close to campus, including Rivendell co-op, 622 N. Henry St., Nottingham co-op, 146 Langdon St. and Summit Avenue co-op, 1820 Summit Ave., in University Heights.
""I feel like there is more solidarity [in independent co-ops],"" said Lipke, who moved to Rivendell co-op August 2004. ""We are the house-we are the decision-makers, without having someone looking over our shoulder.""
Independent co-ops share similar structure with MCC co-ops, but function completely on their own, without a parent organization promoting or supporting them. Lipke was also attracted by a sense of family and community, but ultimately the cost of living affected her the most.
""Not having to pay as much for rent impacts my college experience in the way that I could take a job this year as the director of alternative breaks ... it is a volunteer position with a small stipend. If I was not living in a co-op I would not be able to take a job that allows me to be active in the wider campus community,"" she said.
There are other ways to get involved in the community than as co-operatives, and as Phoenix resident and UW-Madison Junior Levi Straka said.
""Co-ops aren't for everybody. They are for me, but some people might have a hard time [living in one],"" she said.
Other options are available for communities. Students looking for roommates who share similar religious convictions have the opportunity for residency at several locations. The St. Francis House, 1001 University Ave., and the Wayland Houses, 309 N. Mills St., are two Christian living houses that provide co-ed residences for students of faith. St. Francis House has been housing students since the 1920s. Since then it has undergone numerous changes, but has always provided housing for students who are looking for a religious community.
""I think there are two reasons [students want to live here],"" Melissa Wilcox, the Reverend at St. Francis House, said. ""Dorms are pretty chaotic, which is the sense I get from the students, and [the students] don't want to be stepping around vomit and things. They want an alternative lifestyle, a sense of community, where they actually know the people they are living with and not just pass them in the hallway.""
The residence was once organized as a co-op, but it was later decided it was not serving the campus ministry as well as it could.
Because of this, next fall St. Francis House will begin a residential life community, a ""residential program and opportunity to enhance [the student's] ministry and the campus ministry as well,"" Wilcox said.
""By living here, it gives them the chance to participate in more activities, things that maybe they wouldn't be involved in otherwise,"" Wilcox said.
Whatever type of community it is, some students at UW-Madison search alternatives to the college norm. Lothlorien resident Lauren Nielsen spoke to the reasons why.
""It's tempting to have my own space in an apartment, but right now is definitely an ideal time to live [in this sort of community]. The quality of food, the people, and really the environment make it worthwhile to invest yourself in this sort of living situation,"" she said.
