Testimonials

"My experience in co-ops has taught me to deal with people from different backgrounds. Arguing with people effectively will be a skill for the rest of my life. (I am still working on it though, most arguments don't end pretty). My favorite thing about coops is the delicious and healthy food we can make. The location and price are just givens."

— Carlos Rocha, Arrakis

"I love my Co-op because it's my home! I sleep here, I eat here, but I really do live here. Co-ops are amazing to me because they really do teach a wide variety of people to live together and create a functioning home. We share the chores, we eat around the table, we hang out together, and we help each other when we need it. I can definitely say that living in a Co-op and has affected my life and my viewpoint far more than living in an apartment ever could."

— Barbara Varian, Eden House

"I LOVE my co-op. My co-op is more than the place I live. It's the people I live with. Moving into my house put me with 14 complete strangers who quickly became some of my favorite people. Co-opers are extremely friendly people. We do everything together. From political rallies, to parties, plays and art exhibits, our house is active together. When I see them on campus, there's always a wave and a smile. There's always someone around to have fun with. There's always someone around to do homework with. I feel like I am really a part of something wonderful."

— Andrew Kabli, Eden House

"If I won the lottery, I'd still live in French House. The co-op is a completely unique living situation and incredibly gratifying experience that money just can't buy. Rent notwithstanding."

— Milton Wong, French House

"I love the mysterious presence and history of my co-op. I love love love dinners at the house! My favorite times are the barbeques that bring the entire house together: we cook, we eat, we drink, we dance, we sing, we make a night of fun just by being with each other! Cooking dinner is always a challenging adventure for me, but no housemate has complained yet.

"Our rules: whatever we say goes! Cooperation makes us strong! The ICC co-ops are cooperative among the houses as well as within the houses. There have been many times I have needed a few eggs or a cup of sugar for dinner and New Guild came through for me with flying colors."

— Kara Marie Ingram, Arrakis

"I lived in ICC for four years, and in my time there I grew more than I ever have in any one place. It was the freedom of expression and the acceptance of my fellow co-opers which allowed me to become the person who was burgeoning to come out inside. To any searcher who's wanting to grow, I would strongly recommend ICC as a living option. It is the only college living where you can be who you are, become who you want, and along the way, have an excellent time."

— Adam Yardeni, former ICCer

"The Co-Operative house becomes a container for the people who live there. Somewhat like a garden, if the environment where the members are living and growing is tended to and cultivated, the people there will tend to prosper and thrive. But the garden analogy only goes so far with co-operatives. Unlike a bed of plants that with languish with out the care of some benign matriarch, the co-operative environment is tended and watched over not by your parents or the ICC staff, but by the people who live there. Every "Member" is responsible for making their environment what it is in that moment. If something delights you or displeases you, you must take it in your own hands to either encourage or discourage those events.

"How does cooperation happen?" Community does not occur in some magical, or artificial manner. Community grows or fades in the same way that trust grows or fades. Questions like " Am I safe?", or "Do you/they care about my well-being?" may be in the backs of the minds of many "cooperators". Having the comfort that comes with being able to answer those questions with a "Yes" is wonderful. That comfort comes at the price of being involved with the people around you in a day to day manner. Doing your chores, and attending the house meetings to discuss the concerns of the moment are the first steps to saying "Yes".

"...I want to extoll the virtues of cooperative living, and encourage those adventurous enough to consider co-op life to go ahead and give it a try. Sharing you life, meals, and efforts with 16 or 30 other young people in a democratic, and communitarian way is an experience that will go with you for the rest of your life. And if become convinced, like I did, that community living is something you want to do long term in a "Multigenerational, Vegetarian and Consensus-run" way, please contact me or another one of the members of Whitehall Co-Op. More can be learned about us by visiting www.whitehallcoop.org."

— Ken Cameron, former "Royalty" and current Whitehall Co-op member