Sample Plan for the First House Meeting

The first meeting of the semester is crucial, because that's when new members will (hopefully) learn important information and form their opinions about what the house is like. If the meeting is inadequate, the house can have problems for the rest of the semester. Make sure you cover the house basics in an organized fashion, and without dwelling on minute details which will overwhelm and bore people. Here's a sample agenda:

1. Welcome and Opening Round Robin.

   Each member introduces her/himself, major, how long in the co-op, why they're here, etc.

2. Read the manual

   The house manual contains much more than we can cover tonight. Please read it. (House manuals should include all house policies and other important ICC/house history and information. For more information on how to make a house manual, contact the Membership and/or Education Coordinators of ICC.

3. Nothing set in stone

   The fact that we're a co-op means that we can change the house to suit our needs. The manual and the policies discussed tonight were created by members, and can be changed by members. If there's something you want to change, put it on the agenda for a house meeting.

4. Background about co-ops

   A co-op is a business owned by its workers or customers. Owners are called members. Wheatsville and ICC are examples of customer-owned co-ops. Credit Unions are also co-ops. Co-ops are a combination of capitalism and communism. We compete in the marketplace, but we all own everything collectively, so nobody gets rich off of the co-op.

5. Background about ICC

   Student housing co-ops started in the 1930's, but kept beginning and dying out as the students moved on or the property was sold. ICC started buying property in 1970 in order to make the co-ops permanent. It bought most of the houses between 1970-75, and we've pretty much been spinning our wheels since then. ICC bought some crappy apt. complexes for too much money in the 1980's and had to sell them at a loss, and that set us back 25 years financially. Then one of our houses (Arrakis) burned down in 2000, setting us back another ten years. 20% of your rent goes to pay for office staff, but the only way to reduce that expense is for members to take more responsibility for doing the work of the co-op (like other North American co-op systems do).

6. The Board of Directors

   Each house elects a representative to the Board of Directors. The Board of Directors governs ICC. Each board rep gets labor credit, and we'll elect one tonight. There are also seven ICC-wide Officers, who make up the Executive Coordinating Committee (ECC). These are: Board Chair/Coordinator, Committee Coordinator, Finance Coordinator, Maintenance Coordinator, Membership Coordinator, Education Coordinator, and the Future Asset Development Coordinator. Coordinators get no labor credit but get a month's free rent in the summer for every semester they serve as officer. (If you serve all year, meaning all three semesters, you get all three months of summer free.) If you're interested in becoming an coordinator, see your board rep.

7. Officer Elections

   (Summarize the duties of each officer from the house manual, and ask for volunteers. Each candidate gives a short spiel, then fields questions from members. The house may or may not choose to have the candidates leave the room for discussion and voting.)

8. House Tour

   Give a tour of the kitchen and commons. Here's how it might work at a sample co-op.

   • Covered bike parking is behind the shed, and also on the other side of the house.
   • Give code to the door. Don't use the deadbolt, because nobody has a key.
   • Don't turn off the security light.
   • Glass, metal, and plastic recycling goes in the blue bin on top of the fridge. NOT recyclable includes tofu + soymilk containers, and cardboard OJ cans. Paperboard goes in a special box, cardboard goes outside. Plastic bags go in a special box.
   • All food is guff (fair game), unless marked for cooks' use.
   • Notice labels in pantry and fridge, keep organized. Don't open new jar/box of something until you've finished the old one.
   • Label + date any opened or cooked food you put in the fridge, especially if you're putting dinner food away.
   • The "Dishes" part of kitchen clean includes cleaning the whole kitchen.
   • Clean your own dishes, even if it's just cereal.
   • ZERO food in the sinks! Put in compost bucket.
   • Don't remove strainers from sinks or tubs. We're responsible for fixing any clogs.
   • There's more to know than we could cover tonight. Read the house manual and the ICC website.