Like George and Louise Jefferson, the MSU Student Housing Cooperative is movin' on up to the east side.
After 34 years in Student Services, the cooperative's headquarters has moved to 541 E. Grand River Ave. in East Lansing.
"We were in that office tucked away in Student Services for so long, not getting a whole lot of publicity," Amy Compeau, president of the cooperative's executive board said. "A lot of people didn't know about us. Being on Grand River will be helpful because there is a lot of foot traffic downtown."
Though status as a student organization allows the group to base its nonprofit organization in Student Services, and enjoy free office space and cheaper copy costs, the members said moving off campus will help the group dynamic.
While on campus, house officials said they often debated having both student and non-student members in an organization that was housed on campus.
"Our mission is to work with all group members, and we were having difficulty working with everyone while on campus," said Aaron Mosier, a mathematics masters student and the cooperative's corporate secretary. "We have students as well as non-students in our group."
The group traces its roots back to 1938, when the first cooperative house on campus was purchased. Throughout the years, more cooperative houses began to pop up at MSU. In 1971, those houses registered as a student organization and formed the MSU Student Housing Cooperative.
Today the group has 200 members living in 12 houses throughout East Lansing.
The move off-campus will mean an increase of $1 per month in rent for the cooperative's residents.
Cooperative housing is defined as any kind of organization owned by the people who use its service, said Jim Jones, executive director of North American Students of Cooperation - an association of campus cooperatives in the United States and Canada.
Jones estimates 8,000-10,000 students are members of 100 -125 student housing cooperatives throughout the U.S. and Canada, adding the number one reason students choose cooperatives is cost.
MSU co-op houses charge about $250-$270 per month for a double and $370-$400 for a single. Both figures include meals. Several local apartment complexes said they charge about $400 per month for a double.
Jones said the cheaper housing option keeps rent low by cutting out landlords. Most cooperatives are owned by their student group, so members pay only as much as it costs to operate their houses.
"Apartment landlords are looking to make money, so they charge whatever they think they can get from students," said Compeau, a lifelong education student. "We're not trying to make a profit so we charge only enough to keep your house running."
In addition to cheaper housing costs, members such as no-preference sophomore Jessica Dalman said cooperatives build community.
"Cooperatives offer a great opportunity to meet people you wouldn't otherwise meet," said Dalman, the group's corporate treasurer and a member of Miles House.
"A lot of people join for social reasons."
The MSU cooperatives offer residents small houses, which fit six to nine people, and larger houses, which fit as many as 15. Mosier said different sizes offer members more choices.
"The larger houses feel more like a dorm, and you have a lot more people around you," he said. "The smaller houses have more of a homey-feel."
There are also themed houses, like "New Community," 425 Ann St., which offers only vegetarian meals.
Mosier said the house has the reputation as "kind of an honors college - residents are very studious."
The MSU group hopes its move to the city will allow it to better communicate these housing options to East Lansing residents and students alike.
"The new place is really a prime location," Compeau said. "Being on Grand River will allow us to get ourselves out there into the eye of the public."
