My sophomore year I was working at The State News and happened to make good friends with two people who lived in two very different co-ops.

It was lease-signing time; that dreaded juncture at the beginning of the semester where you have to decide a year in advance where you want to live. Hanging out at their places had been fun, their rent was cheap and I was more than over dorm life, so I thought I would give it a try.

Now, I know what you’re thinking. I know what I was thinking: Tie-dye. Bikes. Drugs. Dirt.

But drugs aren’t allowed, even people who wear tie-dye know it’s ugly, bikes make sense and dirt is inevitable.

Despite the myths, you’re not going to find the same things in every co-op, and the things you do find in them might surprise you.

The co-ops aren’t a free-for-all, do-whatever-you-want commune. They come with a rich history of promoting progressive thinking on ownership and collective participation. The cooperative movement advocates fairness and equality in businesses and corporations and the MSU Student Housing Cooperative specifically is an organization devoted to being “for people, not profit.”

And really, people are what the co-ops are all about. I live with 22 others in a house that we own. Yes, own. We don’t have a cranky landlord who won’t fix anything. It’s run democratically — everyone has a say on what we buy (10 gallons of milk a week), whether we can paint over the flames in the living room (we can’t and won’t!), whether we’ll allow cats, etc., and each one of us has a say in how the co-ops run as a whole.

What makes the co-ops so unique is the diversity of people that drift in and out of them every semester. You’re going to get a handful of hippies, but you’re also going to get business majors, foreigners, Republicans and bros.

Each of these people you encounter, even the bros, are going to impact you and make your college experience better than if you hadn’t lived in a cooperative. I met almost all of my best friends from living in the co-ops, and I know if I had chosen to live in the dorms again I probably would have consumed more ice cream, sure, but I would have missed out on trips to the cider mill, burlesque all-member parties, Dumpster diving and water gun fights in the kitchen.

The MSU SHC owns 12 houses in East Lansing, and there are three independent co-ops scattered about as well. So if the thought of zombie parties with more than 300 people in attendance isn’t your cup of tea, maybe a small, five-member cottage-style home is for you. Not sure you’re ready to abandon quality square meals? Many of the co-ops come with meal plans, or at least pantry food. Whatever you’re looking for, the cooperative system has a house that can fit your tastes.

But maybe your taste is that you just want somewhere cheap to live where you can have your own space and live close to campus.

The co-ops stress collectivism, but it’s up to you to choose your level of involvement. Everyone has chores, but they’re not extensive, and if all you want to do is clean a couple bathrooms a week, that’s fine. However, the co-ops also provide opportunities for leadership and responsibility. Last year, I did dishes one day a week and knew nothing about house finances or budget. This year I’m the president of my co-op and enjoy coordinating with my housemates and the SHC office to establish a favorable living environment and keep the house we own on a promising path.

You already love the co-ops for their bangin’ parties, but we aren’t just a bunch of hippies that know how to have a good time. We’re a bunch of various types of people who know how to have a good time and manage a house.

So join the cooperative movement, watch “Smart Guy” with some dope
kids and be part of a community that doesn’t charge you to make friends.