| | |
 |
|
| 06-14-2004 | Previous edition: 06-11-2004 |
        
     |
Printer-friendly version Students in co-op housing learn life skillsBy Brent ForguesSummer Reporter Cooperative housing offers a chance for students to find a connection with Purdue while learning skills necessary to succeed in life. Tamara Rice, associate dean of students, said 17 to 60 people live in the houses, which provide an atmosphere similar to fraternities or sororities. "They wear their house letters, they do activities and community service," she said. "But they don’t have a national affiliation." She also said cooperatives don’t hire managers or cooks, and without having to pay national dues, cooperatives typically end up cheaper. "The members cook and clean among themselves and keep the cost way down because of that," Rice said. Without outside help, the residents in a cooperative house must learn to work together to complete daily tasks. She said people join cooperatives for the chance to build lifelong friendships and to learn skills such as how to work with a variety of people. Adam Lengerich, a senior in the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering and a member of Fairway Cooperative, said he feels more a part of the house because of his chores. "We do all of the work around the house, like mowing the lawn and cleaning the dishes," he said. "It’s a really good opportunity." He finds cooperatives are much more peaceful than some fraternities. "And for a (fraternity), you have to pledge for a semester before you can live in the house," he said. "But you get to live in a co-op while you pledge." Although Greek houses and cooperatives have different affiliates, they still collaborate with each other. "They’ve learned to do things together as a system, but there is a healthy rivalry," Rice said. Mimi Arighi, adviser to cooperative house Ann Tweedale, said the Greek houses and cooperatives will perform volunteer and social things together. "There’s quite a bit of interaction with each other," Arighi said. Purdue has five men's cooperative houses — Chauncey, Circle Pines, Fairway, Gemini and Marwood — and seven women's cooperative houses — Ann Tweedale, Devonshire, Glenwood, Maclure, Shoemaker, Stewart and Twin Pines. Printer-friendly version |
Front Page | Campus | City | Features | Opinions | Sports | Classifieds Advertising | Archive | Links | About us | Letter Submission Form To report any errors with or to give ideas on how we can improve the online edition of The Exponent contact Online Production |
