Adopted August 18, 2002
We, the member-owners of the Inter-cooperative Council, envision an affordable living community in which equal, and educated members work together to further the cooperative movement.
Adopted August 4, 2002
We, the member-owners of the ICC,
provide a home for students that equally embodies quality living, community and social equality, all within the cooperative
movement. We continuously strive to maintain and improve our organization and our houses through shared work.
We are committed to furthering our education by building life skills, a strong community, and personal relationships.
We create and maintain a safe and affordable environment where our members feel comfortable and at home.
Cooperative Principles
ICC's Purposes
ICC's Statement of Beliefs and Values
The Student Co-ops, also known as the Inter-Cooperative Council (ICC) were first started in 1932 by students trying to find
a way to stay in college during the Great Depression. Over the years, students have continued to work together to provide
themselves with affordable, convenient housing, and also have lots of fun. Read a little bit more about our
history.
Today we have 18 group houses and 1 apartment houses on North and Central campuses. Because students created the co-ops
to meet their own needs, the ICC offers eight month Fall/Winter and 2 or 4 month Spring/Summer contracts. Our houses range
in size from about 12 to 85 members. The average house holds about 30 people. North Campus attracts a large graduate student
population (about 50%), and a sizable international student population (at least 30%) as well. Central Campus is a large,
diverse crowd that is mostly undergrads. Because co-ops are open to all students, each house is made up of members
coming from a wide variety of backgrounds. What brings us together is our dedication to creating the best living atmosphere
possible.
Most houses are quite social. There are often ICC-wide parties at one house or another. Houses have gotten together to play
inter-mural soccer, go apple picking, bowling, ice skating--the list goes on and on.
Eating and working together with housemates, participating in group decision-making, and sharing good times help co-opers
to develop close bonds. This strong sense of community, combined with the knowledge of shared
ownership, is what turns co-op houses into homes. House meetings, which are held once or twice a month, provide a forum
for open communication. Members vote on such issues as how much to spend on food, how many meat meals to serve per week,
which newspapers to order, and when to have the next party. Meetings also provide an opportunity for members to resolve
any conflicts that might occur within the community.
- Co-ops are owned and run by the members who live in them--not landlords or the University.
- Co-ops are economical and convenient because members share the work necessary to run them.
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Co-ops have a friendly and close atmosphere from shared decision-making and work--more personal than residence halls, more
social than apartments.
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