- House Jobs, Work Parties, Emergencies, Education, Social, Personal Conflict Resolution.
Living in the co-op can be less expensive than other housing options
primarily because the members cook, clean and maintain their own house.
It also differs socially from many other housing options because
members must take an active role in creating a healthier, more
enjoyable environment in which to live.
Members are required to contribute approximately 10 hours of
work per week to the co-op. There are two types of work requirements:
house jobs, and work parties.
House Jobs
All jobs, including elected positions, are given a certain job point
value which roughly corresponds to the time involved (1/2 hour=1
point.) Each job is performed for the entire term. At the start of the
term a job lottery is held in which members choose their jobs one at a
time, filling the Job Board, until they have accumulated the correct
number of job points. The Job Board is a chart of all house jobs,
giving the time by which they are to be done and their point values.
Names are noted by each job as it is taken. Typically, a member signs
up for three or four jobs per term. To prepare for the job lottery,
each member should know their schedule and review what each job
entails. Job descriptions should be located at the back of the SCA
Policy Books located in each house. Members are encouraged to take on a
variety of jobs. Don't be afraid to try new things: by taking a job you
don't know how to do, you will expand your skills and knowledge.
Work Parties
Work parties are the second work requirement members must satisfy.
Work parties accomplish necessary household tasks that are not covered
in the job point system. Work parties include special repairs and
improvements to the house, scrubbing and painting walls, cleaning
gutters, etc. Work party credit can also be received for undertaking
certain administrative duties such as sitting on a S.C.A. committee or
doing a special project for the co-op. Each resident is required to do
one hour of work party for each week of the term, the total of which
must be done by the end of the term.
Emergencies
So you're scheduled to cook dinner and do the dinner dishes, and you
have five midterms tomorrow? Obviously, there will come times when it
will just not be possible to fulfill a job you agreed to do. Ideally,
in such a situation, you would find someone to do the job for you
(perhaps by offering to do one of their jobs at another time.) If this
is not possible, arrangements can usually be worked out with the Job
Coordinator. Should a member fail to fulfill his or her work
responsibilities without finding a replacement or making arrangements
with the Job Coordinator (for house jobs), Building Supervisor (for
work party), or S.C.A. Chair (for corporate jobs), they may be fined or
even evicted.
Education
After housing, education is the primary focus of SCA. We require all
members to be taking a minimum number of credit hours. Because of our
large space, this is an ideal setting for guest speakers, workshops,
and other educational events co-opers are interested in. (It's your
money - so if you have any suggestions, be sure and tell your House
Representative, who is on the Education Committee.) We have an
Educational Committee and funds earmarked specifically for educational
purposes. Co-opers have had the opportunity to attend NASCO Institute
in Ann Arbor, Michigan and WESTCO, usually held at one of the
California student co-ops, to learn more about successfully living in
co-ops. In addition, each term SCA has a "consensus workshop" in which
someone from outside SCA facilitates an educational, interactive
workshop on the decision making process called consensus.
Social
Maintaining a healthy, comfortable social environment in the co-op
is just as important as making sure jobs are done. You must remember at
all times to respect the rights of other members, guests, and employees
to share in and enjoy the climate, benefits and opportunities offered
by the co-op. Living in a house with so many people requires that if
you have a problem you try to work the problems out with each other.
Personal Conflict Resolution
Part of living in a healthy, friendly environment is having our
houses be free of harassment. In pursuit of this, each house has two
Harassment Advisors whose job it is to facilitate education and
awareness of these issues. Harassment Advisors may set up forums on
harassment once per term. These workshops are important not only for
the information presented, but because they promote understanding of
the people with whom you live and strengthen our community.
The two Harassment Advisors at each house are fellow co-opers
who have been trained to mediate and resolve issues involving serious
personal conflict or harassment. If you have a problem with a member,
guest or employee that you feel you can not satisfactorily work out
with them personally, the Harassment Advisors are people you can talk
with. They are prepared to deal with anything from personal conflicts
that just need an objective mediator to harassment so serious that
expulsion becomes necessary. If you have questions about how the co-op
approaches such matters, the Harassment Advisors can tell you where to
find a copy of the SCA harassment policy.