Janet Smith House Jobs

Though the various job points may seem arbitrary, they roughly correlate to how long it is expected a house member to complete the job in a week: one job point is roughly equivalent to performing one half-hour of work at this job per week. As of January 2011, the total number of house job points is 168. In determining the average number of job points each member should have per term, add to this figure the sum of SCA corporate job points held by Janet Smith housemates and divide it by the total number of Janet Smith housemates.

Depending on the number of SCA corporate positions held by Janet Smith housemates and the number of housemates, the average number of job points per member will range from 7 to 11 points, or roughly 3.5 to 5.5 hours of housework per member per week.

*Changes to job descriptions will be presented as proposals to the house.

Elected Positions:

Facilitator:

The facilitator is elected every term at the first house meeting of each term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The facilitator's responsibilities generally include:

Closing the meeting agenda to new items 24 hours before the house meeting.
E-mailing the meeting agenda to all housemates so that any absent members can prepare their proxy statements.
Facilitating the weekly meeting.
Making sure the Job Coordinator and the House Secretary are doing their jobs.
Transition the incoming house facilitator.
Coordinate guest facilitators if any should express interest. Facilitator will still participate actively in meetings, organize the meeting agenda, and provide feedback after the meetings to the guest facilitator.

If the facilitator is unable to attend a meeting, then he or she is responsible for finding a housemate to substitute facilitate the meeting at least 24 hours prior to the meeting.

It is also expected that the facilitator will make a conscientious effort to improve his or her facilitation skills throughout the year. This can be done through reading books and articles on facilitation, attending facilitation workshops, etc.

Treasurer:

The house treasurer is elected for every term at the first house meeting of each term and receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The treasurer reports directly to the SCA Business Manager and the corporate treasurer. The treasurer's responsibilities generally include:

Assisting the SCA Business Manager in collecting all fees from house members
Ensuring that financial records for the house are accurate and coherent
Ensuring the house stays within its term's budget
Attending all Financial Committee Meetings

More specifically, the house treasurer is expected to:

Pay house expenses in a timely fashion
Maintain the accuracy of the house checkbook at all times and deliver all check stubs and receipts to the Business Office on a weekly basis.
Make treasurer reports at each house meeting (or upon request) regarding the status of house maintenance, discretionary, and education funds
Deliver Member Account Balance notices and reminder notices of fee installments and deadlines at least 10 days prior to their due date.
Collect all membership fees on or before the monthly due date or work with members to create a payment plan. If members are habitually delinquent in their payments, then the treasurer is also responsible for bringing them up for a house membership review.
Deliver all fees collected and SCA copies of receipts to the Business Office on a weekly basis, usually on the Monday after the fees are due or as needed.
Communicate with the Business Manager and the corporate treasurer when additional funds are needed or when funds need transferred from one budget to another.
Accept all guest fees.
Ensuring that the house maintenance person spends no more than the allowed $10 per item for anything needed to complete a project if that expenditure was not first proposed to the whole house.
Transition the incoming house treasurer by updating the house checkbook, and finalizing any outstanding accounts with them.

Secretary:

The house secretary is elected for one term at the first house meeting of each term and receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The secretary reports to the house facilitator. The secretary's responsibilities generally include:

Taking roll and meeting notes at every house meeting.
Posting meeting notes on the house bulletin board, in the bathrooms, and through e-mail.
Archiving meeting notes by term. Each term's meeting notes should be arranged in chronological order in one file, then posted to the wiki as a .pdf.
Recording any and all policies decided upon by the house and updating the Janet Smith policies and procedures sections on the wiki.
Transitioning the incoming house secretary.

Historian:

The house historian is elected for each term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The historian reports directly to the corporate historian and to the house job coordinator. The historian's responsibilities generally include:

Collecting memorable quotes, 2-dimensional artwork, photographs, stories, etc. throughout the term and compiling them into some form of a book, magazine, or blog for members to look upon nostalgically at the end of the term and beyond.

Humorous quotes by housemates and friends are also archived on the wiki Quote Board.
JS photographs may be uploaded to the SCA flickr account.

Recording any significant events that occurred in the Janet Smith.
Assisting the corporate historian in any historian-related activities.

Maintenance Coordinator:

Two house maintenance coordinatosr are elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and each person receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The house maintenance coordinator reports directly to the corporate maintenance coordinator. The maintenance coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Collecting all maintenance requests from housemates.
Performing all house maintenance issues that can be successfully completed within the parameters of the house maintenance person's skill set.
Collecting contracting bids for all house maintenance issues that fall outside the parameters of the house maintenance person's skill set.
Overseeing and/or being the point person for any contracted work being done.
Maintaining the organization and supplies of the house maintenance tool rooms and woodshed.
Maintaining a written record of all house maintenance performed and/or contracted in the house maintenance section of the wiki.
Attending all maintenance committee meetings.
Transitioning the incoming house maintenance coordinator.

Maintenance expenditures:

Replacement items or repairs (less than $50) can be purchased without house consent unless the coordinators think it will be an issue. All purchases of any amount will be discussed between the two coordinators prior to spending money.
Improvements of more financial significance (over $50) must be taken to the house.
Emergencies: use discretion

Membership Coordinator:

The house membership coordinator is elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 4 job points per term as compensation. The house membership coordinator reports directly to the corporate membership coordinator and to the SCA recruitment coordinator. The membership coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Recruiting new members through Craigslist, Eugene Weekly, and Register Guard advertisements, flyering Eugene-area college campuses, tabling at campus recruitment events, supplying UO department secretaries with information about the Janet Smith and SCA, hosting potential new housemates at department open houses, hosting Janet Smith open house events, and other similar events.
Disseminating incoming applications to housemates through e-mail and through a hard copy posting on the membership bulletin board.
Organizing, publicizing, and facilitating applicant interviews.

Ideally, the membership coordinator should collect several questions that housemates would like to ask applicants and try to have them answered. It is also the membership coordinator's responsibility to give the applicants a sense of the Janet Smith house culture during the interview.
It is ultimately the membership coordinator's responsibility to make sure that as many housemates attend an applicant interview as possible. A great deal of reminding goes into this. Typically, it helps to post bathroom flyers with the time and date of the interview, to e-mail all housemates with reminders a week before the interview, three days before the interview, and the day of the interview. Moreover, many housemates find it helpful to receive a text message on the morning of the interview day to remind them of the event.
If the applicant cannot physically attend a house dinner and must be interviewed through a phone conversation or Skype, then it is expected that the membership coordinator try to record the interview in some way so that absent housemates can still experience the interview.

Facilitating move-in questions from incoming housemates.
Coordinating "Room Tetris."

Current members have the option to change their room to any available open or soon-to-be-open room before new members are allowed to choose their rooms.

After the current occupant delivers his or her 30-day notice, the first new member to give the membership coordinator a written request to move into the room will be permitted to move into the room.

New members are typically given room choice based on when they were accepted; that is, the first accepted new member has the first pick of available rooms.

New members with disabilities that would prevent them from having an upstairs room are granted a first floor room. If no first floor rooms are available, then the membership coordinator needs to ask a current first floor resident to move to a different room.
New members with a pre-approved cat or dog are granted a basement room. These new members will only be admitted into the house if a basement room is already available or will come available before the pet-owning potential new member is projected to move into the house.

Collecting the move-in deposit, distributing house and room keys, and distributing move-in paperwork such as the membership contract, SCA orientation material, NASCO membership information, and consensus information as well as making sure that new members have access to and read the SCA membership handbook.
Organizing a new members' orientation workshop.

The workshop should contain "getting to know you" activities, "what is a co-operative" and "the principles of co-operative living" activities, "the history of this co-operative and house" activities, consensus training, "job expectations" activities, and "house culture" activities.

Administering the check-out form/deposit request and the exit survey to all out-going housemates and collecting their house and room keys.
Managing the house spare key box.
Making sure the room descriptions on the "Virtual House Tour" on the wiki are updated.
Organizing at least one house 'membership activity' per term. Membership activities are fun trips, workshops, and other events that bring the house together in a social setting.
Attending all membership committee meetings.
Transitioning the incoming house membership coordinator.

The corporate board does maintain a corporate membership fund. If needed, the house membership coordinator can go to a corporate meeting and propose getting additional money for specific, planned projects or events through this fund.

Food Coordinator:

The food coordinator is elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 4 job points per term as compensation. The food coordinator reports directly to the job coordinator. The food coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Making sure the house has the food it wants throughout the year while choosing as much local and/or organic food as possible and while staying within the food budget. To this extent, the food coordinator must:

Be educated on the availability of local produce; that is, know what comes in season when and how to get it.

The OGC sends out a weekly e-mail of current produce and prices and any good deals. Keeping a spreadsheet of their supply and prices can help the food coordinator make informed purchases.

Maintain a list of the housemates' food preferences and allergies and try to accommodate everyone's requests. (For example, if a person is severely allergic to nuts, then nuts become a special treat, not a necessary expenditure. If the house agrees that no refined sugar or flour be used for house food, then whole wheat and a less refined sugar are ordered. If no wheat products are to be used for house food, then the food coordinator is responsible for ordering non-wheat flours, etc.)
Listen to what foods housemates want and try to accommodate the demands within the parameters of season, budget, and availability. (For example, if the house wants chocolate chips and a housemate is a vegan, then organic vegan chocolate chips must be ordered. These are expensive and a luxury, so they might be ordered once a term if at all, depending on budget. If someone wants tomatoes in January, the request might have to be denied altogether.)
Manage the food budget with help from the Business Office.

Taking stock of the house food supplies and prepare the house order no later than by Tuesday morning.

This is because the majority of our items are ordered through New Frontier, a local grocery store that allows us to bulk order from them. The bulk food ordered through New Frontier typically comes from local companies Mountain Peoples, Hummingbird Wholesale, and Glorybee. Our contact at New Frontier is a man named Chad Hodgert, and he currently requires that we submit our orders no later than 3pm on Tuesdays. Chad provides us this service for free, so we are very nice to Chad.

The food coordinator maintains a list of New Frontier's inventory and codes. When placing an order to Chad, required items are simply copy/pasted from this list to an e-mail to Chad. It is also essential to telephone Chad before 3pm on Tuesday to confirm our order if he does not send a confirmation e-mail of our order.
Surata Soy and Schack Farms orders can also be done on Tuesday to save hassle, but--clearly--they are not sent to Chad.

Keeping in touch with the FFLC and Food Pick-Up people. The food coordinator needs to let them know what items are being ordered from New Frontier and from OGC and let them know what needs to be purchased from other stores.
Gathering all receipts from the Food Pick-Up person and from cooks who have purchased items for their dinners and record the purchases in the house food budget sheet, now available on the wiki.
Assessing house interest in supporting CSAs every spring. Unfortunately for our academic calendar and summer plans, CSAs here typically start sending out their produce in late June and stop around the middle of October. These are largely the months that fall during summer interim when there is no food budget and reduced occupancy. Since resident house members would have to pay for a CSA share out of pocket, we consent on supporting one every year. To this aim, the food coordinator needs to:

Be apprised on what CSAs are active in our area, whether or not they deliver to the door, how much shares cost, and when they begin and end their seasons.
A month prior to the opening of CSA seasons, the food coordinator is responsible for proposing the support of a CSA throughout the summer. If there is interest, then the food coordinator is in charge of creating a list of who will be in residence in the summer and for how many weeks. When the average amount of people in residence per week is established, the number of shares desired is determined and the cost per member per week is figured. The food coordinator is then responsible for collecting the correct amount of money from each summer resident and asking the Business Manager to create a summer food budget from this money to pay the CSA through the summer. If the food coordinator is in residence in the summer, he or she will be in charge of maintaining this budget. If the food coordinator is not in residence, then the interim coordinator maintains this budget. When Fall term begins again, the CSA can be continued and paid for through the regular food budget.
If housemates consent to continue purchasing milk and eggs through Schack Farm throughout the summer, than the food coordinator is in charge of figuring this budget in a similar way as the CSA budgets are figured.

Conflict Assistance Team...CAT:

There shall be two CAT positions in each house.
The election of the CAT s will be based on the guiding principle that these coordinators are chosen to represent a diversity in social co-ordinates such as gender, race, sexual orientation etc. The format of the election will reflect this principle. (Please see qualifying remark at the end for an example.)
They will serve on the SCA CAT Committee, and attend weekly CAT Committee Meetings.
If there arises a situation in which an SCA member is unable to speak to a CAT, they can make use of the grievance forms to file a written complaint.
The CATs will, to the best of their ability, provide support by listening to and discussing the case with the parties concerned.
Any CAT with potential conflicts of interest may be excused from that specific mediation or conflict-resolution process.
Working with the corporate CAT and/or corporate or house membership to plan and execute co-op wide or house workshops or fun events.
Each CAT will receive 2 job points per term as compensation.

Qualifying Remark: This is a description of one way we figured out that this could happen. The earlier system meant that after we elect one CAT, everybody else who was nominated gets grouped together into one unit, regardless of how differently/similarly they identify with the person who was elected.
To avoid this, we first opened up nominations. The candidates spoke, then left the room. We elected one CAT. We then called them all back, and REOPENED nominations for the second CAT. This allowed people who identified very similarly to the first elected CAT to decline nominations if they were nominated again. More importantly, it allowed new people to be nominated by those who may not feel represented by the first CAT. Then we elected the second CAT.

Information Technology Coordinator:

The information technology coordinator is elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The information technology coordinator reports directly to the house job coordinator. The information technology coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Making sure the internet is up-and-running and speedy at all times. This may require communicating with the house's internet service provider, replacing routers, and other tasks.
Changing the house internet passwords once per term.
Making sure the house phone lines remain in working order.
Making sure the house printers remain in working order and have a supply of ink/toner.
Making sure any house computers remain in working order.
Being the point-person for the house wiki.

Any house mate can add or edit information on the wiki, but ultimately it is the information technology coordinator's responsibility to make sure that the Janet Smith information is updated and organized, and it is the information technology coordinator's responsibility to encourage housemates to add information to the wiki.

Garden Coordinator:

The garden coordinator is elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The garden coordinator reports directly to the house job coordinator and, if one is currently elected, to the corporate garden coordinator. The garden coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Maintaining attractive flower garden (front yard) plantings. This can include removing plants which have become too old or diseased to serve their purpose, adding new plants, and maintaining other garden features. This also includes "dead heading" spent blooms and other associated flower garden tasks.
Weeding and mulching the flower gardens.
Mowing the lawn spaces on the property.
Clearing away street litter from the front garden and sidewalk areas.
Watering all lawns and gardens during the dry summer months.
Planning, maintaining, and harvesting the vegetable garden. This involves paying attention to soil conditions and amending as necessary with compost.
Tending to all fruit-producing trees and bushes on the property (apple, plum, mulberry, persimmon, and blueberry) by coordinating harvests, pruning the trees as needed, and clearing away fallen fruit.
Removing un-planted/unapproved saplings from the property.
Trimming tree branches that are dead, that interfere with power lines or buildings, or that hang too low over walkways and side walks.
Researching and implementing more ways to increase the number and health of edible plants on the property

Job Coordinator:

The job coordinator is elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The job coordinator reports directly to the house facilitator. The job coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Making sure that all housemates--elected and volunteered--have read and understand their job descriptions.
Making sure that the historian, food coordinator, the information technology coordinator, the corporate representative and all housemates holding volunteer jobs have a plan for how to execute their jobs. For example, on what day of the week the bathroom cleaners plan to mop the floors or which kitchen cleaner is in charge of cleaning the stove grates.

When the housemates have a plan of execution, the job coordinator is responsible for collecting a written description of these plans and checking at least once a week to make sure these plans are being followed.
If the plans are not followed, then the job coordinator must give the slacking worker a written notification to do their job. When three written notifications have been delivered, the job coordinator is to levy a $3 fine to the housemate.

The $3 fine does not reflect the relative importance of different jobs or how much the housemate contributes to the house in other ways; it is simply an incentive designed to stabilize the performance of the different jobs.

Keeping track of all housemates' work party hours and levying fines for uncompleted hours.

All members are required to do 10 hours of work party per term. Of the required 10 hours, 5 must be non-fluff, 2 must be community service, and the remaining 3 can be fluff, non-fluff, or community service, as the member wishes.

Fluff work party tends to be either a particularly simple task or things that will only benefit the house for the current term (week or day). Examples are moving and stacking a pile of wood, party security, random cleaning, tabling for members, etc.
Non-fluff work party tends to benefit future co-opers as well. Permanent improvements or alterations are non-fluff. Periodic maintenance or cleaning tasks that elude the job chart or exceed job hours. Examples are spraying moss off the roof, cleaning range hoods, patching walls, necessary painting, building permanent structures, and excess historian work.
Community service involves doing some work for an organization outside the SCA, such as volunteering at FFLC or community gardens, soup kitchens, etc.

Each member will be fined $5 for every uncompleted hour of work.
Fluff and non-fluff work party hours in excess of 10 can be credited to work party hours for future terms.
Members need to submit a written description of what they did for work party and how long they spent doing it to the job coordinator. Ideally, the job coordinator should remind housemates to do this on a weekly or biweekly basis.

Organizing a work party once per term.

A work party is a day set aside once per term where all housemates are encouraged to work off some of their work party hours together. Up to 5 work party hours can be accrued during a work party. Individuals do not need to complete any work party hours during the work party day, but doing so does make it all more fun and helps to build community.
The job coordinator is responsible for maintaining a list of work party ideas and proposing a day for work party to the house. Once a day is agreed upon, the job coordinator publicizes the current list of work party ideas and asks each housemate to commit to a particular project and procure in advance all supplies they would need to complete the project. The job coordinator records these projects and how long it took to complete them and adds this to the housemates' work party hour totals.

Housemates do not have to do any of the job coordinator's publicized work party ideas. They can work on something else if they so choose.
If any work party ideas require house consensus, then a proposal to do these projects must be made in advance of the work party.
If housemates do require any additional supplies to complete the project, then they are responsible for proposing an expenditure for these items to the house at a house meeting.

Substituting for a dinner or dish shift if a house mate cannot fulfill his or her obligation and cannot find anyone else to substitute. Note that this is an option of extreme last resort: if any housemate is unable to do a part of his or her job, then it is his or her responsibility to find a substitute.

If the job coordinator does have to substitute for a dinner or dish shift, then the coordinator can immediately levy a $3 fine to the holder of that position.

Corporate Representative:

The house representative to corporate is elected for one term at the first house meeting of every term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The house representative reports directly to the house Job Coordinator. The house representative's responsibilities generally include:

Attending all corporate meetings or sending a proxy if it is impossible to attend a particular meeting.
Reporting corporate decisions and requests back to the house at house meetings or through e-mail.
The house representative to corporate is also a voting member of the corporate board.

Bicycle Coordinator:

The bicycle coordinator is elected for one year at the first house meeting of the fall term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The bicycle coordinator reports directly to the house job coordinator. The bicycle coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Repairing and maintaining all house bicycles.
Performing repair work on any housemate's bicycle if so asked.
Maintaining all bicycle storage systems, such as the bike racks on the front porch and in the basement and all the bicycle hooks in the basement.
Organizing and maintaining all house bicycle repair supplies and tools.
Working to promote bike culture among the house. This could include such things as posting maps of bicycle path ways, organizing house bicycle trips or rides, teaching other housemates to work on their bicycles, etc.

Interim Coordinator:

The house interim coordinator is elected for the duration of the winter break at the last house meeting of fall term. The house interim coordinator is also elected for the duration of the summer break at the first house meeting of the summer term. The interim coordinator reports directly to the SCA Business Manager. The interim coordinator's responsibilities generally include:

Taking on and performing all elected jobs of the house during the interim. However, if the holder of an elected position will be in residence during the interim and would like to keep doing the job, then the interim coordinator does not have to assume the responsibilities of that job.

The summer interim coordinator's primary responsibility is house membership. Summer is the time when most applications come in and when most people move in and out. The interim coordinator must be prepared to facilitate membership interviews and moving logistics.

Volunteer Positions:
All volunteer positions report directly to the job coordinator. In addition, Food Pick-up and FFLC Pick-up people must maintain communication with the food coordinator.

Dinner:

At the first house meeting of each term, ten cooks, or two cooks per day, volunteer to cook supper for the whole house on their chosen day for the remainder of the term. Each cook receives 4 job points per term as compensation. The cooks' responsibilities generally include:

Having supper on the table by 7pm (6pm on Sundays if house meetings occur on Sunday nights).
Making sure that house suppers contain at least a protein, a carbohydrate, a cooked vegetable, and a fresh salad.
Making use of the ingredients the house already has on hand, including leftovers.
Making sure that equivalent dish options are available for people who have dietary restrictions (dietary restrictions include vegetarianism, veganism, or allergies to dairy, soy, nuts, gluten, or other foods).
Making minimum use of processed ingredients.

House cooks are encouraged to ask the Food Coordinator to purchase any specific ingredients that they would like to cook with. However, house cooks can also spend up to $15 per meal for additional ingredients. They must submit their receipts to the Food Coordinator no later than 1 week after the meal in order to be reimbursed.

If house cooks wish to cook a meat dish, they are responsible for purchasing the meat. In addition, the meat must be local and ethically raised and processed. House cooks are encouraged to buy their meat from Long's Meat Market (81 East 28th Avenue, Eugene) or from Capella Market (2489 Willamette Street, Eugene).

Snack Maker:

At the first house meeting of each term, two people volunteer to make snacks and communal food for the remainder of the term. Each person receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The snack makers' responsibilities generally include:

Making healthy snacks. These can include but are not limited to: hummus and other dips with chopped vegetables, granola, yogurt, breads, fermented foods such as sauerkraut and pickles, and various salads.
Making unhealthy snacks. These can include but are not limited to: cookies, brownies, cakes, ice cream, sorbets, and so on.
Making communal food. These can include but are not limited to: salad dressings, cooked beans, rice and grains, and so on. With proper training, home-canned items such as jams, jellies, preserves, pickles, relishes, or canned beans could also be made as part of this job.

Bread Pickup:

One person will pick up bread from Eugene City Bakery once per week or every other week. They will schedule the pick up day based on their schedule. Pickups occur between 5:45 pm and 6:00pm on weekdays. They will also be in charge of properly storing or freezing the bread. This job is 1 point per term.

Dishes:

At the first house meeting of each term, twelve people, or two people for Sunday-Thursday and one person for Friday-Saturday, volunteer to wash the dishes for the whole house on their chosen day for the remainder of the term. Each dishwasher receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The dishwasher's responsibilities generally include:

Running all dishes through the sanitizer once during the course of the day before the cooks begin cooking dinner and once after dinner.
Neatly putting away all sanitized dishes, pots, pans, plasticware, and utensils in their proper places.
Cleaning the food trap of the sanitizer after running the dinner dishes.
Washing all pots, pans, utensils, and tools the cooks used to make dinner.
Cleaning out the sinks and drain catchers after doing the dinner dishes.
Putting away all dinner leftovers and remaining late plates.
Washing down the kitchen counters and stove top after cleaning the sinks.
Sweeping the kitchen floor after cleaning the counters.

Note that the dishwashers are not required or expected to wash personal dishes. Every housemate should already be washing any dishes that he or she may use as well as any pots, pans, and utensils used to cook personal food. In addition, every housemate should be cleaning the counters after preparing their own food. The dishwashers are only expected to clean up after the dinner cooks and to run all accumulated dishes through the sanitizer.

Also note that the sanitizer is not a dishwasher. All dishes must be food and grease-free before they can go through the sanitizer. If a housemate did not properly clean a plate, then it is, unfortunately, the dishwasher's job to do so. The dishwashers should, however, frequently remind housemates of how to properly wash their dishes.

Kitchen:

At the first house meeting of each term, two people volunteer to clean the kitchen for the remainder of the term. Each person receives 4 job points per term as compensation. The kitchen cleaners' responsibilities generally include:

Cleaning the stove grates and around the burners (at least once a month, preferably bi-weekly)
Cleaning the exterior of the stove and the shelf and contents above it (weekly)
Cleaning the oven interior (once per term)
Cleaning the microwave interior and exterior (weekly)
Cleaning the toaster and toaster oven interiors and exteriors (weekly)
Keeping all the kitchen drawers, shelves, and cabinets organized and accurately labeled (weekly)
Mopping the kitchen and pantry floors (weekly)
Giving the kitchen and pantry floor and baseboards a good scrubbing (once per term)
Cleaning behind the sink and the dish-board counter (weekly)
Scrubbing down the kitchen cabinets (once per term)
Making sure the stove doesn't become cluttered up with too many pots, pans, and lids. (Daily. Ideally, no more than 3 cast iron pans should be on the stove when the dinner cooks are not cooking.)

Rags and Laundry:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to launder the kitchen rags, aprons, and tablecloths for the remainder of the term. This person receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The launderer's responsibilities generally include:

Laundering all the rags, aprons, and tablecloths. This may frequently have to be done daily or every other day.

Housemates are to rinse out used rags before putting them in the hamper. However, if they neglect to do so, then the launderer needs to rinse out any overly dirty rags before putting them through the washer.

If the rags leave a dirty/greasy residue in the washer, then the launderer is responsible for cleaning up the residue and for running the rags through a second wash cycle.
Returning laundered rags to the clean rag drawer in the kitchen, hanging up clean aprons, and folding and replacing any tablecloths.
Culling the most worn rags from the house supply and monitoring the total amount of house rags. If it appears that the house has too few rags in supply, then the launderer is responsible for proposing the purchase of new rags to the house.
Making sure that the four "holding bins" for unattended laundry stay in the laundry area of the basement and do not migrate into housemate's rooms. If a bin is missing, then it is the launderer's responsibility to e-mail the house and ask its kidnapper for its return.

Fridge Cleaner:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to clean the refrigerators and freezers for the remainder of the term. This person receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The fridge cleaner's responsibilities generally include:

Making sure that the fridges and freezers stay organized: that dairy products stay on the dairy shelf, condiments stay on the condiment shelf, house left overs stay in the leftovers refrigerator, etc.
Making sure that personal food does not migrate into the communal food.

The main exception to this rule is when a housemate makes a meal with too many leftovers to fit in his or her shared personal food drawer. It is acceptable for this person to store leftovers in a labeled and dated large Earth Balance or Nancy's Yogurt container (or a personal food container) until they can transfer it to a smaller container and into their food drawer.

Making sure that the produce in the produce boxes is edible and that the boxes are properly labeled with their contents.
Making sure that the produce boxes are clean (usually one washing a month).
Culling uneaten leftovers from the leftovers refrigerator and washing all containers (usually on a weekly basis).
Keeping the interiors of the fridges clean and sanitized (usually one good scrubbing a month).
Monitoring and recording the temperatures of the refrigerators and freezers and adjusting as needed to keep them from becoming too warm or too cold.
Defrosting the freezers (usually once per term).

Pantry Organizer:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to clean and organize the pantry and basement surplus food shelves for the remainder of the term. This person receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The pantry organizer's responsibilities generally include:

Scrubbing down all the communal pantry shelves (usually once per term), repainting them as needed, and generally keeping them clean of debris.
Making sure that all pantry food stays fresh by occasionally checking to make sure all containers are properly closed and sealed. If any more quickly-spoiling dry goods (such as whole grain flours) are not being consumed, then it is the pantry organizer's responsibility to ask house cooks to try to cook with these ingredients more.
Making sure that the communal dry goods stay organized (typically all the flours are grouped together, all the sugars grouped together, all the grains grouped together, dry fruits, nuts, and chocolate grouped together, beans and legumes grouped together, etc) and that their Cambro containers remain accurately and neatly labeled.
Making sure that the syrups, oils, and vinegar containers and storage areas stay clean.
Making sure that personal food stays out of the communal food areas.
Monitoring the pest levels in the pantry. If mice, moths, or flies become a problem, then it is the pantry cleaner's responsibility to procure and maintain mice, moth, and fly traps.
Monitoring the supply of Cambro containers and proposing the replacement of broken/missing/additionally needed Cambros.
Re-stocking any empty aliquot containers (such as the honey and syrup squeeze bottles, ketchup bottles, and the oil bottles, smaller raisin/nut containers, etc.)
Notifying the Food Coordinator when the supply of any bulk dry good, oil, vinegar, canned good, or syrup is low.
Making sure the basement surplus food shelves stay organized and for house-food only. If any non-food items are placed on these shelves, then the pantry organizer is responsible for putting them in their proper homes or transferring them to the free pile.

Compost, Recycling and Garbage:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to take out the compost, recycling, and trash for the remainder of the term. This person receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The compost/recycling/trash person's responsibilities generally include:

Taking out the trash as needed (often daily)
Taking out the recycling as needed (often daily)

All recycling matter goes in the recycling bin except for large pieces of cardboard, which are laid flat by the recycling bin, and for glass, which has its own recycling bin.

Taking out the compost as needed (often daily)
Taking the old newspapers to the Eugene Mission box (often weekly)
Washing out the trash, recycling, and compost bins. (The trash and recycling bins can often go a month between washings. The compost bin should be rinsed out at least every other day.)
Managing the compost heaps, which are run on a 3-bin system
Educating the house about compost and recycling
Telling the yard and porch person what compost can be used in the gardens
Making sure the yard and porch person uses the yard debris bin for any yard refuse such as plants, grass, leaves, branches up to 4 inches in diameter, garden and tree discards, root wads, and small stumps.

The compost/recycling/trash person should be educated on what Sanipac, our sanitation company, can recycle. That information can be found here.

Sanipac picks up the trash once a week. If, in the rare instance we produce too much trash in a given week, the compost/recycling trash person is also responsible for calling Sanipac at (541) 736-3600 to arrange an additional pickup.

Ground Floor Bathroom:

At the first house meeting of each term, two people volunteer to clean and maintain the ground floor bathroom for the remainder of the term. Each bathroom cleaner receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The bathroom cleaners' responsibilities generally include:

Making sure the bathroom remains uncluttered.
Mopping the floor weekly
Cleaning the toilet bowl and exterior weekly
Cleaning the urinal weekly.
Cleaning the shower interiors weekly
Laundering the bathmats weekly
Removing trash/recycling weekly or as needed
Cleaning the sinks daily
Washing the mirror weekly
Cleaning beneath the sinks once per term
Giving the walls, behind the toilets, the baseboards, and the floor a thorough scrubbing once per term
Keeping toilet paper and cleaning solutions and aids in ready supply.

Should toilet paper or toothpaste be scarce, notify the food coordinator.
Should cleaning solutions and aids be in short supply, notify the Maintenance person.

Remaining 'on call' for particularly nasty bathroom disasters

Upstairs Bathroom:

At the first house meeting of each term, two people volunteer to clean and maintain the upstairs bathroom for the remainder of the term. Each bathroom cleaner receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The bathroom cleaners' responsibilities generally include:

Making sure the bathroom remains uncluttered.
Mopping the floor weekly
Cleaning the toilet bowls and exteriors weekly
Cleaning the shower interior weekly
Laundering the shower curtains and bathmats weekly
Removing trash/recycling weekly/as needed
Cleaning the sinks daily
Washing the mirrors weekly
Cleaning beneath the sinks once per term
Giving the walls, behind the toilets, the toilet stall walls, the baseboards, and the floor a thorough scrubbing once per term
Keeping toilet paper and cleaning solutions and aids in ready supply.

Should toilet paper or toothpaste be scarce, notify the food coordinator.
Should cleaning solutions and aids be in short supply, notify the Maintenance person.

Remaining 'on call' for particularly nasty (and usually mysterious) bathroom disasters

In addition, the house would prefer bathroom cleaners to use natural cleansers as much as possible and bleach as less as possible. Generally, the floors and toilets are cleaned with Lysol, the showers sprayed in alternate weeks with a 5% bleach solution or a 50% vinegar solution (which is immediately rinsed with water afterward so as to prevent the acid from eating the grout), the sinks with Dr. Bronner's Magic Pure Castile soap, and the mirrors, windows, and shower door with Seventh Generation glass cleaner or with Windex. Please note that the tiled shower is never to be cleaned with Dr. Bronner's as it is a soap and its residue promotes mildew growth.

Also, the upstairs bathroom crew promotes the use of the fan during and after steamy showers. This prevents condensation on the ceiling and expensive repairs further down the line.

Basement Bathroom:

At the first house meeting of each term, two people volunteer to clean and maintain the upstairs bathroom for the remainder of the term. Each bathroom cleaner receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The bathroom cleaners' responsibilities generally include:

Making sure the bathroom remains uncluttered.
Mopping the floor weekly
Cleaning the toilet bowl and exterior weekly
Cleaning the shower interior weekly
Laundering the shower curtains and bathmats weekly
Removing trash/recycling weekly/as needed
Cleaning the sink daily
Washing the mirror weekly
Giving the walls, behind the toilets, the baseboards, and the floor a thorough scrubbing once per term
Keeping toilet paper and cleaning solutions and aids in ready supply.

Should toilet paper or toothpaste be scarce, notify the food coordinator.
Should cleaning solutions and aids be in short supply, notify the Maintenance person.

Remaining 'on call' for particularly nasty (and usually mysterious) bathroom disasters

Vacuuming:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to vacuum the carpeted areas of the house for the remainder of the term. This person receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The vacuumer's responsibilities generally include:

Vacuuming all carpeted areas of the house weekly. These areas include the front and back stairs and all stair landings, and the 2nd floor hall.
Running a vacuum attachment up wall corners and between wall/ceiling corners occasionally (once a month or once a term) to remove cobwebs. This applies to all public spaces (hallways, first floor living rooms, the dining room, the kitchen, and bathrooms).
Maintaining the vacuum cleaners.

Dust canisters should be dumped into the dumpster and beater bars should be cleaned of hair and fiber every couple of weeks or so.
If a vacuum requires additional service, the vacuumer is responsible getting a repair quote and for proposing to have the vacuum professional repaired.

Making sure the hallways remain free of furniture and clutter.

First Floor Common Rooms Cleaner:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to clean the first floor common rooms for the remainder of the term. This person receives 3 job points per term as compensation. The first floor common rooms cleaner's responsibilities generally include:

Sweeping and mopping the dining room, living rooms, and entryway floors (weekly).
Scrubbing the dining room, living rooms, and entryway floors (once per term)
Dusting surfaces in the dining room, living rooms, and entryway (weekly).
Wiping down the dining room tables after dinner (daily).
Collecting old newspapers and putting them in the weekly storage bin (daily).
Removing clutter by collecting abandoned items and placing them in the abandoned items storage container (daily/weekly). When the storage container is full, the first floor common rooms cleaner is responsible for auctioning off these items at the end of the weekly house meeting.
Keeping the entryway "shoes and umbrellas" area clear and organized.
Keeping the broom closet under the front stairs organized.
Sorting incoming mail into housemates mailboxes.

Mail for old co-opers is stamped "Return to Sender" and placed back in the outside mailbox.
Junk mail is held for one week and then recycled after the weekly meeting.

Vacuuming upholstered furniture in the dining room and living rooms (once per term).

Basement Cleaner:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to clean the basement for the remainder of the term. This person receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The basement cleaner's responsibilities generally include:

Keeping the public areas of the basement clutter free. Abandoned items can be added to the abandoned items storage container on the first floor.
Culling old paint, varnish, and unusable painting supplies from the paint cabinet and keeping it organized.
Keeping the free pile tidy and of a manageable size. At least once a term, the basement cleaner is responsible for packaging up the contents of the free pile and taking them to a St. Vincent dePaul's collection center.
Frequently sweeping the floors of the laundry/freezer area and taking out the laundry trash.
E-mailing housemates if any laundry has been left in the basement for more than three days. If the laundry remains for another two days, then the basement cleaner adds the abandoned items to the free pile.
E-mailing housemates when the personal storage part of the basement begins accumulating items on the floor and asking for their owners to attend to them. All items in personal storage must either fit on a shelf or within the taped off "furniture" section.
Sweeping the basement floors at least once a month.

Second Floor Common Rooms/Attic Cleaner:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to clean the common rooms and the attic for the remainder of the term. This person receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The second floor common rooms/attic cleaner's responsibilities generally include:

Keeping the guest room, study nook, and attic clutter free. Abandoned items can be added to the abandoned items storage container on the first floor.
Sweeping and mopping the guest room floor and sweeping or vacuuming the theater sections of the attic floor at least once a month.
Dusting in the guest room, study nook, and attic as necessary and maintaining the organization of the closets and shelves in these rooms.
Keeping the stored mattresses and furniture in the attic in neat order.
Making the guest room bed and laundering the linens on a regular basis whenever it is not occupied by a guest.

When a guest is occupying the guest room, the guest's sponsor is responsible for making sure the guest has clean sheets and for laundering the sheets after the guest leaves. No one but the guest makes the guest's bed while he or she is in residence.

Porches and Houseplants:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to tend to the porches and houseplants for the remainder of the term. This person receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The porches and houseplant tender's responsibilities generally include:

Watering all houseplants on a regular basis. This will be different for the different plants: some require weekly watering, some much less.
Feeding any houseplants as needed.
Repotting any plants that have grown beyond the capacity of their current pot.
Pruning any dead/dying portions out of the healthy plant.
Keeping all houseplants in the house common areas in attractive arrangements.
Discarding any dead plants or plants that fail to thrive. This includes plants that can't seem to grow more than a measly stem or that persist in being "more pot than plant."
Keeping the porches free of debris, litter, and discarded items.
Sweeping the front porch at least once a month and the deck at least once a week.
Power washing the porches at least once a season to prevent moss and mold accumulation. This is especially important on the deck and any other non-painted surfaces such as the kitchen stairs, the stairs leading to the garden, and the ramp up to the front porch.
Keeping the furniture on the porch and deck in working order and in attractive arrangement.

Moreover, if the garden coordinator requires help on a project, the porches and houseplants person may be asked to assist on that project.

Food for Lane County Pick-Up:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to select and pick up food from the Food for Lane County (FFLC) warehouse for the remainder of the term. FFLC runs something called "The Extra Helping Program," which we qualify to receive. This program entitles us to practically unlimited second-shelf produce, bread, and Nancy's dairy products, as well as any cereal and/or ice cream that FFLC has available for Extra Helping. This person receives 4 job points per term as compensation. The FFLC pick-up person's responsibilities generally include:

Filling out all required FFLC paperwork, making sure the house adheres to all FFLC requirements, and remaining in good communication with our FFLC contact.
Going to FFLC's warehouse at least once per week and selecting second-shelf produce, bread, and Nancy's dairy products. If any cereal and/or ice cream is available, that is collected as well.

Not all of FFLC's second-shelf produce is good. Some pieces may have mold, have gone soft, or are otherwise imperfect. The FFLC pick-up person is expected to choose items that are still good.

Bringing all selected items home and putting them away in the kitchen.

If any produce needs washed or further sorted (for instance, a bag of oranges has one moldy orange), then the FFLC pick-up person needs to wash and sort the produce.

Ask the food coordinator to reimburse you for any gas costs involved with food-pickup. The distance is approximately 8 miles round trip.

Food Pick-Up:

At the first house meeting of each term, one person volunteers to select and pick up ordered food and supplies primarily from the OGC, the Kiva, and New Frontier. Some companies, like Surata Soy Foods or Schack Farm, deliver directly to our door. This person receives 4 job points per term as compensation. The food pick-up person's responsibilities generally include:

Picking up what the food coordinator orders and verifying that we are given what we ordered and that we pay the price that we were promised. This is done on a weekly basis.

The food coordinator will supply the food pick-up person with any checks needed to pick up the order. If the food pick-up person needs to write the check, the food coordinator will let the food pick-up person know how much the check is projected to be.
Ordered produce comes from OGC (1800B Prairie Rd., (541) 689-5320). Milk, cheese, and smaller-supply bulk staples like brown rice flour and tortilla chips comes from The Kiva (125 W 11th St, (541) 342-8666). Much of our paper supplies (toilet paper) and soap (Dr. Bronner's, Seventh Generation, Tom's Toothpaste) come from New Frontier (8th and Van Buren, (541) 345-7401), as does the large-supply bulk purchases (sugar, flour, grains, etc) and butter.
Surata Soy (325 W 3rd Ave, (541) 485-6990) supplies our tofu and tempeh. Surata typically runs a delivery service. If this is discontinued or becomes cost prohibitive, however, the food pick-up person will be responsible for collecting the tofu and tempeh order from them.
Schack Farm supplies our raw milk and our eggs. They deliver to our door on Saturday morning. If this is discontinued or becomes cost prohibitive, the food pick-up person will be responsible for buying milk and eggs from the Kiva.
If any meat is required by a cook and the cook cannot arrange for transportation to Long's Meat Market (81 E 28th Ave, (541) 344-3172) or to Capella (both about a 20-30 minute walk one way), they may ask the food pick-up person to collect it for them on his or her weekly trip. If the food person cannot accommodate the request, he or she does not have to collect the meat.

After picking up the weekly orders, the food pick-up person is also responsible for putting all the items away. If any produce is added to the produce bins, then it is expected that the food pick-up person update the labels on the produce bins as well.

If items are purchased that cannot currently fit in the pantry or kitchen, surplus goes into the surplus pantry shelves in the basement. Bulk root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and onions are also stored in the basement.

If the pick-up person uses a car to collect the food, he or she may put in a mileage reimbursement request to the Business Office and receive gas money. According to SCA policy, mileage reimbursement requests must be made before the trip. When the mileage of the preferred pick-up route is determined, the food pick-up person may request gas money in advance for the entire 10-week term (plus 1 week for finals).

Other Positions:
These are jobs that have been created at one point in time or another in JS history and may be re-added to the job board if the house consents to include more jobs.

Eco Advisor:

The eco advisor is elected for one year at the first house meeting of the fall term and receives 2 job points per term as compensation. The eco advisor reports directly to the house job coordinator. The eco advisor's responsibilities generally include:

Identifying ways the Janet Smith house could become more eco-friendly and maintaining a list of possible green-improvement projects.
Coming up with a plan to implement one of those green-improvement projects per term. This will involve researching the project and proposing it to the house along with all supplies that must be purchased to successfully complete the project.
Coming up with a plan to help obtain longer-term, bigger budget eco-friendly goals. For example, if the house wants to get solar panels, then the eco-adviser needs to find a way to create a savings plan so that we could afford to install and maintain solar panels in the future.

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