Co-Ops Provide Sense of Belonging and Support

By DUNIA MATTA Sun Contributor

Students at Cornell can live in a variety of housing arrangements on campus. Although freshmen are required to live in dorms, sophomores are also able to live in fraternity and sorority houses, while upperclassmen can also rent off-campus apartments or houses with friends — and students entering their sophomore years or older can apply for cooperative housing.

Living off campus may not be accessible to all students, especially those with limited financial stability, given the marked increase in rent. From 2021 to 2022, there was a 7.6 percent increase in Ithaca rental rates. Cornell has some living options — particularly for low-income, minority and LGBTQ+ students — including program houses that provide close-knit communities as an alternative to living in the dorms or Greek housing.

Co-ops provide a more affordable housing alternative. Each unique house, scattered around North and West Campus, is completely student-run and has its own executive board. These committees handle house repairs, cleaning routines and general house rules. According to Cornell’s student and campus life webpage, co-ops are among the least expensive housing options on campus. The average cost ranges from three to four thousand dollars per semester.

Students who currently live in the co-op system praised it heavily, often saying it was one of the best decisions they made during their time at Cornell. While each house has its own unique quirks to the “moseying” process — the co-ops’ analogue to rushing in Greek life — most houses follow a relatively similar procedure.

Information about co-ops often spreads by word-ofmouth or on social media. Nnenna Ochuru ’25 moseyed during the Spring 2022 semester and has been living in the Wari Cooperative since August. After filling out an online application, Ochuru attended a few Zoom information sessions and was able to get a sense of the Wari community.

“[It is important to] make sure you vibe with the peo-