2015-02-Pine-Press

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Membership Services Coordinator: A Cool New Kid On The Block Dear Co-opers, In early December I packed my life into a red Subaru and made my way up to Michigan to be your Member Services Coordinator. After six weeks I’m starting to feel settled in behind the desk and in my lovely new home, Raft Hill. I look forward to dedicating the next couple years to getting to know you, and to contributing to the health and growth of the organization.

The road here was a long one, so I wanted to share a bit about what I’ve been doing along the way. No matter where I find myself, I’m always a handful of things: a native West Virginian, the eldest of 9 wonderful siblings in a mixed family, a nature lover, an avid learner, and a competitive Euchre player (though I’ve yet to best a Michiganian, it is now my #1 life goal).

Michigan will be the first state I live in as an adult outside of West Virginia; however, I’ve been blessed with many opportunities to travel and have spent about 2.5 years cumulatively living in Latin America. Most recently, I was in Nicaragua for a year on a Fulbright research grant exploring financing for cooperatives as a model for economic development. I studied international development, and had been thinking about cooperatives in that context for a few years. When I got back home, I figured I should quit just pondering and asking questions about co-ops and try working in one.

My first step in that direction was helping to start a co-op coffee company that grew out of a student group at West Virginia University called Firsthand Cooperative. Firsthand is mostly an experiment in using transnational cooperativism to advance economic development in partner communities. I was the first ED and am still on the Board of Directors, but since our top priority is to invest in struggling coffee farmers and cooperativists, we decided to fire me earlier this year to free up more revenue for redistribution. (Cut this paragraph if it’s too long) That’s what brought me to the SHC (though only after embarking on an epic solo road trip). Truthfully, my interest in cooperatives is largely academic. I want to spend most of my life researching and engaging in international development (i.e. working with/for the world’s poorest). Economic democracy is the most intriguing model I’ve encountered thus far; however, I’m not 100% convinced that it can realistically work for most people.

To be perfectly honest, I’m here primarily with the hope you persuade me that it can. In the meantime, I’ll be nagging you to pay your rent on time :-) In cooperation, Alanna P.S. I’m not accepting Facebook friend requests unless I know you and we’ve had a conversation about something other than your account. It’s nothing personal; I’m just trying to maintain some semblance of work-life balance.

Chores a la Howland

Article III: Member Labor Contribution Section III.I: Each member of Howland House Cooperative shall be required to fulfill an approximately equal share of the labor required to maintain the house on a weekly basis.

Section III.II: Unfulfilled member labor shall be subject to fines, at a rate determined by the members.

Our chores are given different point values depending on the amount of time is spent doing that chore each week. One hour of work = one point. Since we have 24 members to divvy up the labor, each person aims for 4­6 points. The time­consuming chores like cooking and shopping are worth the most—3 points each. We have two cooks each night, Sunday­Thursday, and two house shoppers. Undertaking yard work, breadmaking or cleaning our constantly messy living room and kitchen will earn you a solid two points on the chart. Cleaning bathrooms, organizing our pantry or holding the title of snackmaster earn one point.

I have lived in the house for two years, and our chore systems have evolved during that time. Chore fines were $3 per point. This eventually turned into $3 per point per day chore was not completed. We bumped it up to $5 per point to encourage cleanliness and reinforced the “per day” fine once again. What can I say? We like to keep it tidy. However, one thing we’ve always struggled to keep tidy is our sink. I’d say this is a universal issue that every roommate in the history of existence has encountered. It has been part of the discussion at nearly every house meeting for the past two years. We tried different methods, even looking to other co­ops to see how they function. We almost stole Bowie’s system (it rules) but nothing was working for the Howlandians. Because of this, within the past week we created dish duty.

Two people are assigned each day, all organized on a sheet that dates all the way to May. Those two people clean whatever is left in the sink that day. So far, our sink has been looking much better! If any other houses struggle when it comes to dishes, give it a shot!

A fine of $10 is given to a member who has more than one unexcused absence to a house meeting. All fines are charged by the chore checker at a specific date and time each week and turned over to the finance officer...and that’s how it’s done!

The Co-op Alumni Association By: Syd Burke Are you an alumnus who misses your time in the co-op housing system? Do you wish there were a way you could link up with old friends or get involved with what’s going on with the current membership and houses? Are you a current member looking to network? Maybe in search of some support on your officer role or a solution to a problem you’re experiencing? Then the Co-op Alumni Association is for you! The purpose of this association is to organize alumni who have learned, worked, and lived alongside each other throughout the history of the MSU Student Housing Co-op. We also hope to include Montie House in our cause as well, which is why we aren’t exclusively labeling ourselves as The SHC Alumni Association.

Our cooperative system has been around for over forty years, and in those forty years, there have been various house-level organizations, but never been much of a concerted effort to organize alumni at a system-wide level. This is a shame, as most people spent some of the most influential years of their lives in the MSU Student Housing Cooperative, whether that be meeting their future spouses, making lifelong friends, taking on leadership roles they never imagined they’d be in at a college level, or contributing to a house and living a cooperative lifestyle. We’d like to change this. “I was the house mother, I’m sensitive so it worked,” (Craig Newton, Howland Alumnus).

Through interviews with leaders of many Student Housing Co-ops around the U.S. such as Berkeley Student Cooperative, Ann Arbor Inter-Cooperative Council, and ICC Austin, to name a few, I’ve found that across the board the largest issue for student housing cooperatives has most commonly been turnover. Members enter our systems, spend varying amounts of time here, then, in most cases, graduate and go on with their lives.

Although this is certainly not always the case; “I still read the SHC board minutes, if/when current members post some; and we all <those who got seriously involved at some point> care what the future will bring,” (Hedrick House Alumnus, Patrick Wahl). Members may hold a certain role or position, learn something new, deal with some unheard of issue, implement something amazing, but with them leaving the system, that knowledge and experience often leaves too. While it is important to have a fresh perspective, it is crucial to preserve what has been successful and instill a remembrance of what does/doesn’t work---alumni are a hugely under-utilized resource for this.

We hope to provide an opportunity for everyone to both stay connected with the progress we have made to improve our system, and a way to continually benefit the organization we all have present, or past ownership of. Anyone who has gone through this system has something to contribute, big or small, and we’re working on trying to create a domain for alumni to have an influence. “I was the maintenance officer of Bowie, and I felt like I needed to give back all that I could, that’s why I did the painting, the table, the lights, and redid the pantry. Living in the house, it becomes an extension of who you are. I feel a need to give back to Bowie and watch over it, because there’s no possible way I could repay it for what it did for me and my life,”(Shaun Bezinque, Bowie House alumnus).

This organization can have a great deal of benefits for our system. Bringing alumni back to the cooperative organization can harness or re-instill their pride in the Co-op and the values we stand for, which can be taken with us throughout the rest of our lives. It can bring fundraising, networking, story-telling, advising, training-the opportunities are pretty much limitless. Our main goal right now is to continue establishing our database, get a more official status for our association, continue getting the word out, plan events, workshops, and hopefully other opportunities for the next few semesters.

The association is still very much in its early stages, but progress has definitely been made. A large amount of research and planning has taken place, an inner alumni steering council has been loosely formed, The Alumni Coordinator role has been officially established on SHC staff, three meetings have been held including the first one which had a strong turnout of 20 past and current SHC members, and was held on the MSU Alumni Association’s third floor at MSU Stadium. “This meeting left team members excited about the opportunity to build this new function with inter-generational collaboration,” (Ray Scurr, Howland and Orion Alumnus).

We would really like to instill the sentiment that once a co-oper, always a co-oper, and that even after leaving, you are can always be a part of a mutually beneficial relationship with the system. This will offer a way to have an impact on the growth that they want to see in the association, to be able to affect the changes they would like to see. “What every housing Co-op needs is some real appreciation of their alums. That appreciation can manifest in a number of different ways within houses, and at a system wide level”- (Susan Caya, previous director of Education and Training for ICC Ann Arbor).

What we aim to do is find ways to connect with past members in order to maintain and improve the present, and in turn providing for future members. “Our system has been through plenty of ups and downs and has prevailed with something to build on,” (Mike McCurdy, SHC Head Maintenance Coordinator and Howland Alumnus).

If you’re an alumnus reading this, a big question you may have is “how does this still affect me?” “What you do know is what you experienced during your time in the system, you know the buildings, the traditions, the wrongs, the rights, and everything in between,” (Liz Milani, Bowie House Alumnus). Houses go through culture changes over the years, but our mission is the same. Those who have been a part of contributing to this mission are able to give back in a variety of ways.

In order to continue developing this association, we’d like your help with getting the word out there, providing ideas, getting informed about what’s going on with our meeting minutes and much more!

Please contact Syd Burke at alumnicoordinator@msu.coop if you’re interested in finding out how to get involved, or with any questions you may have. Don’t worry if you don’t live in the Lansing area anymore, we have had people either video chatting or calling in to our meetings! Thanks for reading, and stay tuned!

(Photos are from meetings 1-3)

Speaking

Connecting

Greeting

Conversing Skyping

Growing

The Platypus: Mutant Hybrid Alien Being of Satan

The first time this animal was viewed by man, many thought it was a Frankenstein creation. Platypuses are found in the freshwater areas throughout Tasmania and the eastern and southeastern coast of Australia. The egg-laying, duck-billed, beaver-tailed, otter-footed is a national treasure, that resides on their 20 cent coin.

Spanning genotypic characteristics of a handful of animals, the platypus is actually a mammal. However, they do not produce live birth. They are monotremes that have not evolved past the ability to lay eggs for reproduction. They produce milk, but lack nipples! Their milk oozes out of mammary glands, onto specialized patches of skin.

They have super sensitive bills, used for sniffing out meaty morsels under the sea. The skin of the bill holds thousands of receptors that detect movement of potential food. This is called electroreception.

Their duck-like bill feels like suede, but is also flexible and rubbery.

Platypuses are one of the few venom-producing mammals. Males have spurs on their hind feet that can produce enough toxic venom to kill your dog! After being stung, a full-grown man lost control of his entire arm.

Their skeletons resemble those of reptiles. They have pectoral girdles and splayed legs, much like alligators.

Through the course of evolution they have lost their stomachs. They also have no teeth, so they eat gravel and dirt to properly digest their food.

On land, they walk on their knuckles to protect their beautifully webbed feet. Their efficiency increases thirty percent from land to water.

A Stigma that Ends Lives

By: Anna Beurkens

Mental Illness has been stigmatized in society since the dawn of time. Many ambitious, intelligent, and talented individuals suffer from a disorder of the mind. A chemical imbalance. A chronic illness and inability to have autonomous control of your emotions and how you express them. The stigma that receiving treatment for a mental illness is socially constructed. Now that we don’t send the mentally ill to the ‘mad house’, talking to a therapist or seeing a psychiatrist for a prescription for a chronic disorder is not something to be ashamed of. The only way to challenge the status quo is to create a dialogue that mental illness is an affliction within society and is not something that is inappropriate to discuss outside of the home. This stigma has cost many people their lives due to the fear of being judged for asking for help. The attempt or act of ending your life is something that took a lot of thought and time in a very dark place. There is a large demographic of people who live with a chronic mental illness and are able to be productive members of society. This is only due to ongoing treatment from a psychiatrist and health conscious habits.

Those who collaborate within the media are publicly accessible mouthpieces to create a more open dialogue about living with a mental illness. Fairly Recently, a widely loved entertainer within pop culture sadly lost his life due to his lifelong struggle with depression. Robin Williams was a talented, eccentric performer that captivated a wide fan base during his illustrious career. He had been more open in recent years about his battle with addiction and mental illness. In 2006 he spoke to Terry Gross on NPR about his balancing act with his mental health and addiction in the past and present. “Do I perform sometimes in a manic style? Yes,” “Am I manic all the time? No. Do I get sad? Oh yeah. Does it hit me hard? Oh yeah.” This explanation furthered the speculation that Robin Williams likely had suffered from both manic and depressive episodes while living with bipolar disorder. This constant internal battle is emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually taxing. After years of cycling through mania and depression he decided to end his own life. His struggle with addiction surely exacerbated his mental health condition. People who suffer from bipolar or other mental illnesses with severe delusion and/or paranoia are likely to go off their meds once or more throughout their life, likely when they begin to exhibit manic behavior or while they are experiencing the high of mania.

Within recent years, widely known individuals have been more open about their struggle with mental illness.

In 2012, Michael Angelakos, the artistic mind of Passion Pit, revealed he suffered from mental illness after he was forced to cancel tour dates to receive treatment for an ongoing bipolar disorder. His role as a prominent player in the electronic music industry gives sufferers of mental illness hope that with adequate support and treatment, they have the same opportunity as anyone else to make their mark on this world. Michael said that at his worst he drank copious amounts of alcohol on tour because he his fellow band mates were miserable. His repressed feelings and jaded existence in our world was expressed in his work on both Manners’ and Gossamer. In ‘The Reeling’ he performs in a panicked rush as he questions the very existence of ones own life. These repressed feelings surely came through his lyrics throughout his highly regarded career of making

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In order to perform and repress the effects of mania, Angelakos had drank heavily and later reflected on his performance at SXSW. “I mentioned how I shaved for this girl I was involved with. The band was drunk, but they still were like, ‘What the fuck is going on?’ I started standing on my vintage keyboards and freaking the fuck out. It got to the point where I was just rolling around on the grass, going crazy. When I got off the stage, all the Columbia people there were very excited. I was on the side, and I was crying. I couldn’t control it.” The inability to think rationally and express one’s emotions in this delicate state can be detrimental to someone’s life and livelihood. After receiving treatment for this lifelong condition, he announced how grateful he is for his craft, fans, wife, and other strokes of fortune throughout his life. Angelakos recently filmed a PSA for the #StrongerthanStigma campaign. He and other entertainers such as Wayne Brady have spoken about their struggle with mental illness and the stigma that surrounds undergoing treatment for a mental health condition. This is especially true for men due to the expectations in a society with a masculine hegemony complex.

Men and women who are both skilled and charismatic have the platform to perpetuate an open dialogue on mental illness. This raw honesty appeals to those who have suffered from a debilitating mental illness. When people hear recounts of successful people who have endured psychological turmoil, they are more likely to ask for help when symptoms surface or cycle throughout ones life. Men are less likely to receive treatment and are 3 to 4 times more likely to commit suicide than women; this is mostly reflective of the 40+ demographic of males in the U.S. Suicide is one of the leading causes of death for us millennials.

Women are more likely to idolize the act of suicide, and are also more likely to attempt and fail. This is due to higher rates of depression and poor self image within young women. This epidemic of self affliction and absence of self preservation will never improve if we neglect to diminish mental illness as taboo within human interaction.

Michael Angelakos (1987-) Robin Williams (1951-2014)

Ann Arbor Super Co-op Experience By: Syd Burke A few months ago, I took it upon myself to head to Ann Arbor and check out The Ann Arbor Inter-Cooperative Council’s Super-Co-op, commonly known as Escher House. I had been in contact with Eric Bumbalough who currently holds the position of Alumni Team Chair, and Board Representative for the Ann Arbor system. He happens to live at Escher House, and he offered to give me a tour, and never having seen a Cooperative house in person larger than about 40 members, I was intrigued. So, I trekked over there to see what was going on!

Escher House is composed of two houses, Renaissance and O’Keefe, which occupy the same building. Typically, approximately 80 people live in O’Keeffe and 60 people live in Renaissance. It is located on the University of Michigan’s North Campus, and is the most gigantic co-op I have ever seen! The house is divided into nine suites with 16 to 20 people complete with a TV lounge, kitchen, four showers and four toilet rooms in each. It is arranged this way in order to make the house feel smaller than it really is, and facilitate social interactions. The house was opened in 1970, and is a free ten-minute bus ride from UofM’s Central campus. ____________________________________ ________________________________________ Eric was able to provide me with some responses to questions about the house during our tour that I’d like to share: Me: How does your meal plan work?

Eric: We have a professional chef who cooks dinner five days a week, and in the school year members cook and are supervised by Chef Lynn who does all the ordering, and does lunch prep. We have all meals supplied and stocked, and she oversees buying cleaning supplies as well.

Me: Do you guys have any traditions or interesting events you put on?

Eric: We are geographically and culturally pretty separate from the rest of the ICC. So we don’t do much with other houses, but we do have general get-togethers mostly for Holidays like Halloween, St Patrick’s Day, Thanksgiving, etc.

Me: Do you have a large international student presence?

Eric: Yes. It’s coincidence that we happen to be on East Campus, near the Engineering building, so there is generally a high percentage of international students seeking housing in the area. Also, our house is made up of mostly graduate students which tend to make up a higher percentage of international students. So, Escher has developed a reputation of being largely made up of international students, so they are attracted to our house year after year.

Me: How are your meetings run with so many people?

Eric: We just re-did it all. We don’t have any one place that’s big enough to hold everyone, so we have two separate forums on two separate days in each of the kitchens, then voting is balloted so you don’t vote at both.

Me: How many board representatives does your house have?

Eric: Each house in our system has one representative. For our house, since it’s triple the size, there are three board reps. It’s nice because of our representation, we could essentially block something we don’t agree with (our board is made up of about 18 total members) Me: What is the biggest challenge of living in the Super Co-op?

Eric: We tend to get a lot of people who are there because it’s cheap and convenient. Also we have a lot of logistical challenges: move-ins and move outs are a huge hassle for us with so many people.

Me: What is your favorite part about living in Escher?

Eric: The community. We have several different mini-communities within one house

Family room <3

Straight Chillin’

MmMm....food.

Workouts & Tons of Photographs

Yikes!...That’s a Lot of Bikes!

Ann Arbor Co-Ops are REAL and really cool.

...a developing story from December’s Pine Press.

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High turnover rate of Exec board: reptoids know that a member-involved organization is supposed to be transparent therefore they switch out planted “leaders” before we can ID them

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New members: we have a lot of new members this year WHERE DID THEY COME FROM answer: reptoid hibernation dens. I’d like to think they’re trying to figure out how to live cooperatively but lol that’s not the reason !

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Devoted student “members” and causes: I would love to believe that our members and causes are legitimate in intention but they’re 99% A SMOKESCREEN for reptoid goals. Like our president Dan Birkholz does a whole bunch for the system n stuff n is super involed but I SWEAR I saw his cloaking fail once at Woodys and swear he had slit eyes!! He’s trying to turn the SHC into a reptoid den/gene pool!! That’s why there’s planned rennovations of houses (especially “rewiring” at Phenoix; uh can you might as well be honest and say “Phenoix is money to set up a high-powered communications replay to the reptoid scout spacecraft ~500mill miles away near Jupiter! **PS: if you’re a human and prove it I take it back: good job being a president!** same w/Josh SHrIver who’s really good at education OR SHOULD I SAY RE-EDUCATION he’s using all these cool educationaltools to promote a reptoid agenda; I live next to him at hedriCk and have am 80-90% sure I heard reptoid growls once coming outta his room (but again i mite be wrong if so I am sorry ur doing agood job!)

Also the SHC being involved witht the community is a HILARIOUS but clever attempt to gain support of other, possibly higher-ranking reptoids in city govrenemtn/community groups.

So what can you do to avoid reptoid-influence in your house?? I’ll let my co-researcher summarize that cus I gotta check on some frequencies from my high-band transmission detector!!

HOW TO TEL IF YOU HAVE REEPTIPPPOIDZ IN UR HOAUS!!!!??? BY HAMM

FIRST DETERMINE WHO IZ AND IZ NOT A REPTOID, DO THIS BY LOOKING AT TEIR GILLS, IF THEY HAVE GILLS THAY ARE A REPTOID, IF NOT THEY MAY BE A MARSUPIOLITICIAN OR HUMAN. SEE OTHER SIGNS TO SECOND IF THEY LISTEN TO JUZTIN BEILEIBERZZZ OR THE BEATLES IT IZ BECUZ THEY USE VIBRAIONS THAT FEEL GOOD AGAINST THE MATING SACKS OF REPTILIANZ. THREE IF YOU HOOK UP AT A CO OP PARTY WITH A FELLOW CO OPER FIRST CHECK IF THEY DO OR DO NOT WANT YOU TO DEPOSIT SEEDZ INTO THEIR COALACA AND THEN THEY WILL LAY SLIMY EGGS INTO THE LAYER OF SAND THAT IS COVERING THE BASEMNT FLOOR OF PHOENIX BECUZ DAN IZ A REPTOID AND MADE IT A REPTOID DEN. WE KNOW RULE NUMBER 4 IF YOU ARE AT A MEETING AND A HAUS MEMBER WANTS TO USE A PHYSIKAL DEVELOPMINT GRANT TO BUILD A LARGE ROCK WITH A HEAT LAMP OVER IT SO THEY CAN WARM THEIR EXOTHERMIC BLOOD, DO NOT VOTE FOR IT!!!!1 IT IS A TRICK11!!

FINALLY ME AND RED DOGG R SINGLE. IT IS LYKE WE ARE THE LAST WARM BLOODED HUMANOIDS LEFT ON THIS COLD COLD DIEING PLANET. Uhhh well that’s our basic (short) sumary of reptoids and their presence here in the SHC. Ppl are afraid of what they don’t know so ASK US QUESTIONS we want to expose the truth. to all those witty hackerbabe techno girls that KNOWTHETRUTHabout reptoid or is cuirous is welcome to callusup [2487563013 and 5867185874 call us w/ reptoid-related tips on non-government tracable phones because THEY ARE ALWAYS LISTENIING AND ALWAYS WATCHING or swing by Hedrick to hang/checkout our ham radio setup/reptoid research station!! AnY1 else is also welcome to call us/stop by with reptoid sighting, questions, pictures, u name it!

Closing messege to: NEVER STOP ASKING NEVER STOP SEARCHING REPTOIDS ARE REAL AND WINNING. THE WAY TO FREEDOM IN KNOWLEDGE SEEK THE TRUTH!!!!!!!!!!!!

-Red Dog + Hamm

To whom it may concern, My name is Christopher Walsh; I was a New Comm resident from 2008-2011 and Member Services Coordinator from 2009-2011. I’m writing primarily in reference to the proposed redevelopment of the Collingwood houses that was reported in the last issue of the Pine Press and to register my opposition to that plan.

I understand the infrastructure challenges facing the SHC: the Executive Committees during my time in the cooperative spent a lot of time on the same issues, from EVP Dan Tooman’s project to restore or install hardwood floors to other programs to refurbish, among others, Hedrick and Bower. As a resident of New Community, I also know the dangerous history of “updating” or “renovating” houses to keep pace with the times; any close look at the SHC’s photo archives will show the damage that was done to the historic structure on Anne Street in the 1980s.

As reported, I believe the mega-coop project would be a step back for the SHC, destroying not just the historic and unique structures of Miles and Ferency, but also removing a large chunk of revenue from the SHC while the structures are being torn down and replaced. I recall many times when Jim Jones (one of the SHC’s cofounders) came to visit, either in East Lansing or at board retreats, and he talked wistfully of houses like Eleutheria, which was lost to fire. The last time the SHC removed a house was Atlantis, at decision hotly contested by the membership at the time.

I’m a third generation Spartan, and my father remembers walking down Collingwood on game days, seeing the same co-op houses in the 1970s. My grandfather saw the same buildings (and the original Hedrick house!) when he was attending MSU in the 1950s. I would be incredibly disappointed to go back to East Lansing, as I do every year, and not see the houses I remember cooking, laughing, and making friends in. I wouldn’t want members to look back and be wistful for houses that were destroyed by the community itself, rather than a natural disaster.

I would encourage the Board of Directors and the Executive Committee to consider the heavy cost to the SHC’s history and finances that this project would bring, and I would encourage them to be more forward-looking and inclusive of the historical realities of East Lansing and the SHC. I live and work in Shanghai, a city that is currently tearing down their own historical buildings and unique cultural heritage at a breakneck pace, all in the name of development and progress. While the new structures they put in place might be modern or efficient, they are a poor replacement for the special heritage of the city and once they’re gone, they’re gone forever. I urge the SHC’s leaders to consider other plans- either purchasing property and building new structures similar to the ICC’s northern campus, or attempting to buy and renovate other structures in East Lansing. The recent success with Howland showed that expansion is a proven path as well.

When I look at the pictures of co-ops from years past, whether it was New Community’s original appearance, the first Hedrick (lost to fire during the Rose Bowl in the 50’s), Eleutheria (lost to fire in the 70’s), Atlantis (sold in the early 2000s), I feel a sense of loss that those buildings and the communities they had are gone. I hope that the SHC respects the history and community in Hedrick, Zolton Ferency, and Miles Davis, and keeps those structures intact for many years to come.

Yours very truly, Christopher Walsh New Community Coop, 2008-2011 Member Services Coordinator, 2009-2011

Response email on next page...

PS: If at all possible, please print this in the next Pine Press/include it in a Board packet. I know the SHC is trying to increase alumni involvement- well, here you go!

When we made SHC a reality in 1971, I was a member of Hedrick House, which then included 146 Collingwood, the house next door. We had 42 members total, all crowed into those two buildings. The third house, on the corner, was purchased after I left town, but I remember the excitement that others had about building the “Hedrick Empire,” with all three houses eating in the dining room of the main house.

Even though I later lived at Elsworth and was one of the founding members of Rivendell, I always have thought of myself as first and foremost a member and alumnus of Hedrick. And the more I learned about the heritage of Hedrick, the more I appreciated its importance in developing the East Lansing cooperative community.

Without Hedrick, SHC never would have been started, but it’s also important to remember that 140 Collingwood was built to replace an older building where Hedrick began. Elsworth too was constructed — with much of the work done by the members — to replace an older structure. Redevelopment isn’t a new idea in East Lansing, and nearly all of the early cooperatives moved from place to place over time. The cooperative is the group, not the building.

I would agree that tearing down historic buildings can be a tragedy, but I would question the value of any of these three houses on Collingwood. All are in better condition than when I lived there, but none are particularly of architectural significance, and speaking as a former member of Hedrick, 140 Collingwood was always a pretty institutional place to live. Thanks for the wood floors, by the way! Much better than the old linoleum, but to my mind, these three buildings are now horribly underused. I surprised one of the current officers recently by telling him that despite increased ownership, the number of members served by SHC hasn’t really changed since we started in the early 70s. That’s not all bad, of course, since downsizing the houses has made them a lot more comfortable, but to me it throws into question whether we’ve accomplished the goal of expansion that was one of the reasons why SHC was created in the first place.

I was contacted by the current members and staff of SHC when they were first tossing around the idea of building a new “super-coop” on Collingwood. After attending a number of meetings to discuss the idea, I worked on a feasibility study to determine whether SHC had the capability to develop such a project. The numbers said that such an effort could work if the rates were a little higher — which would be possible a few years down the road with moderate increases in each budget. But a second question in the back of my mind was always, “Is this a good idea?” Believe me, I have many good memories of my time at Hedrick, but that nostalgia wasn’t strong enough to override other considerations. These included: can we finally increase the number of students served, which was not only one of the reasons why we started, but also why I worked so hard for so little as the first staff member? Can we do so at an affordable price, helping more students to deal with debt and an uncertain future? Can we do that while creating a strong cooperative culture and community?

And can we build a new building that will excite and inspire people, reinvigorating the movement in East Lansing? Could we work with Elfco to develop an outlet for area residents to purchase healthy, affordable food?

Can this be a physical hub for cooperative energy, bringing synergistic focus to the movement? And because of the location, can we increase the visibility of our co-ops so that more people know they exist?

For me, all of these possibilities far outweigh my memories of the old building. This is not to say that I don’t morn the loss of the original New Community, which was a great building, even though rented. It’s not to say that the burning of Eleutheria wasn’t a tragic loss, even though it was rented. It isn’t to say that the loss of the original Hedrick, Elsworth, Bowers, Ulrey, Evergreen, Atlantis and other co-ops aren’t a loss to the cooperative community and the small town atmosphere that used to typify East Lansing, butut if the choice is between looking at the past and lamenting or looking to the future with excitement over opportunity, I have to chose the future. It’s really only this vision of a cooperative future that’s kept me working with cooperatives over the last five decades.

-Jim Jones (MSU SHC Alumni, Cooperative Advocate)

Co-Op Life

by Lauren Lahrman

A cooperative lifestyle is not about living out your wildest Hunter S. Thompson fantasies and tripping balls with your roommates all weekend. It’s about having a character of integrity so that trust can be established among housemates and things can be made not only sustainable, but productive. This is an incredibly valuable resource to have post-graduation on the job market--the ability to productively cooperate with just about anyone. More students need to engage in this lifestyle.

That being said, when the integrity is gone things can fall apart very quickly. People will start doing whatever the fuck they want, fully and intentionally disregarding the negative effect it has on their housemates. They will congregate and comfort one another to avoid the truth that their house is (literally) falling apart around them.

It’s insecure and delusional--refusing to see the mess that exists around you in order to feel better about yourself and your situation so that you can keep partaking in your selfish ways. A true leader is able to look five years past the mess and see what needs to be fixed, using emotional intelligence (she is not blinded by her emotions or others, nor their bias) to call out those who are indeed destroying the house. That not only takes confidence, it takes wisdom. ‘But we just wanna have fun, maaaan. College is short and we want to fuck shit up, right?’ BULLSHIT. Take some responsibility (how did you get into college without it??). The insecure will protect their fellow insecure because they can reject the truth together. We are here to build a future: for our lives and for our houses.

Yes, fun is important. But work comes before the play. Now that is what is productive.

Raft Hill is an exemplary model of what a productive, cooperative house looks like and I am blessed beyond reason to have found healthy community with my fellow VelociRafters.

A Membership Update

by Alex John

Candy Themed Party @ Vesta on Friday, Feb. 13 Spring Semester Workshop Series Saturday, February 14th Brunch 12:30 - Basement of Hedrick 1st block of workshops (1--2:30) required for all officers: Membership/Education - Hedrick - Conflict Resolution Finance - Ferency - SHC Financial Overview Maintenance/Physical Development - Miles Davis - Property Assessment/ Fix-up 2nd block of workshops (2:30-4) Facilitation Workshop - Ferency - Laura Drotar Mental Health Workshop - Miles Davis - Morgan Consent Workshop - Basement of Hedrick - Zoe Jackson Basic Card Game Strategy - Sun room of Hedrick - Alex John Membership Meeting Schedule Here are the dates of all future meetings: 2/5 - Advertising Sub. 5-6PM, Party/Event 6-7 @ Howland 2/12 - Main Committee 6PM@ Orion 2/19 - Advertising Sub. 5-6PM, Party/Event 6-7 @ Vesta 2/28- Main Committee 6PM@ Beal 3/5 - Advertising Sub. 5-6PM, Party/Event 6-7 @ Toad Lane 3/19 - Main Committee 6PM@ New Comm.

3/26 - Advertising Sub. 5-6PM, Party/Event 6-7 @ Miles Davis 4/2 - Main Committee 6PM@ Ferency 4/9 - Advertising Sub. 5-6PM, Party/Event 6-7 @ Hedrick 4/16 - Main Committee 6PM@ Apollo

Executive Committee Officer Descriptions

The process to determine the MSU SHC Executive Committee is under way!

In the following pages, you will find each Executive Committee officerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s description (6 total), including their personal roles, tips, and tid bits.

This is an insight into the life of an executive officer, an opportunity to learn about what it means to be in each position!

President The President has an all encompassing responsibility of ensuring the continuation of the cooperative. This takes many forms. First, by chairing and organizing the Board of Directors which is the legislative and legally responsible entity of the incorporated co-op.

Role: CEO of SHC Corporation and Chairman of the Board of Directors. Represent SHC to outside organizations. Work to meet demands of membership.

Responsibilities: Facilitate, organize, and plan board meetings (2 meetings per month). Sign outgoing SHC checks. Coordinate the Executive Committee (1 meeting per week). Work closely with Executive Director to plan for future and manage the present. Protect the best interests and sustainability of SHC (all encompassing phrase).

As President of SHC, I feel that EVERYTHING is partially my responsibility. Not everything is the job of the President, but making sure that all jobs are being completed is the responsibility of the President. This involves communicating, providing support, coordinating resources. At the very least, the President must make sure staff is paying the bills, and the board of directors is assembled and meeting. It is up to each president to determine a vision of what the most they can do is. My vision is to grow SHC membership, expand properties, and form better connections with other student organizations, neighborhood organizations, and city/university institutions.

-Daniel Birkholz

Physical Development who is also

Executive Vice President Per code the Executive Vice President has four major responsibilities. First, would be to fulfill presidential duties in the absence of the President. Second, to chair the Physical Development Committee. Third, develop a yearly physical development budget for the SHC. Finally, develop long term physical development goals and plans for the SHC. The primary responsibilities of the Executive Vice President shall consist of: a. Performing the duties of the President in the absence of the President. b.

Chairing the Physical Development committee.

(4.04.05 shall consist of: tire

The duties and responsibilities of the Physical Development Committee

a. Ensuring that long-term plans are developed for the asset development of the enSHC system.

b.

Ensuring that the physical development budget is allocated in a manner consistent with the long term vision of the membership. c.

Assisting in the formulation and execution of physical development projects.

d.

Assisting in the formulation of the corporate physical development budget (see Maintenance Budgeting Policy). e.

Creating and revising policy in order to more effectively facilitate the cooperative physical development of SHC properties.) c.

Developing, in coordination with the Maintenance Coordinator and the Physical Development Committee, a yearly Physical Development budget for the SHC, in a timely manner, to be reviewed by the Finance Committee and approved by the Board. d.

Working with the Maintenance Coordinator and physical development committee to develop long term physical development goals and plans for the SHC, in order to steward assets.

-Rondo Begay

Maintenance The Maintenance Vice President chairs the maintenance committee (scheduled to meet bi-weekly) and works closely with Maintenance Coordinator to alleviate any and all major maintenance issues as they arise.

Role: Chair of Maintenance committee, standing liaison during city inspections (of which there are many for houses with over 5 residents), After any span of time living in a coop, one will almost certainly become acquainted with a maintenance issue of some kind. For these issues, we have an officer in each house (and individual house maintenance budgets derived from house charges) tasked with finding available solutions to problems large and small.

For the larger problems that our tried and trusted maintenance officers canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t handle, the SHC has employed one Mike McCurdy to lend his years of experience to our never-ending battle with clogged pipes, broken doors, and malfunctioning boilers. In an effort to keep every little issue from keeping Mike working â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;till he drops, the position of maintenance vice president was created to more easily facilitate a chain of communication and the use of appropriate funds to hire out specialized labor as needed.

-Dan Newton

Education Being VP of Education is a great way to get organized.

Education VPs work with 15 committee members (1 rep from each house, and a board member) to coordinate: Educational workshops (Know Your Rights, Meeting Efficency, etc.)

Board Training & Retreat (in cooperation with President) All Member Orientation (in cooperation with Membership) Regular publications for the members and public (Pine Press, social media) All of this forces this VP to rely on their committee of 15 to delegate tasks. In order to effectively do this, the Education VP must be willing to learn who their committee members are...what they are good at, what they like to do. Also, it is important for the committee as a whole to hold one another accountable to accomplish tasks (publication articles, event organizing roles, amongst other responsibilities).

It is challenging to take on all of these responsibilities as a single VP. Something that must be done is the utilization of the committee to accomplish what everyone wants to get done. That being said, it is important to show initiative in attacking tasks so that things donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t completely fall on the committee. Shared responsibility is the name of the game.

If you have any questions, email education@msu.coop Also, check the Code of Operations (msu.coop) for more details!

God bless!

Joshua Schriver

Membership For those of you who don’t know, I---Alex John---have been the VP of Membership for the past two years for the SHC. In this time, I have got to learn a great deal about what it means to be on the EC and the representative of our wonderful organization. Hopefully, you will get a sense of what I mean in this description of the position.

Primary Responsibilities: Fill the houses --- It is first and foremost the responsibility to fill our membership slots. We need to make sure that we have the assessments to keep our organization running. When accomplishing this task, it is most important to remember that we have a specific procedure in place for applicants to make sure that they are good fits for our system. This process involves a member completing an application online, going on a house tour, completing a house activity, and attending a house meeting. As VP, you need to train your membership officers to effectively administer this process.

Provide Conflict Resolution --- Each membership officer needs to be a source that house members can turn to in order to solve conflicts. As a membership officer, one must be impartial and focused on mediating a discussion between housemates. For the VP, you must ensure that you keep tabs on what’s happening in the houses, provide training for your officers, and help mediate conflicts that go beyond the capabilities of the house membership officer.

Plan AMPO’s --- AMPO’s (All Member Party and Orientation) happen once a semester, and it the responsibility of the VP and the Membership Committee to plan them.

Coordinate Interim Coordinators --- For the time between contract years, the interim coordinators are responsible for the changing of housemates. You need to coordinate these coordinators and make sure all new housemates get what they need coming in.

Plan New Member Orientations --- Each semester, you must plan an orientation session for new members. You must provide them with all the information they need coming into the system.

These responsibilities are listed in the code, though how you go about accomplishing them is up to you (with direction from the Board of Directors). In order to fill the houses, I have been going to Sparticipation and the Off-Campus Housing Fair at the beginning of Fall. In addition, I focused my first year on re-hyping the SHC Twin Pines brand using various forms of SWAG and content update.

In order to facilitate and give responsibility to my officers, I have separated the primary membership committee into subcommittees to accomplish these tasks (Party/Event, Policy, and Advertising). I have found this most effective, and would recommend the new VP to continue.

I welcome any questions into the daily operations, and look forward to reading your letters of intent!

-Alexander Robert John

Corporate Treasure (Finance) As Corporate Treasurer, I help monitor the finances of the SHC as a whole, as well as the individual house finances. I’ve found it very interesting to be deeply involved in the financial processes of the organization. While my responsibilities are numerous, I’ve found them to be manageable and helpful for my growth as a person and a professional.

I conduct the Finance Committee meetings biweekly. We rotate which house hosts the meeting as a way to show treasurers our various houses. We usually discuss things that the treasurers do on a regular basis, SHC finance decisions when they come up, and the overall financial health of the organization and its houses. Meetings usually last about a half hour, and I always take minutes to keep absent treasurers up to date.

I make sure to have a training session at the beginning of each semester so that new treasurers are educated about the sometimes complicated responsibilities of house finances.

House Treasurer responsibilities include: paying bills, doing reconciliations of house purchases, filling in charge sheets to assess house fines and credits, creating house budgets, and attending meetings.

I give Quarterly Reports every three months at Board Meetings. The purpose of these reports is to document how the SHC is doing in following its set budget. I usually highlight any spending that has gone significantly over or under budget. It is important that the membership is informed of the SHC’s spending.

I attend the Executive Committee meetings weekly. There, I discuss any finance issues that need to be addressed on an SHC level and provide input on the issues of other departments.

I also sign all of the SHC’s checks during this time. It is imperative to be signing checks regularly so that SHC bills are paid on time.

As Corporate Treasurer, I have looked over some policies, especially regarding vacancy reserves and house budgets and made appropriate changes. These changes have proven effective thus far, and I encourage the new Corporate Treasurer to look through the financial portions of the code to see if anything could be improved.

I work very closely with Keith Thomas, our Financial Manager. He cuts checks, controls the books, and is an infinite source of wisdom. I highly recommend going to him for any financial advice, as he has provided me with a lot of insight this past year. I also work with Holly Jo, who has become accustomed to our financial processes and has put in a lot of work to save our organization money and review important parts of the Code. I really appreciate her support, Keith’s, and the entire EC’s. They have made this job fun for me, and I’m excited to pass the torch to the next Corporate Treasurer.

-Katie Nagle

There will be a Executive Committee mixer on Saturday, Feb. 21st at the SHC office.

Here, current Executive Committee (EC) officers will gather to answer any questions that members (or prospective members) have about becoming an EC officer.

This is a good chance to get a handle on what it means to be an EC officer prior to the EC election process, which includes developing/submitting a statement of interest, delievering a speech in front of membership.

The statements of interest are due by March 20th and will be released in an SHC publication to the membership to look over. It is then that ballots will be open to voting in the SHC office.

Email letters of interest to education@msu.coop. Letters will be viewed by voters prior to voting.

The ballots will remain open until Saturday April 11th, when all members will gather to hear each canditate deliver a speech.

Thereafter, the final votes will be accepted and counted.

The 2015-2016 MSU SHC Executive Committee will be then announced at the conclusion of that meeting.

If you have any questions, please email education@msu.coop

Beyond Red vs. Blue: Cooperative Values & Political Typology of the SHC Even in an increasingly Red vs. Blue nation, the public’s political attitudes and values come in many shades and hues. During January 2015, SHC members had the opportunity to take the latest poll on political typology groups from the Pew Center for Research. Out of the approx. 400 members in SHC’s Facebook group, 87 individuals responded. Based on this sampling, a significant majority of the SHC expressed “Solid Liberal” attitudes and values, while the remaining 26% responded as “Next Generation Left” (11%), “Young Outsiders (7%), and “Business Conservatives (8%).

Given our cooperative values of equity, equality and social responsibility, I was delighted to see SHC’s responses to question on social inclusion, including immigration. SHC unanimously agreed that “homosexuality should be accepted by society”, and 85% of our members believe “our country needs to continue making changes to give blacks equal rights with whites.” Over 90% of SHC respondents see immigration as a positive opportunity for American society.

As collective stewards of our houses and of the earth, SHC members also responded with great concern for the environment. 92% believe “this country should do whatever it takes to protect the environment.”

And 86% think “strict environmental laws and regulations are worth the cost.”

To me, the most surprising results were regarding personal efficacy, or the extent to which individuals believe in their own powers to succeed or reach their goals. Fundamental to cooperatives are the concepts of self-help, self-responsibility and democratic control. Only 54% of SHC respondents believe “everyone has the power to succeed” compared to 80% of the general public. Close to half (46%) of SHC’s group results indicated “Success in life is pretty much determined by forces outside of our control.” Given our responses to social inclusion, I wonder if these split results reflect the SHC’s disappointment with institutional oppression or disempowerment in broader American society? Or does this reflect a need within the co-op to improve its message of self-empowerment and control?

92% of SHC members believe that too much power is concentrated in the hands of a few large companies.

Perhaps it isn’t surprising then, that SHC members aren’t convinced that individuals have the ability to make change in their own lives. Personally, I believe this is the cooperative movements greatest opportunity to put its values into action: offering members a means to achieve their economic, social and cultural needs democratically.

To explore more results from SHC’s group responses, visit the website: http://www.people-press.org/quiz/ political-typology/results/group/37581214/ To learn more about Cooperative Values & Principles, visit The Co-operative Group: http://www.co-operative.coop/corporate/aboutus/The-Co-operative-Group-Values-and-Principles/ Given the majority response that few corporations hold most of the power in this country, it is no surprise that the need for Cooperative’s and distributed power is felt.

-holly jo Sparks

MSU SHC Community Group Results 87 members took this quiz Politcal Group Types

Events/Important Dates

Michigan Move @ Whisky Barrel, 9pm SPAMPO Party, Vesta

Collingwood Co-op Workshops EC Mixer, 12pm SHC Office

Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break

EC Letters of Interest Due!!!!!!

EC Ballots Open in SHC Office Saturday, April 11th, EC Cantidates will give a speech, and then, the last votes will be casted and counted. Then, the new EC will be announced at that meeting.

Location & time TBA