A group of students at Ohio State is in the process of creating an alternative housing option for campus area residents.
The group, called Arawak Housing, plans to create OSU’s first housing cooperative.
Alex McDougal-Webber, an organizer of Arawak Housing and a fourth-year in comparative studies, said housing cooperatives offer a better experience than dorms or leasing.
“We think students are tired of being treated like they can’t take care of themselves,” McDougal-Webber said. “We’re shuffled between oppressive dormitories and crummy landlords until we graduate, and then we leave no trace of ourselves behind. Cooperative houses are the answer to students’ feelings of rootlessness and transience in Columbus.”
McDougal-Webber said cooperative housing is a better option than renting because every member of the co-op owns a share of the house they live in. Because of this, members of the house aren’t subject to a landlord’s rules.
“Instead of signing a lengthy leasing agreement full of legal jargon that no one reads, all terms, conditions, rules and procedures are agreed upon by each member of the cooperative, and are always up for modification if consensus is lost,” he said.
Arawak Housing started organizing in the summer of 2009. Because they are in the first stages of development, they are still trying to establish the cooperative.
“Usually if you want to live in a cooperative you just express your interest and apply according to the ground rules laid out by the members,” McDougal-Webber said. “Since there aren’t any student cooperatives at OSU, Arawak Housing is working to gather support for purchasing houses in the University Area.”
Justin Packard, a second-year in Arabic and international relations, heard about Arawak Housing this year and immediately took interest.
“I think it’s a really good idea to live together and help each other out instead of living on your own or with people you don’t know,” Packard said. “You can share a house, share food … it’s the American spirit.”
McDougal-Webber said many colleges have cooperative housing, and that OSU is the only school in the Big Ten without a single cooperative house.
A successful housing program in Ann Arbor consistently costs $200 less a month than dormitories, according to the Inter-Cooperative Council’s Web site. McDougal-Webber said he contributes this to the absence of rental staff.
“Cooperative tenants do not pay the inflated prices of landlords or real estate managers, let alone security deposits,” he said.
While low cost is an advantage, McDougal-Webber said it’s not the sole benefit of cooperative living.
“We’re organizers, not salespeople,” he said.” We’re not excited about students trying to score cheap rent; we’re excited about students who want to make Columbus an engaging and exciting place to live — even if it is for only a few years.”
To receive more information on Arawak Housing, complete a member interest form at arawakhousing.org.
