A closer look: Co-ops give students a non-traditional experience

Through cooperative housing, some students at UCLA are gaining
an unconventional housing experience.

Cooperative housing complexes create distinctive communities
within the UCLA population and enrich student life, according to
co-op residents.

The combination of a diverse population and the ability to
influence the organization of the co-op are the two main advantages
that set co-ops apart from other housing options.

Cooperative housing, which is offered by the University
Cooperative Housing Association, as well as a few other private
organizations, provides low-cost housing that is almost completely
run and operated by students.

“The fundamental difference between the co-ops and other
housing is that students can make the organization cater to them.
… They are in control of their environment,” said Arusha
Weerasinghe, executive director of the UCHA.

Since cooperative housing is operated by and for the students,
everyone is expected to contribute in one way or another.

Duties range from working in food services to making important
policy decisions about the organization of the co-op, such as how
duties are divided and who performs them.

“Everyone can contribute, and if there’s anything
you want to change, you can come up with a proposal,” said
Thomas Ronecker, a fourth-year Spanish student.

Amenities, such as better internet connections, pool tables and
water fountains, are just some of the proposals that have been
implemented at the co-ops, Ronecker added.

“The co-op is all about student involvement, and it is the
students who determine how the co-op will be run,” Ronecker
said.

Another unique aspect of cooperative housing is the level of
diversity.

Since the rent is inexpensive and students have a say in their
environment, many international students, who already pay high
tuition, prefer the co-ops.

“There is a high percentage of international students, and
that’s the best part. You get to meet a lot of people from
all over the world every day,” said Matilde Mattucci, an
exchange student from Italy who lived in the co-ops before
graduating two years ago.

The cultural exchange that occurs between American and
international students allows everyone to develop a better
understanding of the world.

Most people at the co-ops speak two to three languages, Ronecker
said, and consequently each person is enriched by others.

“You have a lot of diversity at the co-ops. It’s not
boring, and it’s not homogenized,” Ronecker said.

Students from England, Canada and Israel live in the Bayit
House, which is an independent Jewish co-op. The Bayit House will
host events such as “Bond at the Bayit,” where students
watch James Bond movies and eat kosher Chinese food.

“Most of us are not from L.A., and we all become really
close,” said Molly Newborn, a resident assistant for the
Bayit House.

While many international students remain at the co-ops during
holidays, many UCLA students go home, and Westwood becomes a ghost
town.

As a result, students at the co-op come together and plan
events, like trips to Las Vegas and Santa Barbara, Mattucci
said.

Ultimately, the cooperative housing complexes create their own
distinct and self-sufficient communities where students create
strong friendships, said Ronecker.

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