Thursday, September '6, 1973

THE MICHIGAN DAILY

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Thursday, September 6, 1973 THE MICHIGAN DAILY

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HOME,
SWEET?
HOMEE

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The

versatile cubicles

By DIANE LEVICK
supplement co-editor
As a freshperson, you're prob-
ably tearing your hair out wor-
rying about what dorm life is
"really like."
Like the entire University ex-
perience, it's what you make it.
In the larger dorms like South
and West Quads, Bursley Hall,
and Markley, you can become a
hermit, socialize every night, or
find a happy medium.
All dorms have some kind of
governing council which sponsors
social activities. Members of
each floor often get together to
throw a weekend party, and in-
ter - house competitive athletics
informally take p'lace.
Many dorms also offer libra-
ries, film programs, television,
darkrooms, language labs, and
rooms 1 where special interest
groups can meet.
Although no social activities
are required ,of you, the Univer-
sity has invested you with what
amounts to total freedom. Dorm
residents may come and go as
they please 24 hours a day.
T H E Y DEMOCRATICALLY
decide visitation policy which

is usually also "24-hour opens."
As a precaution against prowl-
ers, visitors are often required
to have a dorm resident escort.
For those late-night munchies
or just a study break snack, most
dorms have their own snack bars,
serving a variety of beverages

tive roommate, for instance. No
one expects a New Yorker who's
into the Mahavishnu Orchestra,
dope, cigarettes, and late hours
to hit it off with soieone who's
physically or psychologically al-
lergic to all these. You can al-
ways find a way to transfer, ei-

"No one expects a New Yorker who's into
the Mahavishnu Orchestra, dope, cigarettes,
and -late hours to hit it off with someone
who's physically or psychologically allergic
to all these."
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(non-alcoholic), sandwiches, and
all-American junk foods.
For you nature freaks, sever-
al of the dorms are situated in
areas suitable for a pleasant
stroll. The Hill area dorms, espe-
cially Markley, are near the Ar-
boretum (the "Arb") - the
University's large park near the
Huron (commonly pronounced
"urine") River.
Bursley on north campus faces
the new music school where an
artificial pond stocked with gold-
fish and the surrounding lawn
offer a nice place to sunbathe
or just sit and think .. .
Think about your uncoopera-

ther within the same dorm or
even to another one.
BE ADVISED, however, that
dorm food does not constitute
grounds for transfer. It simply
doesn't make much difference
what dorm you're in.
Personally, I never thought
meals were so bad. There's plen-
ty of it - though sometimes we
didn't know what "it" really was
--and there are often trimmings
like self-serve soft ice cream and
pop machines.
The red stuff they call "spa-
ghetti sauce" turns up the next
day as barbecue or chile, under-

going transformations until the
last of its is economically used
up - as is your tolerance.
Most freshpersons are housed
in co-ed dorms, which all now
have co-ed floors. Contrary to the
rumors that 'an rampant at the
co-ed floors' inception, they are
not dens of iniquity. But they are
probably the most sociable floors
of the dorms, perhaps a bit
noisier than the rest, and a very
valuable living experience.
EAST QUAD (Residential Col-
lege), Alice Lloyd (Pilo Pro-
gram), and Couzens all offer
programs which supplement their
students' academic interests.
Next to Lloyd is Mosher-Jor-
don, as of late a very popular
dorm, particularly with upper-
class students. Ivy - covered and
overlooking Palmer Field, "Mo-
Jo" radiates a warmer atmos-
phere than the newer sterile
dorms.
Four all-women's dorms still
thrive on campus: Barbour,
Newberry, Martha Cook, and
"Stockwell.
Slandered as "virgin vaults"
by sexist young men, the wom-
en's halls offer a different kind
of community feeling than the
huge co-ed residences.
But are they "virgin vaults?"
Heavens, no!" answers a former
Stockwell resident. Need more be
said?
chaos
To my mind, the primary ad-
vantage of co-op living over other
arrangements is, that it offers a
structure for living which not only
makes economic sense but also
acts as a catalyst for compan-
ionship in what may strike new
students as the competitive cam-
pus atmosphere.
However, the responsibility of
co-op living entails a lot of free-
dom and for freshpersons who
have to deal with a variety of new
experiences - academic adjust-
ments, breaking away from
home - co-ops might be a poor
choice for their . first year at
Michigan.

Daily Photo by TOM GOTTU EB

Creative

In

co-ops

Campus Greek li e
loosens up..finally

By CYNTHIA THOMAS
Students arriving in Ann Arbor
for the first time will discover a
kind of housing - cooperative-
which is probably alien from
anything they've ever known in
their home towns.
Housing cooperatives garner
as much interest on campus as
organic food stores, vegetarian
restaurants, and 10-speed bicy-
cles. However, co-ops are not the
product of recent trends, nor are
they bound to disappear as fads
do.
Co-ops have existed at the Uni-
versity since the first informal
co-op was organized in 1932. Stu-
dents of 1973 can now choose
from a variety of established co-
ops with long traditions of low-
ered costs, democratic govern-
ment, and the chance for an un-
usual 'living experience.
University as well as non-Uni-
versity co-ops are available, and
the variety within these two
categories is broad.
Generally speaking, in a co-op
members own their organization
and share equal power in its op-
eration through their individual
votes.
ALL DUTIES necessary to the
co-op's functioningaare divided
equally, with each member
working about four hours per
week at jobs such as cleaning
the house, washing dishes, cook-
ing meals, or buying the food.
With the responsibility for suc-
cess resting equally on all house
members, chaos is at least as
likely to result as perfection.
When your mother visits you
at your co-op and discovers the
vintage Salvation Army sofas- and
ubiquitous empty T a b bottles
she may be sure that perfection
is out of reach. And when you
first run into hardened co-op
members who no longer notice
the overflowing wastebaskets in
the bathrooms you may decide
that chaos is an apt designation
for co-ops.
An optimistic observer recog-
nizes that most co-ops gravitate
toward a mean of efficiency,
away from the extremes, and is
amazed that students -on their
own for the first time manage to

look after themselves as well as
they do.
FINANCIALLY,co-ops
save money when compared to
most living situations. Room
and board for one month usually
amounts to approximately $100;
a savings of $400 per school year
compared with University dormi-
tories can be expected.
But if you really want to save
money you might prefer renting
a room and eating food heated in
your electric popcorn popper, or
perhaps living in a private home
where you could live rent-free in
exchange for doing odd jobs.

PEER PRESSURE can be
fairly strong in an Inter Cooper-
ative Council (ICC) co-op because
no external authority governs be-
havior, and unless one feels sure
of his values, problems may de-
velop.
Students who are tuned into the
broad political aspects of cooper-
ative living will probably prefer
ICC co-ops. As the largest Ann
Arbor co-op organizations, the
ICC not only allows members to
organize their immediate houses
and personal lifestyles, but also
to take part in ICC-related ac-
tivities - Division Councils, a
Board of Directors, and the

North American Student Co-op-
erative Organization (NASCQ).
Overall, there is space for 544
roomer - boarders and 156 board-
ers in the ICC co-ops. Two phys-
ical types prevail -in the ICC co-
ops - the individual house com-
mon to central canpus (either
wooden frame or a larger struc-
ture which once housed- a-frater-
nity or sorority), and ithe 'mod-
ern complex on north campus.
UNIVERSITY coopera-
tive housing includes Henderson
House at 1330 Hill -St.-Henderson
House is open to both undergrad-
uate and graduate women. Appli-
cations for residency are. screen-
ed by a board of governors with
special attention paid to finan-
cial need and willingness to ac-
cept the responsibility necessary
to an efficient co-op.
Also owned by the University
are the six 30-person co-op iunits
called Oxford Housing. Open to
both men and women, Oxford in-
cludes several language houses
where students - an ..augmlent
classroomepeiec in speak-
ing foreign languages.
The Friends Center Interna-
tional Co-op on Hill St. maintains -
a 50-50 ratio of American and
foreigngstudents.tIt - is - geared .to-
ward graduate students although
undergraduates are not discour-
aged from joining.
THE FOOD at the Friends Co-
op reflects the international at-
mosphere - rice is served more
regularly than potatoes and terms
like curry powder lose meaning
in the face of more specific in-
gredients like tumeric and cu-
min.
This sketch of Ann Arbor co-
ops is not intended to imply that
students can't find "cosmic
awareness" or at least an enjoy-
able livingesituationethrough non-
cooperative channels. Just the
same, Ann Arbor's well-organiz-
ed cooperative housing deserves
attention.

Life in sororities and fraterni-
ties on this campus just isn't
what it used to be . . . and most
"Greeks" are pretty thankful.
In keeping with changing cam-
pus lifestyles, traditional formali-
ties like dress codes and restric-
tive visitation policies have been
successfully lifted at most houses.
"Hell week" has become a
thing of the past for most fra-
ternities, and "rush" (an elimina-
tion process used by houses to
select students they feel will be
most compatible to live with) is
no longer stigmatized with pres-
sure to impress house members.
The spirit of fun and good time
traditionally found in the over 40
houses on the southeast side of
campus, however, hasn't changed
a bit. TG's (TGIF-Thank God
It's Friday parties) are still
weekly weekend fare at many

houses. A n d fraternities and
sororities sponsor activities like
pledge f o r m a I s and special
parties.
HOUSES PARTICIPATE in in-
tramural sports, ranging from
ping pong to basketball.
Academic concern is also evi-
dent in fraternities and sorori-
ties. Many houses keep exam and
term paper files with information
concerning a variety of courses
and their professors.
The Greek system affords the
opportunity to help others through
service projects, including bucket
and clothing drives. Fraternities
and sororities usually sponsor at
least two activities of this nature
a year to help handicapped chil-
dren, day care centers, senior
citizens or people abroad.
The houses have capacities of

anywhere between 20 and 80 peo-
ple. They range from sparsely
furnished and uncarpeted houses
to beautifully furnished buildings
with carpeted bedrooms, color
televisions and fireplaces.
MOST HOUSES offer room and
board facilities to non-members,
at prices comparable to dorm
rates.
To officially join a fraternity or
sorority, however, you must par-
ticipate in "rush." The atmos-
phere is now personal and re-
laxed. Barbecues, Charlie Chap-
lin movies, sundae parties and
pizza get-togethers play an im-
portant part in sorority rush.
And fraternity rush usually con-
sists of inviting rushees over for
dinner, parties, or intramural
sports.

Daily Photo by DAVID MARGOL-ICK

Ann Arbor's Iandlords:
A plague upon our houses

By DIANE LEVICK
supplement co-editor
"Dear Landlord, please don't put a
price on my soul . .."
-Bob Dylan
But Ann Arbor landlords are
likely to do just that.
Although apartment living is
much cheaper than dorm living,
the town is plagued with greedy
management companies, which
play a major role in giving Ann
Arbor one of the highest cost of
living averages in the country.
The companies' specialty is
the large modern apartment
building, equipped with modern
conveniences such as dishwasher,
air conditioner, and garbage dis-
posal. The decor? Classic match-
box.
Not a very homey atmosphere.
So students often seek out apart-
ments in houses. You've got to

humting is a harrowing experi-
ence, but with a luck tip or two
from. a friend, it can pay .off.
So you've found a suitable
apartment. Now is the time
you've got to play amateur law-
yer: Read your lease carefully.
Don't be afraid to ask about
such common, suspicious phrases
as "acts of God," which absolve
the High and Almighty landlords
from various responsibilities.
Also, make a thorough inven-
tory with your landlord of your
apartment when you move in,
noting down all damaged fur-
nishings. One of the major has-
sles tenants face is getting back
their full damage deposit when
they move out.
One service organization, the
Ann Arbor Tenants Union, has
helped local tenants with just
such problems. For a yearly fee
of $10. the union nrovides legal

t