iursuay, zepremoer o, I,;, r THE MICHIGAN DAILY Page Five Hun ting for housing in A 2 RC: Activist stronghold 1- .t _ By STU McCONNELL j "Hey, you write about hous- ing for the Daily, right?" a friend of mmine asked me in January. "What's the best way to find a good house or apart- ment for fall?" "Knock on every door in the' city," I remarked drolly. ' "NO, BE serious," he said. "I am serious," I replied. "All the decent housing in thel city passes from resident to resident by word of mouth,' and: the only way to find out where it is and how much it costs is3 to pound the pavement." "But isn't there a' list or something?" "Yes," I said. "It's calledt telephone directory." Not literally true, but you're considering renting Ann Arbor, be aware that y are entering one of the in crowded and expensive housi markets in the country . Average monthly rent for one - bedroom apartment about $200; for a two-bey room about $290; for an, eff iency - a unit where t kitchen, bedroom, and livir space all melt into one other - approximately $185 Houses for groups of pec generally average about $1 per bedroom, but such un are scarce and are usuallyt first to disappear from the, im the Making a coo ket. Both houses and apart- they have available for the poverished tenant usually tries ments are cheaper the farther fall in January and Febru- to rent out to someone who will you get from campus, ary, and these units are al- be staying the summer. As for overcrowding, the set- ways the first ones snappedb. tlers in 1880 probably had anf upu because they take so lit- The whole subletting process easier time trying to rent a tle effort to track down. is a kind of comic reversal of spare log cabin. The vacancy Smaller landlords are more the fall housing market. There rate for the "central eight"! elusive - and often less ex- are more places to live than, census tracts of the city is less pensive. The only way to 1- people to live in them, and sub-1 than two per cent, and some: cate some rental property is let prices zoom down to an av- units which were built for one to run around knocking on erage of about $60-$70 for a person now contain four. doors - doors, that is, which single roam. For the house-hunter, this aren't already decorated with means two things. First, if you a sign reading "this ,house BUT, YOU say, if housing is want a single room you're go- rented for fall." so scarce why doesn't somebody ind to pay a lot for it - in One additional problem for build some more of it? A cogent some places as much as $280. renters is "subletting." Most question, and one which Uni- Second, the "season" for fall leases are for twelve months, versity officials, city adminis- house and apartment shoppers but most students are only in trators, landlords and tenant begins in mid-January. town for eight months. Result: activists have been asking for Some of the larger rental lots of empty apartments in the the last twenty years. No ma- agencies publish lists of what summer time, which the im- jor housing development has been built in seven years, and the last one was a monstrous -- and monstrously expensive - e Te higfr rise, Tenants say the reason for /the housing crisis is that evil landlords are conspiring to a time when many people were i cisions are determined by the blockrnew developments and having trouble making ends eight students elected each year raise rents. Landlords say pro-, meet. ' to the Board of Directors by perty taxes are too high, land In 1932, 25 men rented a house the ICC membership. prices are too steep, and evil In 132,25 en entd atenants make the market unat-! and called it the Michigan So- The Board decides the rate trats tokinestorThe ty ciait House Thetused pany and direction of ICC expansion, says the University isn't meet- of the same collective princi- ples currently employed by the assumes responsibility for pro- ing its responsibility to house its ICC. Within two years, two perty purchases, and collects students by building more! other co - operatives were or- an assessment from the indi- dorms. And the University says ganized, one a house for vd- vidual - houses to pay mort- it's the city's problem and! men. gages, taxes and insurance pre- raises the dorm rates every By 1937, students leaders rea- s year I f o-te ned or c-orinaionTenants interested in organiz- lized the need for co-ordination ICC SUBCOMMITTEES on de- ing to fight high rents, decep- of co-op activityd on campus. velopment, education, mainte- tive landlord practices, and T loped for i nance, and finance provide the scarce housing may be interest-: group action in buyig, mem- Board with recommendations ed in the Ann Arbor Tenants cl evntmathletiducand theroand manpower to implement Union, which is located on the: r programs. fourth floor of the Union. cooperative activity. - - W W x M '"M-o- W -%W - By MICHAEL YELLIN When the 1500 members of the University's service workers' union struck last spring, most students reacted with apathy or animos- ity to the loss of janitorial, hospital and dorm- itory services. But not at East Quad, home of the Resi- dential College (RC). There, most of the 650 students supported the strike, ceasing work in their cafeteria positions, joining picket lines and preventing supply deliveries. THIS BEHAVIOR WAS not unusual for Residential College students. Ivy - covered East Quad has long had the reputation of housing students who become involved in issues-the last large group of "radical" stu- dents on campus. Established as part of-the literary college (LSA) ten years ago, the Residential College combines the benefits of a large university with the intimacy of a small liberal arts col- lege. According to Carol LaMantia, Director of the RC Counseling Office, the college was born at the request of faculty members who wanted to teach where "stress would be put on undergraduate study" and not graduate or research work as in many other parts of the University. The RC's academic requirements are more stringent than those of its mother institution, LSA. Its language requirement makes cer- tain a student is proficient in a foreign lan- guage by requiring a comprehension test followed by a reading course which calls for students to be able to read, write and speak in a foreign language before graduation. THE LANGUAGE requirement is a major cause of drop-outs in the RC; the college's academic board allows little lee-way in its standards. But despite the tough language require- ment, many students consider the RC a less strict, more easy-going college. All courses w -lq - m w wM are graded on a pass/fail basis, with an ac- companying written evaluation of a student's work made by the instructor. In the past, RC students have stuck with the pass/fail sys- tem, saying it provides a less pressured class- room environment which allows for openness and encourages honesty among both faculty and students. Most of the classes, held in East Quad, are seminars rather than lectures. Members of the RC community contend this, too, provides a forum for open discussion of ideas and.a freer flow of communication. RC CONCENTRATIONS (majors) differ greatly from those in LSA, and fill a void in the larger college's curriculum. Among the available concentrations are Comparative, Literature, Creative Writing and Literature, Drama, Humanities and Social Science. In- dividualized concentrations are also avail- able. In addition, students have access to the Field Studies Office which can give credit for work done away from Ann Arbor. In' this.. manner, students are allowed to apply the skills they have learned in actual situations and jobs. Recently, the RC received a large grant from the federal government which has been. used to develop research groups within the college. Each consists of a handful of stu- dents and a faculty member and have con- ducted projects in many areas including wholeistic (dealing with the entire person) health and community health. The groups allow undergraduates to conduct-and write up research projects in the same manner as graduate students, Possibly due in part to the freer atngos- phere of the RC, the college's students have excelled in'the field of creative writing, walk- ing away with many of the cash prizes given out in last year's Hopwood competition for excellence in writing. By GREGG KRUPA CO - OPERATIVE HOUSING Sometimes you have to take differs from apartments and out the garbage or do the dish- dormitories in two distinct outthegabag o doth dih-ways. First, no landlords or es. Sometimes dinner isn't what wat irstrs lako r you' lie, bt te pepleprivate investors make a pro- aound the tae r sul fit from co-ops. Instead, the meal - time company. members, who are both the No, it's not home with Mom owners and users of the coop- and Dad, but then again, it's not eraitive, redistribute the sav- the dorm with a million other rgs that accumulate from op- people scrambling for their erations at the enr of each serving of beef and noodles ei- a ster, the form of re- ther. ibts Second, cooperatives are anj CO - OPERATIVE HOUSING economical form of housing be- in Ann Arbor is an economical- cause members share the work ly feasible alternative to and expenses necessary to op- dorms, apartments and frater- erate the houses. Each member nities, but to residents it offers is expected to spend four hours much more than that. a week working around the "I was scrambling eggs one, house. The tasks varytfrom Sunday morning after becom- maintenance, like caulking ing a boarder at a co-op, when showers, to preparing meals, one of the, women at Lester to vacuuming the living room House walked up and put her floor. arm around me," said Tony At most ICC houses around Lentz in- the Inter-Cooperative Ann Arbor last winter,' the to- Council Member Handbook. "It tal rent payment, including was the most natural thing in room and . board and, utilities, the world, but the touch of an- was $120 per month. For many other person almost sent me [co-op residents, especially out- through the ceiling-I had been of-statestudents, the' difference that insulated from my fellow between room and board at a humans." . I co-operative and dormitory The Inter - Cooperative Coun- 'rates makes, it possible for cil (ICC) is a non-profit cor- them to attend the University. poration organized, owned and. managed by its student mem- THAT CO - OPERATIVES bers to provide low-cost, self- save their residents money is controlled housing at the Uni- not surorising, in light of the versity. The ICC currently pro- fact that the first Ann Arbor, vides housing for more than 700 co-operative was established in students. the midst of the Depression, at THE FIRST DWELLING ac- tually purchased by the ICC was the A. K. Stevens Cooper- ative in 1944. The house is still in operation. The largest ex- pansion of the ICC took place in 1970, when the organization almost doubled in size with the opening of the North Campus Co-operatives. This nine-house; cluster was developed under a 40-year low interest loan grant- ed by the,department of Hous- ing and Urban Development: under its College Housing Pro- gram in 1969.' Day to day and long-range ad- ministrative affairs of the ICC are coordinated and imple- mented by a small staff of of- fice personnel. Major policy de- Greeks shed stuffy By EIL.EEN DALEY n't admit to it. It was not sur- During the late sixties and prising that the number of peo- early seven ies, the mention of ple joining the Greek organiza- sororities and fraternities con- tions plummetted to an all-time jured visions of snobby, virginal low. Anita B r y a n t androids, and Within the past few years, dumb jocks who sat round however, sororities and frats every night drinking bee. and have shaken off their high-brow talking about what a great time elitist stereotypes, and more they had drinking beer the night students are going through rush' before. The idea of pledging a every semeser.h house was as popular as votinge for Nixon-you certainly would- ALL KINDS of people are, pledging, and since the new' members no longer fit the snob/jock s t e r e o t y p es , they houses themselves have changed; as well. Many of the traditional rules, including the once stringent vis- itation policy, have been elimi- nated or at least relaxed to the point where house regulations are not much more imposing than dorm rules. High rents, I o w quality Pilot: Not a school for aviators .By LORI CARRUTHERS No, the Pilot Program is not a home for fledg- ling aviators. But freshpersons and sophomores seeking an alternative to the regular University curriculum can seek a type of free flight in the Pilot Pro- gram, a unique living/learning experience. Pilot students are housed in Alice Lloyd Hall, where many of their courses are conducted by staff members who also reside there. FOR THE NEARLY 575 Pilot students, the only requirements are to live in Lloyd and en- roll in the Pilot Theme Experience, a one-credit, pass/fail course. The Theme Experience is not a typical course, however. Instead of traditional classrooms, Pilot students earn credit by at- tending lectures, book discussions and becom- ing involved in community projects. Pilot also sponsors visiting lecturers and per- formers. Last year, it played host to such varied guests as Tom Hayden and the Leningrad Sym- phony. "Pilot hopes for the students to see the con- nection between, the classroom and the real world," said Miirgot Morrow, Pilot Program di- rector. support of Proposal A, the bill to ban throw-away bottles and cans. One group of Pilot students gained local recognition when they staged a mass clean-up of Ann Arbor's Delhi Park to illustrate the number of non-returnable bottles which had become litter. Last year, Pilot students also worked in co- operation with the Washtenaw County Humane Society and the Public Interest Research Group in Michigan (PIRGIM). Pilot students are of- fered a wide variety of options to fulfill Theme! Experience community service requirements in ways that can be personally fulfilling as well as educational. This year, reflecting changing student inter- ests., the Theme Experience will deal with hu- man rights, including the issues of gay rights, women's rights, political dissent in the Soviet, Union and prison reform. apartments and thet ing dori situatio prompted hundredso dents to search fora tive housing, and m them are discovering t ing in a sorority or fra really is not such a ba The cost of living in a h comparable to living dorm or apartment. Th is usually good, but Gre ing provides an oppo to develop close frie as well as offering a organized social life no able to dorm or -apai dwellers. "It's cheaper than the but that's really not joined," explained junior Schneider, a resident of Alpha Theta. "You gett a lot of people really x you tend to join a hous the people are a lot lik self. There's always so to do something with. ships -are a lot closer.1 a feeling of home, wher dorm is more institution Of course, the' idea o 'in a house situation with group of people, is not ap to everyone. image tighten- ly every F r i d a y afternoon, n have pledge f o r m a 1s, intramural of stu- sports, sour hours after.football alterna- g a m e s, parents' weekend, a any of week of fundraising activities for hat liv- charity climaxing in Derby Day aternity and the annual football game in d idea. the Mudbowl, toname just a house is few. in a Belonging to a sorority or-fra- he food ternity entails more than having eek liv- a good time and a place to live. rtunity Every member has obligations ndships to the house, and no one is ex- semi- pected to shirk those 'responsi- t avail- bilities. There are usually man- rtment datory house meetings every week, and house offices mpst be filled. dorm "Codrespondence must be an- why I swered," remarked Theta mem- fr Cn ber Sue Johnston, "andtthe f Kappa books will not balance them- well know selves." wverl andtMembers are also expected to ve where attend 'the majority of, house' ue your- social functions. mebody Friend- If joining a sorority or frat You get seems appealing to you, the reas the next .step is to go through ialized." Rush, held at the start of Fall f living and Winter terms, although a large not all houses are open for ppealing winter rush. "THESE ARE VERY real issues in the dorm," Morrow said.} Morrow calls the program a "comparative success." Although it was the home of radical. ism in the sixties, some suggest that enthusiasm for Pilot is on the decline. Morrow disagrees. "It is actually beginning to take an upward turn. Reapplication of returning sophomores has pp increased, as have applications for incoming i a.".'.x""''> .. fres'hpersons' she said. Daily Photo by CHRISTINA SCHNEIDER "Attendance to lectures also- increased this Sorority and fraternity members whoop it up on the Diag during their annual Derby Days to year," Morrow added. raise money for charity. Rush is a week of visiting all "I don't think I would have the different houses on'campus, as much privacy living in a and becoming acquainted'with sorority as I do now," noted the people living there. It isn't one junior who lives in an niuch easier for the members of apartment. "I don't want to the house to choose people to feel obligated to a big organi- give "bids" to join -than it is zation. When I come home I for a prospective membere to want to relax and not worry decide which one,to pledge, but about being to dinner on one thing is certain: rush week time." is exhausting. But Greek life offers its mem- Joining a sorority or fraternity bers a wide variety of social is not for everyone, but .if it activities. There are frequent seems interesting to you,' it parties (usually TGs-celebrat- might be worth your time.to go ing Friday's arrival-on Thurs- through rush to find out first- day nights), a happy hour near- hand if Greek life is for you. LAST YEAR'S Theme Experience focused on science and technology and their social implica- tions. Pilot Program students campaigned in I J Not the Ritz but it's home By JAY LEVIN One of the constant rituals of freshman year around these parts is dormitory liv- ing, and few students escape it. Like it or not, almost everyone - save those souls known as commuter students - will have to spend freshman year in one of the many behemoths maintained by the University. But, don't worry. Chances are you'll love it. And you might even come back for more. t r For despite the many rumors you've probably heard about dormitory living and the lack of amenities provided by the University, it is an experience of incal- culable value. Dorm life, besides being fun, is imper- ative for the first-year student fresh out of high school. And many older students also find that setting up housekeeping in a dormitory fits their lifestyle fine. derance of starch should fill the most cavernous of bellies. Besides, the University is just that - a university - not a Howard Johnson's, So quit complaining and eat your grilled chopped round. In addition to food, the University offers basic furnishings such as desks, lamps, bed and mattress, mattress cover, closet space, etc. Once in a while, the Housing office bequeaths a scratchy grey blanket which, not surprisingly, always ends up stuffed in the back of the closet or under the bed. Bring your own instead. You can also expect tissue paper in the bathrooms and, in most cases, many sinks, johns, showers and soap dispens- ers., The maintenance staff tries hard to keep bathrooms and hallways clean, but if you've ever spent Saturday night with a bunch of drunk dorm residents, you'll realize the magnitude of that custodial task. Keeping your-room clean, however, and prohibitions against certain appli- ances, such as hot plates, portable ovens and corn poppers, 'but everyone seems to have at least one of these items, anyway. (The booklet also tells of the dangers of cohabitation, but everyone seems to do that too). Should you bring a corn pop- per to the University and plug it in, don't fret. It's very unlikely that Housing Di- rector John, Feldkamp will barge into =our room and gnash the cord with his teeth after ripping it from the wall. A nice addition to any room is a port- able frage, which can be rented for the year from a number of local retailers. They're small enough to slip away in the corner of the room but large ehough to store enough food to keep you from the cuisine down in the cafeteria. But don't rule out the cafeteria so fast. Why, the place is a veritable cornucopia of social experiences. So is your hall, your lounge and your bathroom. The dormi- ..:;