Inter Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan

History

In response to the harsh economic times imposed by the Great Depression, members of the Socialist Club at the University of Michigan founded the Michigan Socialist House, located at 335 East Ann Street, in 1932. In return for four to five hours of work and two dollars each week, each of the 18 founding members received room, board, barber, canning, and laundry service. The success of the Michigan Socialist House fueled other cooperative endeavors by the Socialist Club, the most notable being the Michigan Cooperative Boarding House, later to be renamed the Michigan Wolverine Eating Co-op. The Michigan Wolverine Eating Co-op would later play a vital role in the expansion of the cooperative movement on campus. By serving as a common ground for members of the Socialist Club and the Student Christian Association, which owned the building at the time, the Wolverine Eating Co-op introduced the idea of housing cooperatives to many within the religious community.

The second wave of student cooperative houses was formally initiated in 1934 through the efforts of the Reverend and Mrs. H. L. Pickerill. The Pickerills welcomed students to live in their house in exchange for performing household chores. By 1936 there were a total of eight students living in the Pickerills' attic who, with the help of a $700 loan from the Reverend, rented a house on Thompson Street naming it the Student Cooperative House and, later, Rochdale House. Because the women who often visited the Rochdale Co-op were in a similar economic position to their male counterparts and the University did not allow for males and females to cohabitate, they began to look for a house of their own. A house at 517 East Ann Street [1] was rented and ran smoothly as the Girls' Cooperative House until 1939 when it was forced to move to 1511 Washtenaw Street [2], adopting the new name, the Alice Freeman Palmer House, named after prominent women's educational rights activist Alice Freeman Palmer.

In 1937, adhering to the Rochdale Principles of cooperation among cooperatives and continuing education, the four existing student cooperatives, the Michigan Socialist House, the Michigan Wolverine Eating Co-op, the Rochdale cooperative House and the yet to be renamed Girls' Cooperative House joined together to form the Campus Cooperative Council. This organization later became known as the Inter-Cooperative Council and, in 1939, submitted a draft of its first constitution to be adopted and ratified by each of the cooperatives on campus. The increased economy, efficiency, and publicity gained through the establishment of the Inter-Cooperative Council facilitated the establishment of many more student cooperatives on Campus. This expansion reached its peak prior to the outbreak of World War II when the ICC consisted of 12 independent rooming and boarding houses. All of the organization's houses were rented until 1943 when Stevens House was purchased, named after Albert K. Stevens, an early supporter of the ICC.

The ICC hired its first paid executive director, Luther H. Buchele, in 1951, although some students felt having paid leadership was at odds with cooperative values. Under his leadership, the Inter-Cooperative Council began a steady period of expansion from 1953 to 1978, during which several more houses were purchased and the North Campus Co-ops were constructed.

Governance

In accordance with the second Rochdale principle, democratic member control, ultimate authority in the organization lies with the Board of Directors. The ICC Board meets on Sundays, usually twice a month during the academic year (September to April) and one a month during the summer (May to August).

Board of Directors

The Board of Directors includes one voting representative from each house (including Escher), the chairpersons of standing committees (non-voting), and the General Manager (non-voting).

Committees

Each board member must serve on a committee. The committees are:

The chairs of each committee, the ICC president, and the General Manager sit on another committee that helps to coordinate the efforts of all the other committees and the board of directors. This committee is known as the Coordinating Committee (CoCo).

Houses

The ICC currently owns 19 houses around the Central and North Campuses of the University of Michigan. The houses are primarily named after past co-opers and are often known locally by the honoree's last name (e.g. Karl D. Gregory House goes by simply 'Gregory').

Ella Baker Cooperative House

Ella Baker Graduate Co-operative, known previously under several names including the James R. Jones House, Joint House, and Tri-House (in conjunction with A.K. Stevens) was originally opened as two separate houses; Mark VIII, purchased in 1961, and Pickerell, purchased in 1965. The two houses were connected via the addition of a large central room and functioned as a single co-op. After being remodeled in 2007, the co-op adopted its current name and offered housing tailored for graduate students instead of operating primarily for undergraduates.

Black Elk Cooperative House

Black Elk Cooperative House was founded in 1986, and is located at 902 Baldwin Avenue.

Eugene V. Debs Cooperative House

Eugene V. Debs Cooperative House was founded in 1967, and is located at 909 E. University Avenue. Debs Cooperative houses 23 residents, and members cook vegetarian and vegan meals.

Coretta Scott King Cooperative House

Muriel Lester Cooperative House

Muriel Lester Cooperative House was founded in 1940 as an all-women's cooperative house; today it is located at 900 Oakland Street and is, like all ICC co-ops, inclusive of all genders. It houses 15 residents, and cooks vegetarian and vegan food. In 1943, the Saturday Evening Post featured Lester Cooperative House in an article about student cooperative movements in America.

Benjamin Linder Cooperative House

Luther Buchele Cooperative House

Luther Buchele Cooperative House, known as 'Luther House' or 'Luther Cooperative', is made up of two houses located at 1510 and 1520 Hill Street. The buildings were purchased by the Inter-Cooperative Council in 1986; prior to that the buildings were home to John Sinclair, the MC5 and the White Panther Party. Located behind the two residential houses is the ICC's Moses Coady-Paulo Friere Cooperative Education Center, at which various educational and board meetings are held. Luther Cooperative is one of the larger cooperatives in the ICC, capable of housing up to 49 members split between the two homes.

Michigan Cooperative House

Michigan Cooperative House is the oldest cooperative house in the ICC, founded in 1932 as the Michigan Socialist House. It is located at 315 N. State Street.

Minnie's Cooperative House

Minnie's Cooperative House was founded in 1970, and is located at 307 N. State Street. It neighbors Michigan Cooperative House, and as such the two share meals and many aspects of their culture.

John Nakamura Cooperative House

Harold Osterweil Cooperative House

Harold Osterweil Cooperative House is a student housing cooperative located on East Jefferson Street in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The cooperative is named after Economics professor Harold Osterweil. Its first residents were men during the summer of 1946, but in the fall of 1946 Osterweil became a women's house and in 1970 became co-ed. By the time of its purchase, all new student housing had to be approved by the University because students were legally considered minors at that time. Because the ICC moved so fast in its expansion, the University was not asked for approval until after the house was already purchased. The first house that the University granted approval for retroactively is most likely Osterweil.

Osterweil is the third oldest co-operative and is one of the smallest in the Inter-Cooperative Council. It is located across from the Institute for Social Research and is in immediate walking distance from downtown Ann Arbor and Central Campus. The LSA Building, Student Activities Building, and the Union are a few notable landmarks that are in close proximity of the house.

Robert Owen Cooperative House

Ruths' Cooperative House

Sojourner Truth Cooperative House

Stefan T. Vail Cooperative House

Stefan T. Vail Cooperative House is located at 602 Lawrence Street, and was founded in 1960. The house proper was constructed in 1853, and is a recognized as a historic building by the city of Ann Arbor. Vail Cooperative houses 23 residents and cooks vegetarian and vegan meals.

Escher Cooperative House

Which was previously two houses:

Past Houses

Several ICC houses have closed, sold, or been lost to fire since the creation of the Inter-Cooperative Council, including: