OPINION: Why I moved to a co-op during the pandemic

The benefits of communal living under lockdown

By Xailia Claunch
Editor

It’s Friday night, the weekend before Halloween. I’m doing my makeup, picking out a dress, and dusting off my heels. I’m going to a party.

We may be under lockdown, but that doesn’t stop my house from having fun (safely).

It may not look like a typical college party, but the 20 some of us packed into the dining room, which has been converted into a makeshift nightclub, is the closest I’ve gotten to a club since quarantine.

After months alone with my parents, moving to a student co-op has alleviated so much stress from lack of socialization with people my age.

The co-ops at U of M run by the Inter-Cooperative Council. The nonprofit maintains a group of houses near campus where students live. They’re affordable, inclusive, and each one has its own theme/personality. Residents share work, food, and hang out together. Most people have a roommate. Rent is typically around $700/month, which includes food, internet, and utilities.

Although quarantine was mainly why I chose to live here, that wasn’t the only reason. Community college is an amazing place with such a diverse student body, but the social aspect or “college experience” was always something I felt it was lacking.

A typical class for me, pre-pandemia, included students from high school age to seniors. The students my age often lived far away, commuting to school from other towns or counties. Sure, I made some really cool friends of all ages and backgrounds, but when I’d visit my friends at their university dorms, I always felt like I was missing out.

Then quarantine happened. My friends came back from college, but I couldn’t see them. My classes moved online, and I was furloughed from my job. The following months were filled with social-distance walks, Facetime calls, and lots and lots of cooking.

Then somebody asked me if I was interested in taking over a spot in a co-op.

I’d always planned on living in one after transferring, but I never realized it was an option while I was still at WCC. As it turns out, the co-ops are open to any students who live in the area. U of M, Eastern, and WCC students are all welcome.

At first, I thought this was a no-brainer. Of course I wanted to live here. Then I remembered we were in a pandemic. Was it smart to live with 20-plus other kids? Was U of M going to have an outbreak? Would my housemates go to parties and bars? Would they allow guests over?

After an entire day of reflection, I made up my mind. I was going to do it. Ensuring that I personally was distancing and being safe was all I could do to prevent getting sick.

It ended up being the right decision. My housemates and I get COVID swab-tested regularly. The house has an incredibly strict guest policy and doesn’t allow any non-house members at parties. During the recent U of M stay-in-place order, we all quarantined together.

Since moving here, I’ve gone camping, thrown parties, and watched movies. I’ve tried food I’ve never had before like shakshuka and (vegetarian) beef wellington. I’ve carved pumpkins, played music, made art, and done all sorts of other activities with my housemates.

We haven’t had any COVID cases at my house, but other co-ops have had a few. Even though I trust my housemates to be safe and not get the rest of us sick, it’s always a possibility.

I’m incredibly lucky and privileged to be able to live here. It’s the closest to normal that things have felt since March.

It’s times like these where the little things like parties and meals with friends, things that we all took for granted, feel special. If you can get even a tiny bit of that feeling of normalcy back, hold onto it. It goes a long way.

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