OSU’s Cooperative Houses

1. OSU’s Cooperative Houses Presented By: Jen Manlig, Matt Clark, Amy Daggett, Summer Warrick

2. Recommendations • Price Competition • Education • All Coop Weekend • Retention

3. What are the Coops??? • House with 35-55 students • Owned by UHDS • Cooperate in doing the work-Exec/CD/House Members • Less Expensive than the Residence Halls • Study Rooms/Sleeping Porches • Unique Houses

4. Oxford House • Room and House Features • Standard Beds and Mattresses • Desk, chair, wardrobe closet, drawers • Carpeted floors • Walls are generally white or pastel • Vertical blinds • High Speed Internet • Laundry facilities in each house • Local telephone line service in each room • Mail delivered directly to houses • Extended basic cable service in each room • Live-In Cooperative Director Special Features • All Female Residents • Located on the East Side of Campus • Four-story Colonial Style House • No Two Rooms Alike • Half of Study Rooms shared by 2 Women • Half of Study Rooms shared by 3-5 Women • One Sleeping Porch for All Members

5. Reed Lodge • Room and House Features • Standard Beds and Mattresses • Desk, chair, wardrobe closet, drawers • Carpeted floors • Walls are generally white or pastel • Vertical blinds • Laundry facilities in each house • Local telephone line service in each room • Mail delivered directly to houses • Extended basic cable service in each room • Live-In Cooperative Director • High Speed Internet Special Features • All Female Residents • Located on the West Side of Campus • Study Rooms shared by 2-3 roommates

6. Heckart Lodge • Room and House Features • Standard Beds and Mattresses • Desk, chair, wardrobe closet, drawers • Carpeted floors • Walls are generally white or pastel • Vertical blinds • Laundry facilities in each house • Local telephone line service in each room • Mail delivered directly to houses • Extended basic cable service in each room • Live-In Cooperative Director • High Speed Internet Special Features • All Male Residents • Located on the West Side of Campus • Study Rooms shared by 2-3 Roommates • One large Sleeping Porch for all residents

7. Dixon Lodge • Room and House Features • Standard Beds and Mattresses • Desk, chair, wardrobe closet, drawers • Carpeted floors • Walls are generally white or pastel • Vertical blinds • Laundry facilities in each house • Local telephone line service in each room • Mail delivered directly to houses • Extended basic cable service in each room • Live-In Cooperative Director • High Speed Internet Special Features • Co-Ed, accommodating 30 men and 30 women • Transfer or upper-class students at least 12 months out of high school • Located on the East Side of Campus • Study Rooms shared by 2 roommates • Sleeping Porches with up to Eight Beds • Some combination study/sleep rooms

8. Avery Lodge • Room and House Features • Standard Beds and Mattresses • Desk, chair, wardrobe closet, drawers • Carpeted floors • Walls are generally white or pastel • Vertical blinds • Laundry facilities in each house • Local telephone line service in each room • Mail delivered directly to houses • Extended basic cable service in each room • Live-In Cooperative Director • High Speed Internet Special Features • All Male Residents • Located on the East Side of Campus • Rooms shared by 2-3 roommates • Sleeping Porches with up to Eight Beds

9. Azalea House • Room and House Features • Standard Beds and Mattresses • Desk, chair, wardrobe closet, drawers • Carpeted floors • Walls are generally white or pastel • Vertical blinds • Laundry facilities in each house • Local telephone line service in each room • Mail delivered directly to houses • Extended basic cable service in each room • Live-In Cooperative Director • High Speed Internet Special Features • All Female Residents • Located on the East Side of Campus • Study Rooms on second floor shared by 2-3 roommates • One large sleeping porch shared by all house members

10. Why the Recommendations • 4P Analysis, Promotion Stands Out • SWOT Analysis • Strengths: Price Point, Community Living, Location, • Weaknesses: Not able to retain over the year let alone year to year, Almost No Promotion, No one knows about them, Website does not “feature” the coops. • Opportunities: More Promotion, Extensions, Legacy, Use of University Resources • Threats: Large number of other housing options that include more privacy and possibly better pricing and autonomy

11. Off campus to On campus living

12. Average cost per month • Cooperatives $ 446.00 • Residence halls $ 654.00 • Off-campus $ 742.00

13. Value Added (Difficult to Quantify)

14. Cooperative living Cooperative House RatesAll Houses Term $1200  Year $3,600 Cooperative House dining prices are determined and charged in house and are approximately $1,800 each year billed through the house.

15. Residence hall living expenses

16. Residence hall living expenses cont…

17. Residence hall living expenses cont…

19. Off campus prices

20. Off campus prices continued…

21. Educating Recruiters Existing education for recruiters How to improve recruitment—Seminar Additional educational information

22. Existing Education • Recruiters currently represent all on campus housing • Two page information sheet • Six page Q&A sheet

23. Seminar • Create a seminar to train recruiters • Four hour workshop including lunch • Panel of students • Education fliers, FAQ’s sheets and advertisements for distribution to incoming students • Access to ICA website http://oregonstate.edu/groups/ica/

24. Discover the alternative housing on campus Amentities: Lower cost of living (opposed to other living arrangements) • 24hour access to kitchen/food • Laundry facilities • Frequently planned social activities • Academic Success: Study Groups, Computer Room, Internet Access • Readily Available Cooperative Director • Closer relationships are developed through community and social activities Call University Housing and Dining Service Today for a Tour!!! 541-737-4771

25. Seminar Budget • $5 per person for lunch • Information packet including 100 fliers x $.20, a Q&A sheet x $.30,50 on campus housing applications x $.25 =$32.80 • Conference Room $100 • Approximate Total for 50 Recruiters $1990

26. All Coop Weekend • InterCooperative Association organizes it • ICA is a university sanctioned residential living group ran by students for students. • All Coop Weekend is a weekend in Spring Term where prospective students are invited to stay in the coops and learn more about living in them • This past year, they only had 3 participants

27. All Coop Weekend • Let’s Revamp It! • Not just One • Do 2 in the summer, either with the START program or separately • Do 1 each term so that students looking at campus during their Jr/Sr Years of High School get a really good look at what the Cooperatives are. • Advertise! Advertise! Advertise!

28. ACW 2004-2005 • Each participant sponsored by 1 or 2 members • Campus Tour • All Coop Functions • Presentation of benefits at the beginning and end of weekend

29. Advertising • Postcards and Brochures • Through Recruiting Presentations • Website Needs some Fun! • Postcard Style • Personal Phone Calls

30. Resources • Food: Have UHDS help foot the bill or charge $5.00-$10.00 for the weekend • Printing: Graphic Design for Free! And utilize printers at UHDS • Partner with: UHDS, SOAR, Registration, Student Involvement, House Treasurers, and House Work Managers

31. Retention “ Members keep leaving!!! ” • During Fall term co-ops are always above 90% occupancy • During Winter term co-ops fall to about 85% • During Spring term co-op drop to about 80% • (Dixon Lodge fell well below 50% capacity last spring term!)

32. Why Members are leaving 1.) The alternatives are more appealing 2.) The experience is not what was expected 3.) Struggling academically Greek Life or Dorms Bored Poor G.P.A.

33. *Notice that Fun virtually just as important as fun *Having a quality learning environment is the most important.

34. Notice that rent has been raised $75 dollars a month. • $75 X members X months • The rent is still $217 below the Corvallis average of 586 per month • The rent is also lower then both the Resident Halls and any Greek Housing

35. Competing with the alternatives • More Food Options • -numerous meal choices (ex. Mexican vs. Italian) • *Upgrade facilities • - Basketball courts • - Function Rooms • - Game Rooms • - General appearance and character • - (Get rid of sleeping porches in future) • -etc • *Develop a name for themselves

36. The experience is not what was expected “Market and Experience, not a living arrangement!” • Have house social chairs come up with more functions • Offer more athletic options to members • Offer more Philanthropic Activities to members • Make sure there is a sense of unity and belonging -Co-ops are often seen as having all of the drawbacks of Greek Life and Residence Hall Life, with none of their advantages. -The goal is to make sure people know what they are joining, and then making it an experience that they will enjoy during their years at Oregon State.

37. Struggling Academically THE BOTTOM LINE If members fail out of college,……………………….they can’t pay rent. • Grade Partners (house points, which will be discussed later) • Study Tables ( possible with co-op of opposite sex) • Add / Improve Test Files • Create Officer in charge of house academic success • Recruit good promising students to begin with

38. More Retention!!! • Keep the upperclassmen!!! ( Price Breaks and Point System)

39. Point System Overview • Grades • Athletics • Officers • Philanthropies • Up Campus Activities • House Functions • House Duties • Member of the Week, Month, Year • Test Files • Tutoring other members

40. Timeline • Tomorrow: Price Competition Information and Quality of Living Efforts • In the Fall: Academic Success initiative (retention), Point System (retention), Housing Plan (retention), Education of Recruiters, All Coop Weekend • In 1 year: Upgrades for housing plan (retention), Summer All Coop Weekends

41. Costs • Free: Graphic Design and Website • $: Printing and Mailing Costs can be subsidized by UHDS (.10-1.00/copy) • $$: Seminar for Education of Recruiters- facility and food costs (again use your resources!) • $$: All Coop Weekend- advertising and food: might be able to reduce costs by charging minimal fee (also depends on number of participants) • Retention Initiatives should pay for themselves

42. Summary of Recommendations • Price point information published and distributed • Educate those Recruiters! • Revamp All Coop Weekends • RETENTION! RETENTION! RETENTION!

43. Questions or Comments?