You probably don’t know anything about co-operative living

It was my first week living in Watermargin, one of Cornell’s 10 co-operative residences. I checked my phone and saw that one of my house-mates had emailed the house’s list-serv.

Hey guys,

Just a heads up, my friend brought over his pet snake today and now it’s loose in the house. Tomi (the snake) is harmless and has an incredibly gentle soul. If anyone sees him, please try to pick him up and return him to me.

Much love, xoxoxox

I was bewildered. The year before, my freshman roommate had yelled at me because he could hear my music through my headphones. Was I still at Cornell, or had I transferred by accident?

What was going on?

I soon realized that things like escaped snakes were par-for-the-course at Watermargin. Just last week, in fact, we had a wine and cheese event (non-alcoholic beverages were, of course, provided for those under 21).

I wore a shirt and tie, as did a few others. One of our most respected house members, however, eschewed formality and showed up in a gorilla suit.

I will not deny that there are some less glamorous aspects of co-operative living. There’s cleaning and, perhaps even more daunting to the average college student, cooking. No previous kitchen skills are required, only a positive attitude and a short memory.

Last month, I burned a pot of rice, setting off the fire alarm and greatly inconveniencing everyone in the house. I was mortified, but everyone, it seemed, made it their business to cheer me up.

“Never worry about food, man,” said our house manager, “Pizza is always a phone call away.”

That phrase has stuck with me more than anything I read in my FWS.

You’re probably convinced by now that co-operative living is the coolest thing in the world. But don’t take my word for it.

“I love cooperative living,” said Junior Allison Considine, “it allows me to bring my passion for self-governance into reality.”

Senior Pablo Wolf Maggi (the guy who dressed in the aforementioned gorilla suit) added, “Living in a co-op was the first time I had a place on campus to call home.”

Maybe you feel like you haven’t quite met your friend group here at Cornell. Maybe you even feel, as I did at one point, like you might not belong here. Or maybe you’re just interested in meeting really cool people. If you fall into any of these categories, I urge you to consider cooperative living.

And in the meantime, remember: Pizza is always a phone call away.