A Brief History of U of T Co-ops
Students flock to campus co-operative residences looking for community involvement, friends, and cheap rent. Co-op housing, both on campus and in the surrounding area, is abundant. Most co-op residences are affiliated with the organization Campus Co-op — with the exception of Stephenson House, a co-op residence maintained by Victoria College.
Four U of T theology students founded Campus Co-op in 1936. Rochdale, the first co-operative residence, was built at 63 St. George Street and initially housed twelve men. The residents lived on the second and third floors of the house, while the Victoria College principal’s office was located on the first.
Campus Co-op quickly expanded with the demand for cheap housing during the Great Depression, soon boasting five houses and 101 members. Co-op housing was made available to women in 1942, with the opening of the women’s-only Webb House.
In the 1970s and 1980s, the organization was in decline, prompting the hiring of a Maintenance Property Coordinator. The residences were also in a state of disrepair. The federal government stepped in and subsidized half of the rehabilitation costs, allowing them to undergo extensive renovation to meet new fire regulations.
Co-op has an extensive history of community involvement, which includes accepting refugee students during World War II and the Hungarian revolt of 1956. The organization also subsidized costs for students who were volunteering abroad.
Currently, Campus Co-op accommodates about 300 students in five regional divisions scattered within the downtown area. There is an elected Board of Directors, with representatives for each division. Committees manage Co-op’s day-to-day functions and individual houses often hold meetings to discuss living arrangements. Decisions on management, such as raising the rent, are discussed and voted on by the houses.
Stephenson House, the self-governed, self-regulating co-op residence at Victoria College, was founded during the same period, in 1940. Following his wife’s instructions, Dr. Frederick Stephenson, an Emmanuel College Professor, housed students in his property. The house was sold to Victoria College under the condition that, if used for any purpose apart from housing students, the college would be responsible for setting aside $35,000 for a co-op residence.
Originally founded as a co-op living space for students with Christian vocations who served ‘the public good’, community involvement now takes precedence over Christian vocations in Stephenson. Accommodating ten students, the house is still home to a vibrant, involved community. However, its future remains unclear.
For many years, Stephenson House was an independent organization within Victoria College, and rent was reliably low. This year the house was moved from its original location at 63 Charles Street West to a neighbouring building. Students still have their rent subsidized, though they now have to fill out a separate application for a bursary. It is currently under the administration of the Victoria Residence Coordinator and priority is given to Victoria College students who are seeking a room in the house.
The Co-op Experience
Most residents speak highly of their co-op experiences, citing the democratic administration, the friends that they have met, and the opportunities for engagement it has afforded them.
Saman Rejali, a third-year student at U of T and current resident of Stephenson House, says her experience with co-op has been positive, particularly because of the co-op’s reputation for accommodating residents who are highly involved in the community.
“Having smart, motivated people around you is really a great benefit of the house. I’ve learned so much in the past months from the other house members that I really wouldn’t have been able to learn under any other circumstances. Because they’re motivated to study, work, and basically put their full energy on the commitments they take on, it also influences me to try to reach my full potential,” she explains.
Lindsay Denise, an OCAD student at Campus Co-op, praises the hall dinners, where she is able to socialize and meet fellow co-opers. “The food is a lot better than other places I’d visited, where friends of mine would basically have fast food as their meal plan program.” Since Co-op employs full-time cooks, “you get home cooked meals that are pretty nutritious,” she says.
Jenny Jin Hee Lee lived in Campus Co-op for a year. Among her favourite things about co-op were “talking to housemates at wee hours of the night just because I happened upon them, when I went to the kitchen to get a drink of water at 4 a.m.” She describes the atmosphere with her roommates as very casual.
“People generously share things at whims, but everything is done fairly, and any big decisions are made through democratic meetings, wherein votes of the house members are counted.”
“You just set the rules for the house and basically go from there,” says Emily Horn, another current resident of Campus Co-op. “If you live in a house where everyone wants to party, there’s lots of opportunity to take advantage. And if you live in a house where everyone likes to cook, you can hold some delicious potlucks. We do that at my place.” Since there are no dons, Emily adds, students set the rules.
“I think that the co-operative business model for housing, or any industry, provides its members with a ton of benefits,” argues Lindsay. “I experienced very practical learning and built up a vast amount of experience that I would never have accumulated in school, such as policy writing, conflict resolution, event planning, community development, and business skills.”
Campus Co-op’s concern for community involvement, as well as collaboration between members, still exists today. “There’s an opportunity to develop almost any kind of skills you want when you live in a co-op, because you can initiate projects that benefit the members — maybe it’s painting a mural, or gardening, or a newsletter,” says Lindsay.
Make It Your Own
The state of the housing that is available at co-op residences varies, and because of most co-ops’ autonomy, their condition largely depends on the residents themselves. The only exception is Stephenson House, where custodians clean the common areas.
“The living conditions in my place now were initially kind of gross,” admits Emily. “The houses [of Campus Co-op] themselves are often quite nice, but the gross factor depends on who was, or is, living in them.”
Lindsay had similar experiences: “The previous members who lived in the house I moved into left it in really bad shape. There was garbage piled to the ceiling in our kitchen, I couldn’t believe how inconsiderate others could be.”
Luckily for both of them, the issue was swiftly resolved. “I ended up giving the whole floor of the house I [lived] on a really good clean, and my roommates have been really neat and respectful. I think you can really set a precedent by setting a good example in a co-op house.” In Lindsay’s case, all housemates agreed to pitch in and do a general cleanup.
In Jenny’s experience, houses “were roomy but old and creaky,” and there were problems in the communal areas. “There was broken or torn furniture here and there, flickering overhead lights, old bathtubs, that sort of thing.
“The rooms were very large though, and I actually had a bathroom attached to my own bedroom, so I had it good.”
Lindsay temporarily moved out of co-op in 2007. “The housemates I was living with weren’t as interested in collective housing as I was, and therefore weren’t as respectful of doing chores or keeping quiet hours, or just generally being respectful of each other.” She moved back in 2008.
“Once I moved out, I learned that all of the same conflicts and costs exist when you rent from a private landlord, but outside of co-op there isn’t a framework to deal with problems. Campus Co-op has organizational structures you can use to work through problems and conflicts, and staff that can help you navigate through them.”
