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Taking Care of Ourselves & Each Other

Health & Well-Being

4/30/2013 Gardening at Columbae, a vegetarian cooperative house. Freshman Leopold Wambersie helps Junior Kyle Moore sift dirt to create new planting beds in the Columbae Garden. Credit: Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Special Interest: Co-op

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Cooperative living has thrived at Stanford for more than forty years, offering a diverse range of living environments as each co-op community holds distinct values. For example, many offer gender-neutral housing; some feature vegetarian kitchens and meals; and others make house decisions through a consensus process. Co-ops can focus on alternative lifestyles, intentional communities, LGBT friendliness, international awareness, or social change through nonviolent action.

2023-24 Neighborhood Decorative Accent Line
Top view healthy food for immunity boosting composition. Credit: @freepik

One common feature for all the co-ops is that you become part of a job system of shared responsibility.

You share in cooking dinners and cleaning up, shoulder-to-shoulder with your fellow co-opers, which is a great opportunity to bond with your community. But you also take pride in your contributions and learn important real-world and life-long skills--and these jobs can save you thousands of dollars a year on rent and board bills!

 Alumnae Brenda Mutuma, '13, left, Mireille Vargas. and Makshya Tolbert, '15, make an egg pasta from scratch in the Liberation Through Land: Organic Gardening and Racial Justice class. Credit:  Linda A. Cicero / Stanford News Service

Special Interest: Co-op Criteria

Find the criteria for all University Theme House - Special Interest: Co-ops.

Woman gardening. Credit: Freepik