Brooks Co-op – which opened its doors in 2001 – is a 14-member co-op conveniently located halfway between the University of Illinois campus and downtown Urbana (about a 10-minute walk to each). Each week, our members eat five meals together, perform household chores, and enjoy each other’s company in a friendly atmosphere. Our house has 14 bedrooms, 1½ kitchens, a dining room, 2 living rooms, five bathrooms and a basement. Check out our house handbook for lots of details about how the house runs.

Food

Brooks’ members enjoy five weekly house meals; members take turns cooking for each other. The co-op offers mostly healthy vegetarian meals with occasional non-vegetarian dishes as well. The house also buys its own food (which is decided by its members), although members are allowed to buy their own personal food.

Members

Brooks’ members include graduate students, undergraduates, and community members from diverse cultural backgrounds. The average age of members for the 2010-2011 year was 27. Many housemates become friends and do things together outside of the house.

Bedrooms

Brooks has 14 bedrooms, which are usually used as singles. Double occupancy is permitted in larger rooms. Room rates for 2010-2011 vary from $268 to $422 per month, depending on room size and its aesthetic condition. Utilities and food are extra (about $50 and $100 respectively).

Amenities

Our house is equipped with wireless internet and there is access to wired internet connection in every room. The house does not have a land phone; most house members bring their own cell phone. There is a washer and dryer in the basement, and a big compost bin in the back yard for vegetable waste.

Labor

Keeping the house in good working order is an important part of life at Brooks. Each member cooks, cleans after meals, and does weekly chores - like cleaning bathrooms, washing the dining room floor, and taking out the garbage. Some members also take on coordinator positions. These people are responsible for house finances, maintenance, food shopping, membership, and labor coordination. Once a semester, we dedicate an entire day making improvements to our house.

Decision Making

House meetings occur every two weeks, and give members the opportunity to make democratic decisions on how to run the house. The house uses a modified-consensus model in which a proposal can be vetoed by two or more votes. In honor of the house’s namesake, the poet Gwendolyn Brooks, members sometimes read a poem at the beginning of house meetings.

Connections

Brooks is one of four houses in the Urbana cooperative system. The house is a member of NASCO – the North American Students of Co-operation, and is among eleven fellow houses across the US which forms NASCO Properties.

For more information about the house, email us: membership.couch@gmail.com.