
Help the Students’ Co-op Rebuild and Rebound!
For more than 80 years, the Students Coop has provided affordable housing for members of the University community. During the Pandemic many members moved out and the Coop lost the institutional knowledge that kept it functioning for decades. In 2021, alumni learned of the situation and began working to re-establish a governance structure that will allow the Coop to continue its mission to serve students and the community.
The Board and alumni friends group are extremely grateful for the outpouring of support from our spring fundraiser. We blew our initial goal of $6,000 out of the park and raised over $7,000 within a week. With that support, we have been able to pay for crucial maintenance and ongoing operating expenses.
Outside of the GoFundMe, there has been a coming together of the alumni community, and over 150 hours of volunteer labor have been put into cleaning the building and rehabilitating the building so far. We have removed the graffiti on the front of the building and secured the house with new locks and a security system.
The Coop Board and alumni are working to resume operations as soon as possible and return the Coop to financial sustainability with dues paying members. To accomplish this, the Coop is currently applying for loans and looking into grants to pay for repairs and while funding is being secured, we are seeking support from the Alumni community to cover immediate expenses and operating costs. We believe raising an additional $10,000 will bridge the upcoming gap of funding.
Thank you to everyone who has donated so far! Please continue to share this with your friends, family, and networks.
If you have questions about the progress being made or the plans for the Coop, please email us or visit our website or, if you are an alumni of the Students’ Coop, join the Students’ Cooperative Alumni Association Facebook page. We welcome assistance from any alumni who can join our volunteer board or alumni friends group!
Neither the Board nor members of the alumni friends group will be receiving any money from this fundraiser and are not being paid in any way by the Student’s Co-op Inc.