Harold Osterweil Cooperative House

Harold Osterweil House

The third house bought by the ICC was the Harold Osterweil House located on East Jefferson Street. Conveniently located about 3 minutes from the University of Michigan's Central Campus, Osterweil appealed to many students. It's first residents were men during the summer of 1946, but in the fall of 1946 Osterweil became a women's house. By the time of its purchase, all new student housing had to be approved by the University because students were legally considered minors at that time. Because the ICC moved so fast in its expansion, the University was not asked for approval until after the house was already purchased. The first house that the University granted approval for retroactively is most likely Osterweil. In 1954, Osterweil became a house strictly for female graduate students. Sixteen years later, the house became co-ed in 1970. Osterweil is the Westernmost co-op and the smallest in the ICC. It is located a couple blocks from campus and walking distance from downtown Ann Arbor. The LSA Building, Student Activities Building, and the Union are very close as well. [ [http://www.icc.coop/houses/ost/ost2.html ICC's Official Website for Osterweil House] ]

Occupants

At Osterweil, there are four single rooms and four double rooms: enough room for twelve people. Generally, there is an equal number of graduate and undergraduate students and the ratio of males to females is strictly kept at 1:1.

Food

Dinner is served five nights a week, giving members the option of dining out or preparing their own meals when dinner is not served. There is always a vegetarian option at dinner and in Fall 08, a motion was passed to limit the use of dairy in dinner due to an intolerance of lactose in the house. The boarding part of the contract covers dinner costs as well as GUFF, which stands for General Unspecified Free Food [ [http://www.icc.coop/houses/owen/guff.html Owen House's GUFF Definition] ] but can be used to refer to any "free" object in the house whether it's a nice office chair or a colorful rug. The word "guff" also is slang for nonsense. [ [http://www.thefreedictionary.com/guff The Free Dictionary: Definition of guff] ]

Cost

Monthly charges vary from year to year but generally the average cost per month is around $500. For the 08-09 housing term, the cost at Osterweil was $513 ($362/mo ICC charges plus $151/mo House charges for utilities, amenities & all the food you can eat!). [ [http://icc.coop/join/spaces/availabilitylists.php Available Spaces in the ICC] ] You can give your checks, made out to the ICC, to the house secretary or turn it into the ICC office yourself. Rent is collected at the beginning of each month and the latest day to pay is the 7th. After that, a late fee will be charged.

Amenities

There is no TV allowed in the common area. However, you may have a TV in your own room. There is a piano in the spacious living room and a record player to go along with an extensive collection of records. There is a washer and dryer in the basement (not coin-operated). The basement, recently renovated, has plenty of room for storage. In addition, a study room was recently created in the basement and offers a nice quiet environment for students to study in. Osterweil has a large deck that allows members to relax in the sun (when the weather permits). [ [http://icc.coop/houses/ost.php Harold Osterweil House Website] ]

ee also

*Inter-Cooperative Council at the University of Michigan
*North American Students of Cooperation

External links

* [http://www.icc.coop/houses/mich.php Michigan Cooperative House]
* [http://www.icc.coop Inter-Cooperative Council]

References