Co-op Code

SUNFLOWER HOUSE COOPERATIVE CODE

 

Work-sharing Code: Do your fair share of the work

• Complete 100 credits of work each week.
• Participate actively in the weekly meetings.
• Serve as a coordinator if selected to do so.
• Do jobs that need to be done but are missed by the work-sharing program.
• Do your jobs on time to avoid causing more work for others.

 

Skill-Building Code: Develop and teach cooperative living skills

• Study the Owner’s Manual and complete the lessons according to schedule.
• Learn at least one new coordinator job every semester.
• Train your successor when you step down from a coordinating job.
• Teach others special skills you happen to have (e.g., cooking, repair).
• Actively work to make your own behavior match the cooperative code.
• Work to improve your skills and abilities in all areas.

 

Social Code: Treat others cooperatively

• Accept feedback gracefully, without defensiveness or aggressiveness.
• Develop solutions to important problems rather than complain about them.
• Help others make changes they desire in their own behavior.
• Take time to smile at others, say hello, and ask how their day is going.
• Evaluate members’ ideas based on merit, not on irrelevant criteria (e.g., sex, race, age, sexual orientation, etc.).
• Actively support members for behaving in ways that benefit the co-op.
• Show tolerance, especially when the behavior of another member is within the limits of the cooperative code.
• Keep an eye out for the contributions that members make and let them know you appreciate their work.

 

Community Code: Maintain community property for use by others

• Return books, tools, dishes, & equipment as soon as you finish using them.
• Leave public areas neat and clean so that everyone may enjoy them.
• Rinse and stack your dishes after each group meal.
• Leave the kitchen clean and neat after preparing a meal or snack.
• Treat the equipment and facilities with care to minimize need for repair.
• Only use community property for community use.
• Make decisions and do work that will promote the upkeep of the facilities and community property.

 

Privacy Code: Respect the privacy of others

• Enter another member’s room only when explicitly invited.
• Use members’ food and possessions only when explicitly invited.
• Insure that your guests follow all house rules while visiting.
• Avoid making noise that you know disturbs another member.
• Respect members’ needs for privacy.

 

Respectfulness Code: Treat others with respect

• Treat all members with respect by avoiding gossip and backbiting.
• Resist “locker-room” talk and off-color jokes around anyone who expresses discomfort with such.
• Avoid complaining about meals during meals; instead, comment on what is good and work to correct problems through the menu changer.
• Avoid harassment of another person based on characteristics such as their race, sex, class, age or sexual orientation. Such behavior is inappropriate and will not be tolerated in the coop.

 

Patience Code: Be patient with others, our program, and yourself

• Don’t demand or expect rapid changes in the behavior of other members, yourself, or our program; instead, find ways to support gradual changes that make the community a better place for all to live.
• Avoid blaming “the House” for problems; remember that you are part of the House and share responsibility for the way it is run.
• Approach problems with patience, remembering that thoughtfully planned solutions–though they may take time to develop–represent a legacy to future members of which you can be proud.
• Don’t expect things to be perfect; our programs have been developed and managed without the aid of full-time staff and will often require your help, assistance, and ideas for improvement.

 

Conservation Code: Conserve and recycle

• Place recyclable materials in recycling bins.
• Keep windows & doors closed when furnaces are operating.
• Set thermostats at the minimum comfortable temperature in winter.
• Accurately report your use of extra utilities each month (e.g., A/C, space heater).
• Turn off lights when leaving rooms.
• Behave in ways that tread lightly on the environment.

 

Survival Code: Support the survival of the cooperative

• Always consider how decisions will affect the future of the co-op.
• Support practices that protect the financial integrity of the co-op.
• Contribute to the improvement of the cooperative with your time and the co-op’s financial resources.
• Avoid making hasty decisions at meetings; the more planning, the better.

 

Dealing with Problems

If you are subjected to inappropriate behavior, such as harassment or abuse, first tell the person how you feel. Calling the person’s attention to their behavior is often enough to remedy the situation.

Further steps include:

1. Mediation – if both parties want to solve the problem, there are trained mediators available.
2. Contract renewal – point out the action on the contract renewal form.
3. Expulsion from the coop – only in extreme cases.

You can discuss these and other possible actions with the Mediator, Assistant Mediators, or any Board Member.

Did you like this? If so, please bookmark it, about it, and subscribe to the blog RSS feed.