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A Brief History of The ICC

The first cooperative house at the University of Michigan was organized in 1932 by graduate students in the Michigan Socialist Club. A house was rented on East Ann Street, and Michigan Socialist House was founded. By buying as a group and doing their own work, they cut room and board costs down to two dollars a week. They ran their house by democratic meetings, where every member had an equal vote in the affairs of the house.

The Inter-Cooperative Council was formed in 1937 as a coordinating body for the cooperatives, and in 1944 it was incorporated as a non-profit organization. The first Board of Directors was organized, with the number of board representatives from each house being proportionate to teh size of the group. The ICC purhased it's first house in that same year: A.K. Stevens House, named in honor of the professor who co-signed the loan. Between 1953 and 1965, the membership actively supported a period of steady expansion.

In 1985, the membership at the ICC annual meeting unanimously approved a restructuting of ICC governance, eliminating seperate Division Council and naming house presidents as representatives to teh board of Directors.

Nationall, the ICC became deeply involved with the establishment and funding of the Campus Cooperative Development Corporation, which acts as a developer of student housing cooperative in the United States and Canada, and NASCO Properties, a national holding company for student co-op property. Through these organizations successful new cooperatives had been established at the University of California at Davis, University of Chicago, Ohio University, University of California at Santa Cruz, and teh University of Vermont.

North American Students of Cooperation

North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO) is the organized voice of the campus cooperative movement in Canada and the United States. Since 1968, NASCO has been working with students interested in applying cooperative principles to meet their needs. NASCO provides campus co-ops and their members with training, operational assistance, educational programming, net-working opportunities, internships, co-op diretory information and services as an advocate for campus coops. They also host an annual Co-op Conferencein Ann Arbor called the NASCO Institute.

For more information visit NASCO on the web at www.nasco.coop or stop by the 3rd floor of the Rochdale Cooperative Center at 337 E. William or call (734)-663-0889.

Other Local Co-ops

People's Food Co-op (PFC) 216 N. Fourth Ave. Ann Arbor
www.peoplesfood.coop
The PFC has been around since the 70s. It started out in a basement as a buying club and has since grown into a retail natural food grocery store, hot bar and cafe. PFC specializes in organic and bulk foods, as well as products that are wholegrain based and contain no artificial additives. Members pay a one-time, refundable $60 share, and enjoy special sales and annual rebate checks - but you don't have to be a member to shop there.

Student Buyer's Association (SBA) 337 E. Williams Ann Arbor
(734)-662-2357 or www.studentbuyers.org
Up the stairs from the ICC front desk in the Rochale Center, SBA serves both the ICC and local fraternities and sororities. Receiving bulk orders from many organizations allows SBA to provide food to the ICC at a very low cost. As a member of the ICC< you are automatically a member of the SBA. The majority of each house's food and supplies comes from SBA-approved vendors.

University of Michigan Credt Union 333 E. Williams Ann Arbor
www.umcu.org

Located right next door to the ICC Office, this cooperative bank, owned collectively by its customers, offers a wide variety of accounts and services with great rates and customer service. In addition to the main office on William, there are several other branches: 777 Eisenhower Plaza, 2101 Bonisteel Drive (North Campus), and in the basement of The Michigan Union. Membership, which is open to all U of M and Washtenaw Students, and ICC members requires paying a $5 fee and opening a Share Savings Account with a $5 deposit.