Student Housing Cooperative at Michigan State University

Spartan Housing Cooperative (SHC) is a nonprofit member owned and operated housing cooperative. The SHC was formed as in 1969, as a federation of existing student housing cooperatives in East Lansing. Since the first of the SHC's member houses formed 69 years ago, SHC has accumulated more than 4,000 members.

Houses The Spartan Housing Cooperative currently maintains 18 houses in East Lansing, Lansing, and Okemos.

Current Houses New Community House of Apollo (previously Avalon) All Nations Beal The David Bowie Memorial Cooperative Hedrick Howland Toad Lane Miles Davis Orion Phoenix Raft Hill Harambee The Shire Rivendell Vesta Bower Zolton Ferency # In 1971, the MSU SHC became a collective land trust with donations of property from Bower, Elsworth (Bowie), and Hedrick cooperatives.

Houses No Longer A Part of the SHC

Atlantis Eleutheria (located at 125 Evergreen Street, it was destroyed by fire in June 1972) Hillsdale House Cooperative

A Chronological History of the SHC Houses

+1939 to 2024 Year Event 1939 Hedrick co-op established at 415 Abbott 1940Elsworth co-op established at 218 Albert 1941Hedrick members purchase the house at 903 East Grand River 1944Bower purchased in the summer at 708 E. Michigan State University 1946Motts Co-op established; Ulrey men's co-op established 1947Bower co-op established 1948Howland co-op established; All Nations co-op established; Hedrick repopulated at 903 East Grand River 1949Beal Street co-op established 1950All Nations co-op closes; Elsworth sells 218 Albert, the members build 711 W. Grand River 1954Hedrick co-op on 903 E. Grand River burns down 1956Hedrick co-op rededication at 140 Haslett (now Collingood) by MSU President Hannah 1963Howland co-op buys 548 M.A.C. 1964Hedrick co-op purchases 146 Haslett (later to be Farency co-op) 1969SHC forms as a federation of Bower, Elsworth and Hedrick; Ulrey Men's co-op closes, starts up Ulrey Trust Fund; Ulrey Women's co-op starts up at 437, 445 Abbott 1970 Eleutheria co-op established (rental property); Evergreen co-op established 1971SHC becomes a collective land trust; Motts house closes, members move to 420 Evergreen (aka The Raft) 1972The Raft is renamed Knight House co-op; Eleutheria destroyed by fire; Ulrey Women's co-op established at 505 M.A.C.; Eleutheria and Ulrey repopulate Nexus; Nexus established at 437/445 Abbott; Evergreen co-op sold to local apartment building owner's, Phunn: Bogue Street co-op rented at 207 Bogue. 1973Haslett Street becomes Collingwood; 501 M.A.C. purchased (potentially new housing for Nexus or new Comm) 1974Tralfamador co-op established at 501 M.A.C. 1975Knight House renamed Major Raoul Lufberry; Phunn House purchased at 207 Bogue 1976445 Abbott sold to a sorority; 152 Collingwood purchased as a part of Hedrick; Nexus closes at 437 Abbott; Phoenix established at 437 Abbott 1978New Community: 415/425 Ann Street is purchased 1979Phoenix closes at 437 Abbott 1980Major Raoul Lufberry closes; SHC obtains a $1 million HUD loan for: Woodside (910 Abbott, a co-op for a year), New Community rehabilitation, Key Largo established at 146 Collingwood, and Atlantis 1982Atlantis repopulated at 207 Bogue; Ulrey repopulated at 505 M.A.C. 1985Elsworth co-op close, rented to [Asher Christian Scientists]; Ulrey renamed Zolton after Zolton Ferency at 505 M.A.C. 1986146/152 Collingwood break away, renamed Key Largo 1987Elsworth at 711 W Grand River rented to Sigma Alpha Mu (SAMmies); 146/152 Collingwood split; 152 Collingwood rented Asher Christian Scientists; 146 Collingwood becomes Key Largo 1988501 M.A.C turned into a graduate co-op 1989501 M.A.C. reopened to general membership 1991Miles co-op established 152 Collingwood 1992SAMmies expelled and repopulated as an Elsworth at 711 W Grand River 1993Zolton closes at 505 M.A.C. 1994Phoenix established at 239 Oakhill; 415 Ann repopulated as a co-op (Toad Lane); Key Largo renamed Ferency after Zolton Ferency 1995Audre Lorde renamed Niko co-op 1996Tralfamador changes its name to NASA; Elsworth closes from Summer until the Fall 1997NASA renamed Orion 1998Bower repopulated by Atlantis, Elsworth, Hedrick, Miles, and Orion; Alliance between SHC and Circle Pines formed; SHC grants Sigma Pi exclusive rights to Phoenix co-op 2000Phoenix repopulated by SHC, Sigma Pi moves to Niko 2001Niko (Sigma Pi) renamed Shadowood 2002Sigma Pi leaves Shadowood and leaves the SHC; Shadowood repopulated and renamed Mosier 2005Atlantis was purchased in 2005 following the sale of the Atlantis Co-op on Bogue Street. Atlantis had been sold in anticipation of the City of East Lansing’s plan to exercise eminent domain for the Cedar Village area development project. 2009SHC acquires the independent co-op Beal House after the residents were unable to pass city inspection or pay their taxes 2020SHC buys 131 Whitehills from Jim Jones, an apartment style property neighboring Bower house 2024131 Whitehills, now known as All nations finishes remodeling and starts accepting members

A Brief History of Campus Cooperatives

Some of the earliest student co-ops in the United States were established around the turn of the century. In Austin, Texas, and in Gainesville, Florida, students began by providing themselves with meal plans. These programs eventually led to early housing co-ops.

These co-ops continued, observing and participating in the rise of the Cooperative League of the USA (CLUSA), and weathering the First World War and the Red Scare of 1919. As the twenties came to an end and the Great Depression set in students, like most people in the US and Canada, were barely able to get by. However, the co-op activist and religious leader Toyohiko Kagawa provided the nation's students with a renewed vision of social and economic cooperation. With the spark of Kagawa's enthusiasm, the 1930s saw the establishment of such long-standing co-ops systems as those in Berkeley, California; Ann Arbor, Michigan; and Toronto, Ontario.

The Second World War slowed much of the momentum of this period; many co-op members were drafted for the war effort. However, the end of the war, with the introduction of the GI Bill, saw new demands for student housing and the establishment of co-op systems in Ithaca, New York; Oberlin, Ohio; and Lincoln, Nebraska.

The late forties also saw the first attempt at a national student co-op organization: the North American Student Cooperative League (NASCL). Although quite successful at first, NASCL lost its major funding source, CLUSA, who cut support in the mid-fifties.

In the sixties, the political fervor over the free speech movement and the antiwar movement brought new enthusiasm to student cooperatives, this time as a social and political alternative to the postindustrial capitalist system. Government support in the form of low-interest housing loans in the US and Canada also contributed to the new boom in student co-ops. In 1968, the new NASCL, the North American Students of Cooperation (NASCO), was formed. Since that time, NASCO has served as the main networking and support system for student co-ops.

Student Housing Cooperative at Michigan State University

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