Living at Gamma Alpha

COOPERATIVE LIVING

Reasons for living in GA are numerous. Perhaps the major advantages are the intangible ones. Co-ops attract people of all ages, origins, callings, and walks of life who come together to share peacefully and cooperatively. There are members who stay here for as little as 6 months and there are members who stayed for as long as 6 years! The community that is built at GA often becomes a powerful and attractive part of members' lives, drawing them back again and again.

FOOD

The kitchen of GA has witnessed the travails and sweet smell of dishes like ugali, pho, biryani, curries, tandoori chicken, ratatouille, feijoada, tres leches, and countless others. Members take part in a dinner exchange program, where once about every three weeks, a member cooks dinner for other members of the house. That way, we have dinner Monday through Thursday. Our dinners create community and we enjoy cuisines from around the world. 

We accept meal plan members! If you’re interested in joining the meal exchange plan without living in the house, please send an email to gammaalpharecruiter@gmail.com

THE HOUSE

The house has twelve private rooms. Each member gets a private room and bathrooms are shared. We also have a guest room for visitors. Besides the rooms themselves, the house has plenty of amenities including:

• A kitchen with a gas stove and plenty of kitchen utensils and appliances

• A dining room 

• A living room with pool/table-tennis table and fireplace

• Laundry facilities in the basement

• Two and a half baths

• A tool room 

• Plenty of storage room

RENT

Rent at GA ranges from $325 - $550 per month depending on the room size. There is a security deposit of $1000. Rent is due on the first of each month. The rent includes laundry and printer facility. The utilities consist of heat, electricity, and Internet cost anywhere between $25-$100 depending on the usage. A few car parking spots are available (first come first serve basis) on the street near the house at $45/year. 

HOW WE KEEP THE HOUSE IN GOOD SHAPE

Every resident has one chore per week, which is either cleaning the kitchen, bathrooms, or living room/hallways. Besides these regular chores, each resident devotes on average 1.5 hours every month to miscellaneous repairs in the house. Examples of repairs include replacing tiles, repainting, and fixing leaks. Using the house budget, we do hire specialists for larger or more complex repairs. Twice a year, we have our house work day. On this day, we all work together to thoroughly clean the house from top to bottom and work on larger house improvement projects. Safety is one of the top priorities of the house. While maintaining house safety equipment (fire extinguishers, smoke/carbon monoxide detectors, door/window locks, etc.) and practicing good safety habits, we also have our house regularly inspected by the city of Ithaca.

WHAT WE CONTRIBUTE TO THE HOUSE

As a cooperative house, every resident has a specific house job such as treasurer, recruiter, and house and property manager. 

At GA we love a good discussion. For this purpose, we have regular house meetings (once a month) during which we discuss ideas and issues to improve our co-op. Decisions are taken on a democratic basis with each member entitled to one vote.  All members are expected to attend these meetings. Missed meetings can result in extra house jobs and eventual expulsion from the co-op.