Co-ops reach membership caps

All three campus co-ops — 2 Dickinson St. (2D), Brown Co-op and the International Food Co-op (IFC) — have already reached their membership limits for next year, with 48 members joining 2D and 28 each joining Brown and the IFC. Each co-op is instituting a waitlist.

Mike Wang '10, who co-founded the IFC with Anupama Pattabiraman '10 last September, said the co-ops filled earlier than anticipated.

Sara Peters '11, the president of Brown, said she was pleased with the result.

"We did have a lot of interest in the co-op this year," she said. "We all think that is great!"

Srevatsan Muralidharan GS, a 2D member, said students have not been turned away from the co-op in the past.

"Up until now, we have been able to accommodate everyone who has been interested in joining us," he explained.

Both 2D and the IFC admit new members on a first-come, first-served basis. Brown's 13 new members were chosen randomly among prospective members.

Whereas Brown and the IFC generally allow new members to join at the beginning of each semester, 2D has historically allowed new members throughout the year.

Co-op members cited cost and the evolving campus social culture to explain the increasing popularity of co-ops.

A semester membership costs roughly $700 for the IFC, $600 for Brown and $500 for 2D. In comparison, an unlimited meal plan at a residential college costs $2,670 per semester, and the average cost of a meal plan at an eating club is $3,480 per semester, according to the undergraduate financial aid office.

"This year in particular, I think a lot of families were hit by the recession," Wang said, adding that “going to one of these co-ops sound like the most sensible, reasonable option.”

Will Fisher '10, a member of 2D, said in an e-mail that a larger student body helped co-op numbers, adding that, with the rise of four-year residential colleges, “parts of the Street are dying as is evident by the 13 [first-round] sign-ins to Colonial [Club]."

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Wang suggested that co-ops offer a “happy medium” compared with other campus dining options, since some students are “disappointed with the solitude of independent life, or with the offerings of residential-college life.”

Wang said the addition of the IFC also increased the visibility of co-ops on campus.

"When we added a third co-op, it crossed a certain threshold," he explained.

"Before last year, these guests did not hear about co-ops at all,” he added.

Muralidharan said he believes advertising was a main factor in 2D’s growth.

"The most direct reason why we have such huge numbers this year is because fliers were slid into every single junior and senior room during the beginning of the fall [semester]," he explained, also noting the creation of an event page on Facebook.

Co-op members were quick to attest to the sense of community that comes from co-op dining.

"We cook our own food, we prepare what we make, [and] there are social events," Wang said.

Independent life, in contrast, "can sometimes be pretty lonely, and it's pretty hard to cook for yourself everyday," Pattabiraman said.

"The Brown co-op really gives me a home on Princeton campus, if you will," Peters said. "Seriously, the co-op is, without a doubt, one of my favorite parts of Princeton."