After James Roberts graduated college, he faced a dilemma: where was he going to live?
"It seemed like the options were that you could move back home, move in with a friend or with a girlfriend," Roberts said. But after weighing his options, he decided to go with a different approach, one he said he wished he'd thought of sooner: communal living.
"I got to get out of college and meet a totally new group of friends," said Roberts, who lives at the Ad Astra Cooperative, 1033 Kentucky.
In an economy that seems to create nothing but problems for students with little money to spend on housing, communal living is an option that Roberts said he thinks makes the most sense. "It's an economic way to live, it's smart, and I got to tap into a social network I hadn't known before," Roberts said.
The University of Kansas Student Housing Association, a student housing cooperative that is unaffiliated with KU housing, is the group that owns Ad Astra house. The cooperative manages two other houses: Sunflower House and Olive House. Residents in houses owned by the cooperative act as their own landlords. Rent at Ad Astra house is $315 a month. Sunflower house residents pay $250 a month, and Olive house residents pay $310 a month. That's five percent less than the average cost of an apartment in Lawrence, which is $583 per month, and almost six percent less than the cost of living on campus for an in-state student (just over $3,000 a semester).
Members of Ad Astra have weekly house meetings, group dinners once a month and share chores and other house duties. Members of the cooperative also try to focus on an environmentally conscious lifestyle. The walls are painted with all-natural milk paint, and members of the house keep a compost pile and a garden.
Roberts said that although the cooperative's emphasis is sustainable living, the members of the house aren't heavy-handed about their mission.
"In a house committed to sustainability, you'd think it'd be very crusade-like," Roberts said. "But to us it's more that this way of living makes sense, it's economical and adds a certain quality of life."
Ezra Huscher, Salina senior, said he likes the freedom and encouraging atmosphere that living in a cooperative setting has given him.
"There's nothing we can't do," Huscher said. "If someone wants to do something with the house, we can bring it up at a meeting, and if we like it, we'll do it. As long as you can get everyone else to agree and help you out, you can do it. There's unlimited potential here."
While residents at Ad Astra are committed to sustainable living, students living at Canterbury House, 1116 Louisiana, commit themselves to a different cause: campus ministry. In exchange for living in the house rent-free, residents devote 15 hours a week to on-campus ministry, in addition to shared house duties.
Joel Layton, Lenexa sophomore, said he finds living in Canterbury, run by the Episcopal diocese of Kansas, a nice alternative to campus housing.
"It's not as loud, for one thing," Layton said. "And I identify more with people here than I would if I were just living with a random person. I like having my own space here."
Susan Terry, campus missioner for the Episcopal diocese of Kansas, said she thinks a shared interest in ministry is a major attractive quality of the community.
"There's the opportunity to get out there, overcome your fears and invite people into the community," Terry said. "It's also great to live in common with people who live and eat and study together."
Canterbury house has been around since the 70s, but closed for renovations in 2004. The house re-opened in 2007, and currently has a waiting list of students wanting to live there. Terry said she hopes the waiting list is due to the success of the ministry program.
"I hope this is a good program, and that it's a good place to come if you have questions and want to be in a community of faith," Terry said.
Layton said that although he enjoys the communal living environment of Canterbury house, this lifestyle isn't for everyone.
"It works for some people, but not for others," Layton said. "Lots of people work better when things are done for them, like cleaning and cooking. If that's the case, you'll probably want to live in the dorms. If you're not good with living on a schedule and you're more independent, this is a great option. It's good to know yourself going into it."
Roberts said he thinks living with a group is a more beneficial option for anyone looking for a place to live.
"When you're living with friends and you have problems, it's hard to voice those, because you know the other person and you don't want to hurt them," Roberts said. "Here, there's a forum in which to address those problems. For me, it's worked out a lot better."
"It seemed like the options were that you could move back home, move in with a friend or with a girlfriend," Roberts said. But after weighing his options, he decided to go with a different approach, one he said he wished he'd thought of sooner: communal living.
"I got to get out of college and meet a totally new group of friends," said Roberts, who lives at the Ad Astra Cooperative, 1033 Kentucky.
In an economy that seems to create nothing but problems for students with little money to spend on housing, communal living is an option that Roberts said he thinks makes the most sense. "It's an economic way to live, it's smart, and I got to tap into a social network I hadn't known before," Roberts said.
The University of Kansas Student Housing Association, a student housing cooperative that is unaffiliated with KU housing, is the group that owns Ad Astra house. The cooperative manages two other houses: Sunflower House and Olive House. Residents in houses owned by the cooperative act as their own landlords. Rent at Ad Astra house is $315 a month. Sunflower house residents pay $250 a month, and Olive house residents pay $310 a month. That's five percent less than the average cost of an apartment in Lawrence, which is $583 per month, and almost six percent less than the cost of living on campus for an in-state student (just over $3,000 a semester).
Members of Ad Astra have weekly house meetings, group dinners once a month and share chores and other house duties. Members of the cooperative also try to focus on an environmentally conscious lifestyle. The walls are painted with all-natural milk paint, and members of the house keep a compost pile and a garden.
Roberts said that although the cooperative's emphasis is sustainable living, the members of the house aren't heavy-handed about their mission.
"In a house committed to sustainability, you'd think it'd be very crusade-like," Roberts said. "But to us it's more that this way of living makes sense, it's economical and adds a certain quality of life."
Ezra Huscher, Salina senior, said he likes the freedom and encouraging atmosphere that living in a cooperative setting has given him.
"There's nothing we can't do," Huscher said. "If someone wants to do something with the house, we can bring it up at a meeting, and if we like it, we'll do it. As long as you can get everyone else to agree and help you out, you can do it. There's unlimited potential here."
While residents at Ad Astra are committed to sustainable living, students living at Canterbury House, 1116 Louisiana, commit themselves to a different cause: campus ministry. In exchange for living in the house rent-free, residents devote 15 hours a week to on-campus ministry, in addition to shared house duties.
Joel Layton, Lenexa sophomore, said he finds living in Canterbury, run by the Episcopal diocese of Kansas, a nice alternative to campus housing.
"It's not as loud, for one thing," Layton said. "And I identify more with people here than I would if I were just living with a random person. I like having my own space here."
Susan Terry, campus missioner for the Episcopal diocese of Kansas, said she thinks a shared interest in ministry is a major attractive quality of the community.
"There's the opportunity to get out there, overcome your fears and invite people into the community," Terry said. "It's also great to live in common with people who live and eat and study together."
Canterbury house has been around since the 70s, but closed for renovations in 2004. The house re-opened in 2007, and currently has a waiting list of students wanting to live there. Terry said she hopes the waiting list is due to the success of the ministry program.
"I hope this is a good program, and that it's a good place to come if you have questions and want to be in a community of faith," Terry said.
Layton said that although he enjoys the communal living environment of Canterbury house, this lifestyle isn't for everyone.
"It works for some people, but not for others," Layton said. "Lots of people work better when things are done for them, like cleaning and cooking. If that's the case, you'll probably want to live in the dorms. If you're not good with living on a schedule and you're more independent, this is a great option. It's good to know yourself going into it."
Roberts said he thinks living with a group is a more beneficial option for anyone looking for a place to live.
"When you're living with friends and you have problems, it's hard to voice those, because you know the other person and you don't want to hurt them," Roberts said. "Here, there's a forum in which to address those problems. For me, it's worked out a lot better."
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