Photo by Jennifer Gannon
Written by: Adriana Scott
Co-op Housing University of Maryland, better known to students as CHUM, was the dream of a senior inspired by other low-cost housing communities democratically owned by residents. CHUM, first proposed by Rachael Maddox in 2009, is now home to more than 20 University of Maryland students.
CHUM residents aren’t led by resident assistants or directors. A handbook of guidelines offers suggestions for harmonious living, but open communication and a strong sense of community among equal members are the major factors that drive the organization.
“This is an established model,” said CHUM secretary Billy Schultz, a junior international business major. “It really works.”
Schultz has lived in CHUM since spring 2010. He is a resident of The Bridge, one of the four CHUM houses located a short walk from the College Park Metro station.
The Mad Ox (named after the CHUM founder) on Rhode Island Avenue, The Toast Office on Calvert Road, The Pod on Erskine Road, and The Bridge on Calvert Road are rented residences working toward achieving nonprofit status. They offer the low housing costs of a traditional cooperative housing organization.
The average CHUM resident pays a total of $650 monthly—that includes food and housing, Schultz said. This is about half the total cost of living on campus, according to the Department of Resident Life. The traditional meal plan on campus is about $500 per month; CHUM residents pay about a fifth of that for food. To curb this cost, members buy in bulk.
These students not only shop together, but they cook together and eat together three times a week. The intimacy of these practices built the family-like relationship that attracted some CHUM members.
Mia Zavalij, a junior environmental science major, moved into The Bridge this semester because the relationships in the Chumily—a term she and several other residents use to refer to the close-knit community—created an environment unlike the more impersonal one she experienced in a dorm. In CHUM, there is no option to stay in a closed dorm room all day. Residents in CHUM were actively “working to make the house a home,” Zavalij said. “CHUM feels like a home.”
Residents have different class schedules and most participate in activist groups, but they all still make it home for dinner.
“It’s just like your family before you go to college,” said Diana Daisey, a sophomore studio art major. “You have to make time for your family.”
Daisey joined the Chumily this summer for an experience closer to post-college life. The democracy provided Daisey with a more independent lifestyle than what on-campus living offered. “[CHUM] is a great venue for creating your own structure and style of living,” she said.
Despite the physical separation from the university, CHUM is far from exclusive. The community makes a mission of integrating their community with the campus. All University of Maryland students are welcome to their potluck dinner every Sunday evening. Any other day of the week, CHUM has an open-door policy, Daisey said. The Chumily encourages curious students to come by any time, ask questions, and maybe become part of a living experience unlike any other in College Park.
