Co-Op Tetris

Ahoy there. This is Dave, membership coordinator for uRth HAUS. An applicant from a few months ago pointed out to me recently that there has been no update on this site’s News section since mid-June. A lot has happened since then. I’m not going into all the details here, but below is the main thrust.

We do not have three vacancies at this time. In fact, we really have only one. Due to a fact of co-op life sometimes referred to as “Room Tetris,” I can’t even tell you with certainty which room is vacant. By the beginning of the Fall 2014 semester in late August, it will likely be a different room from the one we currently have empty.

Room Tetris is interesting, but it gets far more complicated when Labor Tetris is introduced. As members leave and new members replace them, the weekly labor schedule has to be modified to reflect the talents and availability of the members on hand. Because several members have recently taken opportunities to leave the city and even the country, turnover has become more rapid—kind of like a Tetris game.

In addition to members departing, we have had several members take off on summer travel, in some cases subletting their rooms for a few weeks. Sublessees and long-term guests are also expected to contribute to weekly labor. Organizing that adds some spice to the Tetris, too.

The constancy of change is also reflected in uRth’s garden. What grows where and what is ready for harvesting changes almost weekly. It’s another bumper-crop summer for okra, with several healthy plants producing that versatile veggie. Melons and chilis are on the way, and of course there’s usually kale ready to cut. Our two big citrus trees have lots of fruit on them, but the fruit steadfastly refuses to turn from green to yellow or orange.

We do have applicants for the as-yet-unnamed vacant room, but that should not discourage any of you from applying for membership here. If you have applied in the past, and some of your information has changed, it might be a good idea to apply again. In particular, if your address, employer, or income has changed since last application, and you are seriously interested in becoming a HAUS Project member or associate, by all means apply.