UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN
Wednesday, August 19, 1992
5E
Sunflower House offers history low-cost alternative residence
By Andrew Armono
Special to the Kansan
For many University of Kansas students, the high cost of residence halls and off-campus apartments has left them wondering whether there is an alternative housing option.
That is the feeling most residents of the Sunflower House, 1406 Tennessee St., had at one time or another, and that is why they opted for cooperative living.
"I moved into the Sunflower House because with laundry, food and everything else included, it's the cheapest housing option around," said Ed Geiman, Spring Hill sophomore.
Michael Rogers, Salina senior, said he moved to the Sunflower House because of increases in residence hall rates.
The Sunflower House is a cooperative, meaning a democratic organization run by and for its residents. The premise of the co-op, according to the Sunflower House Owner's Manual, is "to give the consumer more control over his or her life. In a housing cooperative, the residents are, in a very real sense, the landlords."
According to the manual, the first KU co-op was opened in Fall 1919 at 1137 Ohio St. KU did not offer any residence hall or scholarship hall housing until 1930. The 1137 Ohio St. house accommodated 16 women and a chaperone. Each woman worked in the house about one hour a day.
Other co-ops grew rapidly at KU
during the 1940s. Rent ranged from $18 to $22 a month, with a seven-hour-per-week work requirement.
In the early 1960s older residents of the co-ops, mainly World War II veterans, were replaced by young students.
The accumulation of neglect that followed disintegrated the management of the houses, and the houses themselves fell into flth and disrepair and eventually were shut down and sold, the manual states.
In 1969, Keith Miller, professor of human development and family life, learned there was money available from the University of Kansas Student Housing Association, which could be used to open cooperative housing at KU.
On May 20, 1969, Miller bought the property at 1406/1408 Tennessee St. from Laurice and Mary Crum for $50,000.
Miller opened the house to students in Fall 1969 as the Campus Improvement Association, or CIA.
In the period of campus unrest in the late 1960s, the CIA house came to be known as an encipiter for student activism. Members of the house produced an underground newsletter called Vortex and many alternative, political films. The house became a sort of crash pad, and sometimes dogs and guests outnumbered residents, according to the manual.
The CIA house was neglected because no formal work-sharing program was organized. Before it was closed, a work-sharing system was
instituted, and it was renamed the Sunflower House in 1972.
Today, the Sunflower House maintains 30 private bedrooms, six bathrooms, two kitchens, a dining room, lounge, shop, laundry, TV and game room by requiring all house members to work about seven hours a week.
Because costs for utilities, food and rent are divided and shared by all members, living costs are considerably lower than living in private apartments or smaller houses. Monthly rent, including weeknight dinners, phone, and utilities, ranges from $195 to $245, depending on room size, the housing manual states.
There are many other benefits to cooperative living besides lower rent, Crosby said. Things like phones, newspaper subscriptions, cable TV, laundry soap and dishes would normally have to be purchased by an individual living in an apartment. At the Sunflower House, it is all provided for.
"We also have less impact on the environment," Crosby said, because an individual wastes more resources than several people sharing.
Some Sunflower House members have lived there for up to five years because close friendships and support groups have developed while living cooperatively.
"Last semester was the toughest one I've ever had, and the support of everyone at the Sunflower House really helped me," Seers said. "Living at the Sunflower House is the best thing that's ever happened to me."
Nunemaker Center is a reminder of an idea to offer students benefits of smaller schools
Terrilyn McCormick Special to the Kansan
When Irene Nuenemaker, a 1922 University of Kansas graduate, donated money to build Nuenemaker Center in 1971, the original purpose of the building was to be a college within the College. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at that time tried to implement the idea of arranging students into five organized living groups by their majors.
George Waggoner, dean of liberal arts and sciences at the time, came up with the idea to give freshmen and
sophomores the advantages of both the small college and the large university.
The architecture of the building was to reflect the philosophy of the colleges within the College, Del Shankel, assistant dean of liberal arts and sciences, wrote in the architecture program for Nunemaker Center.
It is a two-story building with administrative and faculty offices, a library and an apartment for visiting lecturers on the second floor, and classrooms and a lounge on the first floor. A spiral staircase connects the floors.
idea passed and left only the building as a reminder.
Nunemaker was then used for extensive language courses.
In 1983, the honors program moved into Nunemaker. The building now accommodates honors classes and administrative offices. There also are computer and reading areas.
The colleges-within-the-College
The honors program, which helps students reach their highest academic potential, has been at KU in some form for more than 40 years, said Sandra Wick, assistant director of the College Honors Program.
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