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playground:def

Shit Co-Opers Say

This page is an experiment to see if we can create a coop dictionary for all the weird words we use that outside people may not understand.

If you have a suggestion for a definition, or a change to a definition please submit it using the form below. If you've heard someone use a word before and weren't sure what they were talking about, submit the word and “???” as the definition.

Please use the form and avoid directly editing the page unless extremely necessary.

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U I I C A
Word Definition
Commons Areas of the property commonly shared amongst coopers. Typically used to refer to units 106 & 107, but may also refer to the courtyard, breezeway, etc.
House Meeting A typically weekly meeting of coopers, and primary form of House governance. Used to conduct discussions, make changes on House policy, and give announcements.
Members Typically anyone who has signed a lease or associate contract. However membership can be revoked while someone continues to serve out the remainder of their lease.
Agenda List of things to be discussed or decided on at a house meeting.
Membership Review A specific process by which the membership and/or tenancy of a member may be revoked, or have specific conditional provisions added via a behavior contract.
Consensus Parliamentary process used by the house.
Meet and Greet Part of House Meeting where non-members may introduce themselves if they wish, and fulfill the requirements for membership acceptance.
Minutes Written record of the discussions and decisions made by the House.
House The coop as an entity.
Straw Poll A facilitation tool used to quickly determine which item in a list has the most favorability amongst the group.
Facilitation Procedures and techniques used to guide meetings towards their conclusion in an efficient manner.
Facilitator A person conducting a meeting.
Moderator A person conducting a meeting.
New Buisness Portion of House meeting reserved for discussing items not present on the agenda. Decisions can not be made by the House in New Business. Typically used for announcements and report backs.
Contract Break A request from a Member to be released from their Contract before it's end date.
Officer A Member who has been elected into one or more of several managerial roles. Officers tend to have a degree of autonomy in how they manage the aspects of the coop under their purview.
Committe Meeting Another meeting akin to a House Meeting, called by an Officer, with an agenda consisting of items only pertaining to things under that officer's purview.
House Policy The collective governing documents of the House. Including but not necessarily limited to: The House Manual, Labor Descriptions, Officer Descriptions, Consensus Process, and related House Contracts.
Membership Acceptance Process by which non-members become prospective members. Done by attending two House meetings and answering a few simple questions. Can be done via phone.
Prospective Members Non-Members that have fulfilled the requirements for Membership Acceptance, and are on the waiting list. Also now able to sign a lease or Associate Membership contract.
Waiting List A list maintained by the MemCo of Prospective and Associate Members and the order by which they are eligible to sign a lease.
MemCo AKA Membership Coordinator. Officer Position that manages the coop's leases and contracts, vacancies, and prospective members.
Membership Coordinator Officer Position that manages the coop's leases and contracts, vacancies, and prospective members.
Coordinator Synonym: Officer. A Member who has been elected into one or more of several managerial roles. Coordinators tend to have a degree of autonomy in how they manage the aspects of the coop under their purview.
Associate Members Members not currently on a lease at the coop, but who pay a small amount of money and do a small amount of labor every month. Associate Members have higher priority on the Waiting List and can participate in making decisions at the House.
CHEA The 501c3 Nonprofit entity that governs the broader goings-on of La Reunion and Sasona. Primarily concerned with legal issues, taxes, and the overall organizational health of the houses. Acronym stands for Community Housing Expansion of Austin.
Mailing List The House's Email listserv used to post announcements and have general discussions with fellow housemates.
Sasona Our sister house located in South Austin.
Vacancy Reserve A fund managed by NASCO Properties that both La Reunion and Sasona pay into every month. When CHEA can not pay both house's lease payments in full, money from this fund is used to make up the difference. When the fund becomes full, money paid into it will be returned to CHEA as overflow.
Contract Break Fee A $100 fee for a Member ending their contract early.
Unit A full apartment at La Reunion.
Room One of two rooms in any unit at La Reunion.
Eviction (House) One of the potential results of a Membership Review. House level evictions do not go on any form of record, as long as the tenant moves out by the date given to them on a Notice to Vacate.
Notice to Vacate Legal notice from the House to move out. Will result in a Legal eviction being filed with the court if a tenant has not left by the date given on the notice.
Eviction (Legal) Formal eviction filing with the local court. Will often show up on many record databases used by landlords as a form of blacklist. Done after giving a tenant a Notice to Vacate and they continue to reside on property past the date of notice.
Behavioral Contract A potential result of a Membership Review. A form of Eviction Hold-Off agreement detailing additional amended stipulations to a member's contract.
Eviction Hold-Off Agreement A signed written agreement between the house and a tenant to meet specific additional criteria in lieu of eviction.
Mediation The preferred step in resolving conflicts amongst members before using house proceedings as a solution. Typically conducted by, but not limited to, the Steward.
Meeting Chair A person conducting a meeting.
Yellow Card A formal complaint by two members pertaining to the continued behavior or actions of another member.
Guest Anyone temporarily staying at the coop. Guests may not stay longer than 14 days without house approval.
Payment Plan A form of Eviction Hold-Off Agreement, by which a tenant agrees to pay a portion of their current outstanding balance every month in addition to their monthly rent.
Late Fee A $25 late fee is levied on any tenant that owes more than $100 on the 8th and 16th days of a month. Outstanding balances being covered by a payment plan are not applicable.
Labor Fine A fee of $10 for every hour of coop labor a Member has not performed and made up through other means.
Labor Work done by Members for the coop.
No-Show A formal complaint that a member did not perform, or inadequately performed their assigned labor.
Make-Up Labor Extra unassigned Labor a Member performs.
Surplus Labor Unused Accrued Labor Hours from performing Make Up Labor.
Officer Review A review of an Officer's performance that may result in their removal from office.
Quiet Hours Specific hours decided by the house, during which, members expect to not hear the activities of another member or their guest from within their unit.
Severe Allergens Foods that are not permitted in the commons due to the severity of the allergic reactions other members have when interacting with them.
Sparkle Fingers Extended hands, fingers wiggling slightly, held vertically upright to signal agreement, down to signal disagreement, horizontally to signal neutrality or uncertainty. Used both informally during discussions and formally during temperature checks and consensus process.


playground/def.txt · Last modified: 2017/06/28 18:06 UTC (external edit)