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Sutton
Life
At Sutton Place we try
to maintain a friendly, homelike atmosphere, with comfortable furniture,
a fireplace, two TVs, a VCR/DVD player, a pool table, a study room,
a computer (with DSL connection), a large kitchen, and a large dining
room. Because the majority of residents are graduate students on
busy schedules, we seek to provide a place where people can relax
and feel at home. Residents often choose to cook, eat, shop, or
study together, depending on schedules.
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Activities
Sutton Place seeks
to have at least one major social event per month, often a
potluck dinner, game night, movie night, party, or holiday
celebration. In addition, informal activities are often planned,
sometimes spontaneously, by house members, including meals
out, concerts, movies, day trips to Chicago or elsewhere,
camping, or longer trips during breaks. This past year, several
Sutton residents went to Tennessee for Fall break, and others
traveled together to New York City over New Year. Other residents
play soccer or basketball together regularly. House Bible
studies and prayer meetings are available for those who choose
to participate.
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Sutton trip to Chinatown (Chicago)
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Responsibilities
As a co-operative, we share responsibility for running the house.
Each member is required to complete one “house duty” per
week, which normally takes 1-2 hours. Sample duties include vacuuming
and dusting, lawn care, cleaning bathrooms, or mopping floors. In
addition, members take turns cleaning the kitchen each evening.
Mandatory house meetings are held once a month. Each semester we
have a mandatory eight-hour workday, in which we clean the house
thoroughly and complete larger repair jobs.
House Government
As a co-operative, we strive to work together and assist each other
in keeping the house running well. At the first house meeting of
the year, house officers and position-holders are elected to oversee
various aspects of the house. The house President is responsible
for assigning duties, running workdays, assisting other officers
and residents with responsibilities, and generally overseeing the
house as a whole. The Vice President assists the presidents, above
all in enforcing house rules. The Secretary sorts and forwards mail,
as well as taking minutes of house meetings. The Stewards is in
responsible for physical upkeep of the house, including purchasing
supplies and overseeing repairs. Other positions given to house
members include: social chair, “Captain Planet” (in charge
of recycling), chaplain, computer nerd, handyman, and public relations
chair. Those holding positions in the house are relieved from regular
house duties based on the time devoted to their position. All house
residents are expected to hold positions at some time during their
residency at Sutton.
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