Current Member Frequently Asked Questions
Many more questions and answers will keep appearing as we work on this page......
I heard Casa Zimbabwe will be closed for Spring 2007, how does that affect Fall residents who want to stay for Spring?
Fall 2006 residents of Casa Zimbabwe will be guaranteed a place in the co-ops for Spring 2007. Residents will be asked to give us an ordered list of their Spring housing preferences by some date in November. Residents will be transferred into other houses/apartments according to their USCA seniority. According to USCA policy, all seniority points will be active for roombids at your new co-op!
What if I want to transfer to a different co-op house or apartment for Spring 2007?
Around October 25, everyone currently living in the co-ops will receive a letter and forms asking what they want to do for Spring 2007. If you are interested in being considered for a transfer for Spring 2007, you will want to turn in a transfer request by November 8, 2006 to be included in the first "round" of Spring housing assignments.
What if I am not going to be living in the co-ops in Spring 2007?
Everyone who is living in the co-ops during Fall 2006 signed a contract for Fall 2006 AND Spring 2007. You may cancel the Spring portion of the contract without financial penalty by giving written notice on or before November 8, 2006.
Kitchen Questions
(borrowed and modified from the Center for High Energy Meta-Physics web page who borrowed and modified them from the Enchanted Broccoli Forest web page at Stanford)
People tell me that the sanitizer is not a dishwasher, but I don't believe them, because it seems so unmistakably dishwasherlike.
Things are not always as they seem. The Sanitizer (or Hobart) kills people's germs by briefly blasting the dishes with very very hot water. This does not mean it washes your dishes. In fact, if you leave food on your dishes and sanitize them, the food petrifies and is virtually impossible to remove. On the bright side, you don't have to sanitize pots and pans, Tupperware, graters, or measuring cups unless you ate off them. In short: WASH EVERYTHING you use; only sanitize things you ate with.
Who makes the kitchen so messy?
Demons. (Also people who don't make absolutely sure they put all their stuff away.)
How can we prevent the messy people from destroying our kitchen with their filth?
If you see someone leaving stuff around the kitchen, you can say, "Are you done with this?" and start putting it away. This should make them scurry to help, and if they don't, at least it's a little cleaner. It's good to get in the habit of putting away one or two things for other people while you're cleaning up your own stuff, even when they would probably clean it eventually. It is friendly and it also helps people realize that someone does notice the stuff they leave out. Don't hate people who need this extra reminder, or you will soon be very bitter and angry.
Why shouldn't I hate people who make a mess in the kitchen that I have to clean up?
Most people mean to put their stuff away, but don't for various reasons. Besides the obvious (forgetfulness, laziness, drunken stupor), there are gray areas in cleaning responsibility, which can lead to messy areas in the kitchen. A few examples: If someone gets out the cream cheese and someone else uses it afterwards, who puts it away? (The last person who uses it, otherwise the first person will be waiting in the kitchen all morning). If someone bakes brownies for the house and then goes away before they are all gone, who has to wash the pan? The last brownie eater or the baker? (Ideally the brownie finisher would, but if that doesn't happen, it's the baker's responsibility.) And how many dishes does a Hobart rack really hold before you have to get out a new one? (Just get a new one out already. It's not that hard.)
Why can't I put metal cans or containers in the fridge?
Because the Health Inspector said so. The question of whether or not we will really all get botulism and die a gruesome death is interesting and has been hotly debated, but don't let a dissenting opinion influence your behavior. Whether or not our lives are at stake, we are sure to be fined if we don't store things properly.
Where do all the spoons (forks, cups, bowls) go?
To people's rooms. Much silverware is also sacrificed to the garbage disposal, which is why you should always stick your hand down the garbage disposal and see if there is any silverware in there before you run it.