Terra House

Terra is a co-op located in the Cowell Cluster, right next to Vaden. Terra holds 54 people including staff and has all two-room doubles. We serve student-cooked dinner Sunday-Friday and have a well-stocked open kitchen very conducive to yummy baking. Our dinners are unanimously agreed to be amazing, day in and day out. We have a party once a quarter and a Special Dinner in fall and spring, plus small weekly happy hours. Terra is the unofficial LGBT theme house, so usually around 50-60% of residents are LGBT-identified and many informal LGBT community events take place here. Terra is also officially offers gender-neutral housing options, as part of the gender-blind housing pilot program. We also attract a wide variety of residents–former SLE students, engineers, and people in unhoused frats/sororities, for example.

Many residents of Terra consider it a well-kept secret. Despite the great food and guaranteed two-room double, demand to live in Terra has often been low. However, the biggest reason for residents holding this view is probably the sense of community. The feelings of independence, commitment, and communal spirit that come with doing house jobs are more than worth the effort, and Terra residents are really the life-force of the house.

Terra on the Campus Map

PRE-ASSIGNMENT: To be pre-assigned, new residents must complete a tour of Terra and one chore at Terra, to be assigned by staff by email appointment and signed off.

CURRENT CO-OP Residents: Chore can be waived by current manager, though tour and signature at Terra still are required. IF ABROAD: For this year, Tour and Chore requirement waived, but must email Terra staff to notify of abroad status.

To be accepted into the regular draw for Terra, prospective residents must complete a tour of Terra and complete a chore at any co-op (including Terra).

CURRENT CO-OP Residents: Chore can be waived by current manager, though tour and signature at Terra still are required. IF ABROAD: For this year, Tour and Chore requirement waived, but must email Terra staff to notify of abroad status.

Chore structure:

• Weekly kitchen jobs: From Week 2 through 10 of the quarter, you're required to do a weekly kitchen job. You get the same job for the entire quarter, for example, Wednesday cook from 3:15-6 or Thursday hash (after-dinner clean) from 7-8:30. I'm in charge of weekly kitchen jobs and I will send out a more in-depth email about how these work shortly.
• Bathroom cleans: You do three bathroom cleans per quarter, two on weekdays and one more in-depth one on a Sunday.
• Quarterly house jobs: Once per quarter, you do a Friday hash, a Saturday kitchen clean (e.g. cleaning out fridges), and a Sunday house clean (e.g. vacuuming or washing windows)
• Opening and closing jobs: To accommodate shopping for classes and finals week schedules, we do separate kitchen jobs for Week 1 (opening) and finals week (closing). Each resident does one kitchen job and one house job during both the first week of the quarter and the last week of the quarter.
• Party jobs: Terra has a party and a special dinner once a quarter. Each resident contributes by doing a job such as serving a drink at a progressive, decorating, checking ID's, or cleaning up.

Missing an assigned chore is called a flake.

• When you flake, you are assigned a “flake job” as a make-up job. Additionally, you will be fined by the house after your first flake: $20 for the second flake in a quarter, $40 for the third flake. If you flake three times you must meet with the RA, if you flake four times you will be no longer be allowed to live in the house.
• End of Housing flakes: withhold from Housing Deposit for severity of flake ($40 if ignored job, $50 if left room in poor condition)

If you have questions about living in Terra or applying to Terra, contact Kitchen Manager Matt Bush at mattbush@stanford.edu