Frequently Asked General Questions

OSCA is a student-owned and student-operated non-profit membership corporation which provides low-cost housing and dining services to hundreds of students at Oberlin College. We are entirely separate from Oberlin College, but all member-owners of OSCA are Oberlin College students.

OSCA is an acronym for the Oberlin Student Cooperative Association. It is pronounced “AH-skuh”. If you hear people refer to “the co-ops,” they are likely talking about OSCA.

• To establish an organization to promote and develop cooperative living at Oberlin College in accordance with the Rochdale Cooperative principles so long as such activity is not inconsistent with the fundamental principles and policies of Oberlin College.

• To purchase, lease, enter into contractual arrangements with Oberlin College and/or others, or otherwise acquire facilities for housing and feeding student members attending Oberlin College and to furnish such facilities to student members at actual cost.

• To buy and otherwise acquire food and other supplies for the rooming, dining, living and studying of student members attending Oberlin College to be sold to them at actual cost.

• To borrow money and issue, sell, or pledge bonds, promissory notes, or debentures, payable at specified times or payable upon the happening of a specified event or events secured by mortgage, pledge, or otherwise to accomplish the purposes aforesaid.

• To arrange and provide for the social and cultural enrichment of its members at actual cost.

• And, in general, to do all things necessary or incidental to fully accomplish the foregoing purposes.

OSCA is entirely separate from Oberlin College. We rent our on-campus buildings from Oberlin College, so the primary relationship between OSCA and OC is a tenant-landlord relationship. OSCA works with the College to ensure that both tenant and landlord are upholding the rent contract, which is renegotiated every five years. As a member of the larger Oberlin College community, we also have a large role in the recycling and composting initiatives on campus.

110 West College Street

Oberlin, OH 44074

The OSCA office is located adjacent to Tank Co-op (in the Tank Apartment). Use the rear door on the small west-side porch at Tank.