University Co-operative Housing Association. 

NOTE: This is not the official site for UCHA. The official site can be accessed at www.uchaonline.com
This page contains information about the co-op for incoming Indian Students to UCLA and Santa Monica College.

The UCHA or Co-op as it is popularly called is another good housing option for students attending UCLA and Santa Monica College. It is located at a walking distance of around 15 mins from the Engineering Building, and can even be seen from the Ackerman Stop.

One of the first concerns that the co-op addresses effectively is that of living expenses. The co-op monthly rent comes to around $400 (plus or minus some small amount depending on the type of room you chose).  This also includes breakfast, lunch and dinner from Monday to Friday and Brunch (Breakfast+Lunch) and Dinner on saturdays and sundays.

15th August Celebrations at the Co-op:

The Menu:

The Independence Day dinner celebration was a great success, and credit goes to every student who has contributed in some way or the other ranging from cutting vegetables to cooking. Here are some quotes from after the dinner by some happy co-opers.

"My wife was so upset! I had taken only one pack home!"
                                -- A chef.

"We have served on so many Sundays, but never do people come and get food like this !"
        ----Another server (blonde hair and not Asian)

"After tonight, I know I can survive in India"
        ---senior cooper

"Whats the next major event in India.....so that you guys will cook this again !"
        --- Win (thats what his name sounded like)

"Where is the pretty girl dressed up in ethnic clothes from the poster who never showed up (pause) .....I mean there was Megana, but she was not dressed up like that"
        ----Alice Hunt.

"Man..the food was great...Thanks for inviting me. Usually I get hungry after an hour, but I am still full (18 hrs later)"
        ---David (from Balaji's Lab)

"Maybe we should fire the cooks and have you guys cook"
        ---Malin

"This is good sh** man, great sh**!"
        -- Mark (Chef at Coop)

"This sh** is so good! I am packing some for my wife as well!!"
        -- Mark (Chef at Coop)

"The food was excellent, just like a restaurant!"
        -- A cooper.

"The yellow stuff was good, very good"
        -- A cooper.

"The food looked good, but spicy. I liked the yogurt (raita) and desert (vermicilli payasam) very much :D "
        -- A cooper.

"So many dishes! "
        -- A cooper.

"We wish we get it everyweek"
        -- A gang at coop.

"Can you cook like that regularly? Please??"
        -- A cooper in joy.

"Can I get the recipe for the eggplant curry?"
        -- A cooper in anticipation!

"I am so glad!"
        -- Malin (A vegie food lover).

"You should celebrate your indepence day more often!"
        -- Cooper with high hopes!

"The rice(biryani) is sooooo good!"
        -- Many people!

The killer quote

"The stuff is so good, I would love to marry the person who cooked it!"
        -- A server serving the food.

GO DRUPADI !!!

Information about Co-op.

The Room:

The Co-op owns three buildings, a tall 7 storey building, and a couple of 2 storey buildings. It contains single rooms, double rooms,  triple rooms and also suites( partitioned double rooms). Room selection is based on seniority (number of days spent in the co-op). The seniormost members get to chose rooms first. Every quarter the co-op organises a bump, wherein, the members of the co-op who wish to change the rooms are listed in decreasing order of seniority.  A big chart of all available rooms is put up in the central cafetaria and then based on ranks, each member picks the room he/she wants. However, it is not the case that new members have no choice. Co-op also has a concept of 'tenuring' a person into a room. If a member of the co-op stays in a room for more than a quarter, then that member gains tenure in the room and if he wants can "tenure" another member (irrespective of the members seniority) into his room. Thus, a good strategy for freshers is to spend the first 10 days in the co-op, and get to know people who have stayed for longer periods and try and hook up with them, in which case one can get good rooms. Also, you can pick your roommates before hand and bump in a group of 2 or 3, wherein you will get a room if such a slot is available.

The rooms are not big, especially the triples, but are well furnished, providing a desk, table, chair and cupboard. Bathrooms are generally shared, some triples have private bathrooms though. Besides, one is allowed to keep whatever they want to including electrical devices. The best rooms are the suites and the singles.  If you absolutely need a private room and do not prefer something like a hostel room shared, then the co-op is not for you. For other, its fun.

The Food:

This is often the most important of all the factors that one needs to consider while deciding for the co-op. My personal opinion is that if you are a non-vegetarian, then the food is not a problem, cause there are plenty of options, and the non-veg food is good most times. For vegetarians, sometimes the food options are limited, and of late the co-op has been actively trying to promote vegetarian cooking by starting a new crew called the vegetarian crew.
In the spring quarter, we were lucky to get Indian food 3 times a week, thanks to some students actively participating in the Vegetarian Crew. We make a range of authentic Indian delicacies ranging from North to South. For the coming fall 2004 quarter, we will continue to have at least 3 days of large scale Indian cooking (imagine cooking for 200 people).  If you are a cooking enthusiast, we strongly encourage you to join our community :)
Breakfast is from 7:30 to 9:30, Lunch from 11:30 to 1:30 and dinner from 5:00 to 7:00. Also if you cannot make for the dinner, you can request late dinner and food preference and the kitchen workers will pack your dinner and keep in the store to take before 11:30 pm.

Weekly Workshifts:
The reason the co-op brings down the costs down drastically is that it is run by students and the students have to do their share of work for about 4 hours in a week. Typically this involves working in the kitchen. Though, some students complain about the workshifts, imagine working for just 4 hours in a day and getting ready food for the rest of the week !! This is especially useful in the finals week, where one can just come, eat and go. Besides, the workshift, one also has to clean their wing bathrooms 3 times in the quarter.

The Lifestyle:

The co-op has a mix of international students and houses grads, undergrads as well as a few post-grads. If you like to interact with people and are outgoing, then the co-op is a wonderful place to have fun. You can find your own niche in a diverse group of international students, form your own group as per your preferences and enjoy as per your wishes. You will never be short of people !

Advantages:
Besides the cost and living, there are some other advantages too.

1. No lease and no commitment to room-mates. Since the co-op works on a quarter system, you can always move out after the quarter is over. Also, if you dont get along well with your roommate, you have the option of bumping into another room in the next quarter.

2. No groceries and utensils. However, one can always, stock up some food in their room for eating in the night.

3. A Computer lab containing about 10 plus computers for internet access without any additional charge.

4. The co-op store: This small store in the co-op sells some basic food stuff and other essentials and things bought here are slightly cheaper than outside, since they are subsidised.

5. Credit Work: You can work in the co-op for credit in your spare time, besides the weekly workshifts and you will be credited at the rate of $7 for every hour work done. This is NOT a payment, but a credit to your account, due to which you will have to pay that much lesser rent in the coming month.

6. Table Tennis Table: This is one of my personal favorites. Desis in the Co-op have developed a reputation of being good table tennis players.

7. Fooz-Ball Table: Its fun to watch some professionals play, and occasionally , even you can try your hand at it. Desi's generally should display their skills here only when nobody else is looking :)

8. Piano: For the music enthusiasts.

9. Opportunity to learn about various cultures and languages and learn to say the most important words in various languages !!

Cultural Events:

The co-op also celebrates some cultural events, in particular if there is a strong contingent from that country. In the past year, we have had celebrations of Cince De Mayo, Chinese New Year, Queens Birthday and few others. The initiative has to be taken by students, and the event generally culminates in a traditional meal for the occasion.

Diadvantages:

1. No room for yourself, atleast not in the initial stage. Some people might look at this as a disadvantage. Infact, rooms also are quite small. However, for those who spend most of their time in the studios or labs, it is not a big concern.

2. Lack of pure Indian food. This can be a problem, but these days we have a very active Vegetarian food crew and we get about 3-4 days of Indian vegetarian food. !

Suggestion:

The co-op has free tours available (check on the co-op site for exact timings), but DO take these tours, and generally they would ask you to try the food at the co-op for that day, and thus you would not only get an idea of the rooms, but also the food !

Co-op is almost always overbooked for the fall quarter, so make a decision early enough.

Links:

UCHA Desi Activities: Information about activities done by the desi gang in the year of 2002-2003.
UCHA Desis Egroups: A private egroups that is aimed at co-ordinating events between the ucha desis for 2003-2004.