Le Chateau Residents Petition to Save Co-op

Le Chateau Residents Petition to Save Co-op
By MEGAN REITER
Contributing Writer
Wednesday, April 28, 2004

Amid students soliciting signatures to “save the environment” and “save the children,” just inside of Sather Gate, residents of Le Chateau co-op are petitioning to save their home.

Over the past three days they have been gathering signatures on two petitions in support of the co-op, which could be shut down for seven months at the beginning of this summer for structural and organizational renovations.

One petition calls for Le Chateau’s neighbors to show their support for the house as a positive part of the community. The petition has garnered 50 signatures in two days.

The other is a general bid for support from students.

The petitions come after neighbors of the co-op filed 22 separate $5,000 small-claims lawsuits against the University Students’ Cooperative Association, citing noise violations among other complaints.

Changes within Le Chateau have been needed for a long time, said resident and petition organizer Jeremy Coyle. The co-op has a reputation for being wild and dangerous.

But those changes can be made without closing the co-op, Coyle said.

The threat of closure has brought a new urgency to the need for renovations and restructuring, residents said.

“We’re always looking to improve the nature of the house, but this has been a definite motivation for us,” said Le Chateau resident Ian Latta.

Erik Christensen, house manager for the co-op, said the house is no louder or rowdier than any other high-occupancy residence.

“The claims are really exaggerated,” he said. “A lot of stuff has been really blown out of proportion. When you see it on paper it looks really bad.”

The money that the USCA could spend on the lawsuits would be better invested in improving the house, said Ben Reccius, social manager for the house.

The USCA Board of Representatives meets again tonight to discuss the future of Le Chateau. Shelly Lyser, Le Chateau’s board representative, said improving the house is USCA’s main goal.

“USCA is being really positive about this,” she said.

There has been a push to establish a theme for Le Chateau as part of its organizational restructuring.

One of the options is a non-exclusive international house for students visiting Berkeley, said Christensen.

If the house is renovated, USCA is considering making it into graduate student housing or an all-women’s residence.