The Cooperative Movement

Student co-ops are part of a much larger movement. Local buying clubs, student housing co-ops, bakeries, or bookstores may be very visible examples, but the list of cooperative businesses includes major corporations like credit unions, rural electric companies, and agricultural cooperatives. The Toronto Post has reported that nineteen of the top 500 Canadian businesses are cooperatives. In the US, there are many cooperatives with annual sales over $2 billion, including Land O' Lakes, Agway, and Farmland Industries.

Many cooperatives, both large and small, have formed associations with each other to promote the development of new cooperatives. Some prominent associations have been instrumental in the birth of new enterprises including: the National Cooperative Business Association, the Cooperative Housing Federation of Canada, the Credit Union National Association, and the Canadian Cooperative Association. The North American Students of Cooperation, or NASCO, is the counterpart organization on the student level.

The Toad Lane Cooperative in Rochdale England circa 1920

MSU Student Housing Cooperative