Two Dickinson Street Co-op
Encyclopedia
The Two Dickinson Street Co-op, or 2D, is one of the three student dining co-ops at Princeton University
in Princeton, New Jersey
. 2D is a 50-member vegetarian
(and vegan
-friendly) cooperative
located across the street from the Princeton University campus.
2D is an alternative to the eating clubs
, which constitute the most commonly selected eating option for upperclassmen at Princeton University
. Unusually for independent dining co-ops, it is based in university-managed housing.
processes and collective self-governance,. Teams of members alternate cooking dinner each night, and often prepare and eat informal lunches and breakfasts at the co-op. Each member pays dues, cooks at least once a week, participates in a cleaning schedule, and has a chore. Chores range from bread baking to treasurer to dishrag washer. Members join for a variety of reasons, including a commitment to eating vegetarian or vegan food, cost, political or religious beliefs, and a lively social community.
The building is officially a university-owned dormitory subject to university housing restrictions and fees, but most residents choose to live in 2D in order to participate in the dining co-op. All residents are given the opportunity to join the co-op and the remaining members are chosen through a lottery. Approximately half of the members of the co-op actually live in the house, while the other half live either on campus or elsewhere.
.
Members of 2D have been at the center of political activism at Princeton over the years. For example, 2D members were among the key organizers of the 2000-2002 campaign for a living wage for Princeton janitors and dining hall workers and some meetings were held at 2D. Peter Singer
, a noted controversial philosopher at Princeton in favour of animal rights, was invited to eat at 2D on two occasions.
In 1999, a group of 2D alums founded Boston Community Cooperatives, a 501(c)(3) organization that owns and operates a group equity model of communally owned, democratically controlled and affordable residential housing cooperatives, similar to the NASCO
model of cooperative ownership.
Josue Lajeunesse
, formerly custodian at 2D (currently custodian at Whitman College, Princeton University
), was one of the main subjects of the documentary film The Philosopher Kings, and is an active humanitarian working to make clean water accessible to his village of Lasource, Haiti.
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
in Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton, New Jersey
Princeton is a community located in Mercer County, New Jersey, United States. It is best known as the location of Princeton University, which has been sited in the community since 1756...
. 2D is a 50-member vegetarian
Vegetarianism
Vegetarianism encompasses the practice of following plant-based diets , with or without the inclusion of dairy products or eggs, and with the exclusion of meat...
(and vegan
Veganism
Veganism is the practice of eliminating the use of animal products. Ethical vegans reject the commodity status of animals and the use of animal products for any purpose, while dietary vegans or strict vegetarians eliminate them from their diet only...
-friendly) cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
located across the street from the Princeton University campus.
2D is an alternative to the eating clubs
Eating clubs
The eating clubs at Princeton University are private institutions resembling both dining halls and social houses, where the majority of Princeton upperclassmen eat their meals. Each eating club occupies a large mansion on Prospect Avenue, one of the main roads that runs through the Princeton...
, which constitute the most commonly selected eating option for upperclassmen at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
. Unusually for independent dining co-ops, it is based in university-managed housing.
About
The co-op uses consensus decision-makingConsensus decision-making
Consensus decision-making is a group decision making process that seeks the consent, not necessarily the agreement, of participants and the resolution of objections. Consensus is defined by Merriam-Webster as, first, general agreement, and second, group solidarity of belief or sentiment. It has its...
processes and collective self-governance,. Teams of members alternate cooking dinner each night, and often prepare and eat informal lunches and breakfasts at the co-op. Each member pays dues, cooks at least once a week, participates in a cleaning schedule, and has a chore. Chores range from bread baking to treasurer to dishrag washer. Members join for a variety of reasons, including a commitment to eating vegetarian or vegan food, cost, political or religious beliefs, and a lively social community.
The building is officially a university-owned dormitory subject to university housing restrictions and fees, but most residents choose to live in 2D in order to participate in the dining co-op. All residents are given the opportunity to join the co-op and the remaining members are chosen through a lottery. Approximately half of the members of the co-op actually live in the house, while the other half live either on campus or elsewhere.
History
2D was founded in 1977-1978 as a result of two years of student activism demanding an alternative to the eating clubsEating clubs
The eating clubs at Princeton University are private institutions resembling both dining halls and social houses, where the majority of Princeton upperclassmen eat their meals. Each eating club occupies a large mansion on Prospect Avenue, one of the main roads that runs through the Princeton...
.
Members of 2D have been at the center of political activism at Princeton over the years. For example, 2D members were among the key organizers of the 2000-2002 campaign for a living wage for Princeton janitors and dining hall workers and some meetings were held at 2D. Peter Singer
Peter Singer
Peter Albert David Singer is an Australian philosopher who is the Ira W. DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University and Laureate Professor at the Centre for Applied Philosophy and Public Ethics at the University of Melbourne...
, a noted controversial philosopher at Princeton in favour of animal rights, was invited to eat at 2D on two occasions.
In 1999, a group of 2D alums founded Boston Community Cooperatives, a 501(c)(3) organization that owns and operates a group equity model of communally owned, democratically controlled and affordable residential housing cooperatives, similar to the NASCO
North American Students of Cooperation
The North American Students of Cooperation is a federation of housing cooperatives in Canada and the United States, started in 1968. Traditionally, NASCO has been associated with student housing cooperatives, though non-student cooperatives are included in its network...
model of cooperative ownership.
Former members
Spelling bee champion Rebecca Sealfon was a member of 2D.Josue Lajeunesse
Josue Lajeunesse
Josue Lajeunesse is one of the main subjects of a documentary called The Philosopher Kings, which discusses the life stories of several American university custodians....
, formerly custodian at 2D (currently custodian at Whitman College, Princeton University
Whitman College, Princeton University
Whitman College is one of the six residential colleges at Princeton University, New Jersey, United States. The college is named after Meg Whitman, former CEO of eBay, following her $30 million donation to build the college. The structure was designed by architect Demetri Porphyrios...
), was one of the main subjects of the documentary film The Philosopher Kings, and is an active humanitarian working to make clean water accessible to his village of Lasource, Haiti.
In fiction
Although the author was not a member of the co-op, 2D figures prominently in the mystery/thriller novel The Muse Asylum by David Czuchlewski.Further reading
- Two Dickinson Street Co-op Website
- Fraser, Alison S., with Kevin Nash. Princeton University: Off the Record (College Prowler) (College Prowler: Princeton University Off the Record) (Paperback) Pages 41, 45, 63. ISBN 978-1-59658-100-5
- The Historical Subject Files Collection at the Seeley G. Mudd Manuscript Library has several folders of historical documents about 2D and the cooperative movement, including transcriptions from an ethnography of the cooperative done in 1995 (box 378).