Hoyt Hall

I was apprehensive when I found out I got into Hoyt. It had been my 6^th choice when I ranked my co-​op preference, and after living in Stern my freshman year, I wasn’t too thrilled at the prospect of all female housing again. Despite all the hesitation, I ended up living here until I graduated, and they were the best 3 semesters of my life.
Hoyt has a bit of a bad reputation within the system. People seem to assume that a house of all womyn must be catty and full of drama. The reality of it though is that Hoyt is the most loving home I have ever known. I came home everyday to a house full of hugs and cuddles, late night baked goods, and good company to unravel with at the end of the day. I also learned a lot more about issues such as heteronormativity and food politics here. It’s conveniently located between Cloyne and CZ, so a party can easily be found when you want one, but there’s also quiet when you want to study. It is also clean (by co-​op standards) and has a large number of singles if you want one of those.
Hoyt is really what you make of it. If you just want to sit in your room all day and never try to get to know your housemates, you’ll find that it’s not that exciting. If you come have dinner with the house every night, join in on a movie marathon or board game night here and there, or even just sit around in the dining room and talk to people, you’ll find it’s a house full of supportive womyn who will have your back and take care of you when you need it.

I wasn’t sure what to expect from a co-​op. I heard the horror stories of Rochdale (pronounced «Roach» dale) and the vegan pudding wrestling matches at another co-​op. I forgot the name, but it is the vegetarian one.
However, once I settled in, life was good here! I was the maintenance manager from 1994 – 1995. The house project was the rooftop patio. Does anyone know if the mosaic is still up there? We also painted the Keith Haring dancing people on the third floor. I don’t know if that is still there either.
I spent most of my time in room 4D. My old roommate and I still keep in touch and I’m still in touch with the compost manager. Is that the right title? She used to do vermi composting and was really depressed one day when someone left the lid open off the container and it rained and all the worms drowned. I tried desperately not to laugh, because it wasn’t funny gosh darn it!
Not wanting to sound like a prude, but it was the first time that I lived intimately with bisexuals and lesbians. I’m so glad I did. It really opened up my mind.
Food here is excellent! I still remember doing Choco Taco raids and eating handfulls of pine nuts. Oops, maybe we weren’t supposed to be doing that?
The location was the best. Parking is a hassle however if you own a car.

Nice location for rolling out of bed and going to class.
Not such a great location when you are coming home from SF at 6am and you have to walk up that damn hill!
This is a good USCA co-​op. Rooms are good size and the there are nice sunsets to be seen from the roof top.
There is a serious lack of common space for the 50+ people who live there, which results in a lack on communality and interaction in places other than the kitchen or dining room, but makes things seem sparkly clean when everyone puts in their 5 hrs each week.

Having been at Hoyt for three semesters, I have grown more and more attached to this humble coop. For every time I’ve cursed at it, there have been twice as many times when I’ve felt genuinely lucky to have found my way here.
Hoyt is ideal for those looking for a place of peace. The house is kept pretty close to immaculate, thanks to a tradition of good workshifters and workshift managers. While some are resentful of the attention to detail and the strict enforcement of rules, its that kind of accountability and application of bylaws that makes Hoyt a pleasant place to be.