With the fate of Pyle Inn co-op up in the air, Oberlin Student Cooperative Association members gathered with OSCA officers last Sunday in West Lecture Hall, anxious to understand what exactly is going on and to strategize ways to keep the co-op alive, with or without a working oven hood.

“We’re hearing things like, ‘Yeah, I heard OSCA’s shutting down four co-ops and replacing them with prisons,’” said OSCA President and College senior Caleb Baker. “Hopefully this meeting will clarify some of those rumors.”

Communal concern for the endangered co-op brought some coherence to the meeting, despite the confusion created by current lack of information, no genuine cost estimate and ignorance of the College’s intentions.

Baker opened the meeting with details about Pyle’s faulty ventilation hood, recalling behind-the-scene discussions both prior to and after the April 7 fire inspection. He criticized the College’s slow response and emphasized OSCA’s commitment to keeping Pyle alive.

“The Fire Marshal [has] restricted Pyle to boiling, baking and stewing under the new no-grease regulations,” said Baker. “But now Pyle has new stainless steel kitchenware and a nice propane-powered barbeque from the College which are supposed to last at least until the end of the year.”

Baker expressed frustration with the College’s apparent hesitation in fixing Pyle’s hood. The College-OSCA rent contract provides 630 people with eight kitchens. The College is obligated under this contract to provide temporary kitchen space for Pyle members until the faulty hood is replaced or else renegotiate next year’s rent contract with OSCA.

As of now the College has not announced a schedule for replacing the hood and Baker has reason to believe the College has no intentions to do so. At the meeting he pointed to a Board of Trustees’ decision made in December that no attention will be given to new “major” projects for the rest of 2006. Baker understood that the Board of Trustees’ decision was intended to leave room for the College’s Phase Two plan and put a blanket freeze on all construction projects costing more than $20,000.

In a later interview, Director of Business Operations and Dining at ResEd Michelle Gross clarified that the Phase Two plan itself has no connection to OSCA but is part of a larger Master Plan that encompasses renovations to current housing, and will be completed in December. Although Asia house’s plumbing problems have already been identified, the College is looking at all residential halls, emphasized Gross.

“We don’t want to spend money unwisely,” she said.

Baker worried that if the Master Plan selects Asia House for renovations in December, the construction might not take place until 2008.

Gross responded, “The College is in the process of determining the cost to fix the hood.”

She seemed confident it would be appraised within the next two weeks at most. If the price is less than $20,000 it will be renovated this summer; otherwise not, she said.

After laying out the issues surrounding the renovations, Baker opened the floor to co-opers’ comments and suggestions.

Harkness co-oper and College senior Jon Good, suggested that if the appraisal is more than $20,000, the job be split into multiple sub-projects, each costing under $20,000. Baker later expressed doubt that the College would accept such a proposal due to the amount of publicity the issue has received.

Another student suggested that the College petition the Board of Trustees to alter their December decision. Baker agreed that this was likely to happen.

Someone proposed that alumni be petitioned to help raise money to pay the difference. OSCA treasurer and College junior Imran Lalani suggested that turning to alumni is not a good precedent to set.

In an effort to save money, Good suggested that, rather than replace the defective duct throughout the building, a temporary duct could be installed that goes up the exterior of the building. This would release fumes faster, going a long way to eliminate the fire hazard.

Co-opers also brainstormed ways to speed things up. One student suggested that OSCA get the appraisal done on its own and then ask to be refunded by the College. Someone else thought OSCA should continue with the repairs and then bill the College.

Pyle Inn head cook and College junior Molly Grove said she didn’t particularly mind the current situation.

“With the new capacity of cookware and extra baking sheets, things have been totally fine,” she said.

There seemed to be general agreement among the Pyle members present — composing about one fourth of an approximately 50 person turnout — that the situation was manageable, though not ideal.

In a later interview, College junior and OSCA President-Elect Erica Tempesta said, “It’s not fair because an outside source is telling Asia House how they should be.”

There was also discussion at the meeting about OSCA’s need for good publicity in order to gain support in future conflicts with the College. Co-oper and College sophomore David Huck proposed that there be weekly or biweekly discussions at each co-op addressing the current state of OSCA-College relations.

In the meantime one student expressed a concern that intoxicated students might not abide by the “no grease” rule and risk Pyle getting shut down. Baker explained that there would be many informational signs posted around the area and discussions with Asia House residents regarding the severity of the situation.

“If a drunk comes down in the middle of the night to cook an omelet, they are aware that they could kill everybody in the house,” said Baker. “And for the record, OSCA is anti-death.”

Even if Pyle is allowed to continue into next year under its current restrictions, the outdoor grill will not be of much use in the winter. The urgency of the situation has called attention to OSCA’s off-the-table Redistribution Plan, which existed in part before the hood’s failed inspection and is meant to act as a last-resort contingency plan in the event that Pyle should close.

The Redistribution Plan involves filling empty spots in other co-ops and maybe increasing membership in Brown Bag co-op, explained OSCA Membership Secretary and College junior Corey Walters.

“There is room to wiggle around in,” he said.

However, Baker expressed his wish for Pyle to retain its “unique culture, food and spirit.” Baker emphasized that the Redistribution Plan would only be used if negotiations fail.

After a Monday lunch meeting with ResEd, the OSCA team and the College agreed to begin early negotiations under the assumption that the hood will not be repaired this summer. Baker said that from these negotiations he expected the College to either reconsider its decision not to renovate, which would mean appealing to the Board of Trustees or offering Pyle members another building for next year.

“If we can’t come to a mutually acceptable agreement we will need to pursue other options,” said Baker. “It’s gonna come down to a cost-benefit decision on the part of the College.”