Our communities

Ruth Schulze Co-op provides students with a supportive academic, living and learning environment where members commit to maintaining a substance free lifestyle while at home.  The community strives to foster an environment of respect and understanding while promoting the health and well-being of its members in all aspects of life.

Members who chose to live in a substance free environment do so for a variety of reasons including health, personal values, family influence, and impact by addiction and recovery in family, friends’ and/or one’s own life. Members who decide to call Ruth Schulze Co-op their home commit to the following agreements.

• Members agree not to use or possess alcohol, tobacco products*, or any illicit/illegal drugs in any space within the house or on house grounds.
• If a member chooses to consume substances while off the premises, respect for the community must be maintained and behavior upon returning home must not negatively impact the community or any individual member.
• Members agree to hold each other accountable and will follow ICC Austin’s conflict resolution process to confront any member who is in violation of the substance free policy.
• Members understand that violation of the substance free policy may result termination of the member resident agreement.

*Tobacco products may be kept in a member’s possession but may not be used in the house or on house grounds.

House of Audre Lorde is a space dedicated to amplifying the voices and narratives of People of Color.  ICC Austin recognizes the ongoing legacy of racial inequity in the United States. Our goal is to provide a community living space that intentionally de-centers the dominant White cultural norms that Students of Color must navigate in their daily life. We envision this to be a supportive, academic, living and learning environment that promotes the health and well-being of its members in all aspects of life.

All students are welcomed to live at House of Audre Lorde. ICC Austin will not discriminate against anyone on the basis of race. Members who decide to call House of Audre Lorde their home should fully understand and support the vision of the house and the reasons behind its creation. 

As an organization, we acknowledge what we don’t know. This space will allow a new community and its development will be driven by the members with support from our staff. We offer this poem, by Micky ScottBey Jones, as a starting direction for the community.

An Invitation to Brave Space

 Together we will create a brave space,

Because there is no such thing as a “safe space”.

We exist in the real world.

We all carry scars and we have all caused wounds.

In this space,

We seek to turn down the volume of the outside world,

We amplify voices that fight to be heard elsewhere,

We call each other to more truth and love.

We have the right to start somewhere and continue to grow.

We have the responsibility to examine what we think we know.

We will not be perfect.

This space will not be perfect.

It will not always be what we wish it to be

But

It will be our brave space together,

And

We will work on it side by side.