Looking for a home not quite like the dorm but with a larger community than a rented house or apartment? Look no further than the Alpha Omega House. Located a mere
10 seconds from campus next to Taylor’s Bar and Grill, this collegiate men’s Christian co-op provides housing for 24 young men each year.
“I choose to live at the Alpha Omega house because I wanted to live in an environment which was free from a lot of the trash that you get in the dorm (e.g. drugs, etc.). I also wanted to live in a house where Christian fellowship would be, and I wouldn’t get harassed for my beliefs,” said two-year resident Dan Muir.
From the outside, the AO House looks like a campus fraternity. Inside, college-age men share two floors of residential rooms and have an opportunity to graduate to better bedrooms with seniority. Beds can be lofted to fit desks underneath and each room can be decorated to fit the boarders’ personality.
The house also has a decent-sized kitchen, a common eating area, a living room, a study room and a basement. It also has an entertainment cove tucked neatly onto the second floor that provides tiered couch seating and a place to host movie nights. The men within the house are as diverse as the rooms in which they live. The house doesn’t restrict residents by age or recruit a certain “type” of person, making it an interesting, dynamic living community.
“There’s a wide range (of people) in age, maturity, personality, everything,” junior Andy Freeman said. “Honestly, as a house, the only thing we have in common is our faith in Jesus Christ.”
From eating to watching sports to sitting around playing guitar, these men seem to have perfected communal living. The beauty is that each is still able to do his individual activities while the house provides the opportunity to socialize with other Christians.
Because the house is owned and operated by First Baptist Church of Eugene, many of the tenant activities revolve around the church and religion. The house is dedicated to helping residents develop healthy relationships with the Lord and each other. Each Sunday many of the young men attend church service together. Later in the evening, they can also attend the Collegiate Christian Fellowship at the Trinity House near campus. According to Freeman, some weeks the house will also have a worship session or brief Bible study.
AO House tenants also need to be dedicated to other activities to keep the house running smoothly. These could include doing chores or attending weekly house meetings.
“We all have house chores and kitchen duty every week. Kitchen duty is pretty self-explanatory: just clean up the kitchen and put away leftovers,” Freeman said. “House chores differ by seniority, so mine is pretty easy. Basically, I just wipe down the counters in the kitchen. It takes like five minutes.”
Their efforts are rewarded. In addition to providing residents with a large living space, the AO House also provides DSL, laundry facilities, a private parking lot, a pool table and a library of Christian resources. The bedrooms come fully furnished, making it easy to move in. The package costs $535 per month for the 2005-06 school year.
Residents receive two meals per day. Muir said the food is his one complaint with the house. He said it is often made en masse and isn’t particularly healthy. For those who like variety or enjoy cooking, this can be a drawback.
“We eat as one big group, and there is usually a large quantity of whatever, but the food has been repetitive and bland this year,” Freeman said.
Residents who are interested in living at the AO House need to complete an application that includes personal information, past religious involvement, a series of questions and personal testimony of involvement with Christ. Most tenants say this lengthy process was worth the time it took to complete.

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