Batten House was acquired by the College in 1959 from the family of Jane Batten '55. Batten served as housing for McBride Scholars (non-traditional age undergraduates) for a number of years. Since the fall of 1999, Batten has housed members of the Batten Co-Operative. The Batten Co-Operative is open to Bi-College upperclass students interested in a living and cooking experience that addresses environmental and social justice issues. Students accepted as members of the Co-Op share the responsibilities of cooking vegetarian/vegan dinners, cleaning, recycling, organizing house and campus-wide activities and hosting speakers.