Dippikill Ad Hoc Committee Holds Public Forum

By Vince Gasparini | April 21, 2025

The Ad Hoc Committee to Reassess the Student Association’s Relationship With Dippikill Inc. held a public forum at the Campus Center on Friday, where dozens of alumni attended both in-person and over Zoom to share their concerns with the prospect of selling the 1,000-acre Adirondack retreat.

If the committee were to come to a decision to sell the property, the decision would have to be approved by a two-thirds vote of the Student Association Senate.

The meeting was held in the Multipurpose Room in the Campus Center.

Photo Credit: Vince Gasparini | The ASP

The committee was formed after Dippikill Inc. reached an undisclosed settlement with eight employees after a months-long labor dispute, which has left the camp’s reservations closed since November. 

President Jalen Rose has said that SA is currently operating at a $250,000 deficit, which amounts to roughly the same amount the nonprofit uses to subsidize Dippikill. Rose told the ASP that while he would like the camp to stay within the University at Albany community and available to students, SA is “no longer in a position to financially support the organization.”

Several alumni who were present at the meeting advocated for the wilderness retreat to stay under the jurisdiction of SA and also expressed openness in doing what they can to help SA continue funding it.

“Dippikill is a treasure,” Joseph Daprocida, ‘85, told the committee. Daprocida said he has been visiting the camp alongside a group of alumni for 25 years.

“If you tell us what you need, we’re happy to help,” Daprocida said. “Whether that be soliciting for donations, time, repairs. Going forward, we hope that you’re able to, in conjunction with SUNY Albany, come up with a plan to bridge the gap in funding that appears to be the biggest problem.”

Matthew Ledwith, ‘20, criticised the idea of a sale and suggested that the lack of enthusiasm among active students towards Dippikill is the fault of SA.

“Rather than looking in the mirror and cleaning house, selling it off is a cop out that shifts responsibility, and maybe even dodges accountability for some of the stuff that’s been going on lately there,” Ledwith said. “The communication between SA and the stakeholders has been almost nonexistent. No updates on the Dippikill website, no response to inquiries or offers of aid and support.” 

Vice President of the UAlbany Alumni Association Joe Bonilla, ‘11, told the committee that Dippikill is an important aspect of how alumni maintain a sense of connection to UAlbany and to their former classmates.

“I’ve had friends that have gotten married at Dippikill, I know different groups of friends that were made at this university that kept up that friendship because of Dippikill,” Bonilla said. “By selling or disposing of Dippikill, we lose a sense of identity on this campus.” 

Former SA Comptroller Lee Stanton, ‘11, was also in attendance. He suggested to the committee that they look into partnering with the university or with the UAlbany Alumni Association to invest in ecological research at Dippikill in order to maintain funding for its operations.

“Harvard has a property called Harvard Forest; there, they have research being conducted and funded through grants. They even fund fellowships for students who are interested in that sort of research,” Stanton said. “What I’m considering here is an exciting opportunity where we can mesh what is so unique about Dippikill with some of the tenants of our higher education system.”