Triphammer co-op fosters community and growth for Cornellians

By Kelly Kuehn, Student & Campus Life

“Enjoyable. Welcoming. A learning experience.” 

That’s how Daniel Dixon ’24 describes the Triphammer co-op at Cornell. The Environment & Sustainability major and Triphammer House Manager transferred to Cornell his junior year and, after his first semester, longed for a space where he could collaborate with fellow students in meaningful ways. That’s when he learned about cooperative living at Cornell. 

“I thought the co-ops were a great opportunity for me to see what it was like to live with other people, work together and build stronger connections that you might not in other housing situations,” Dixon recalls. 

And so began his journey in Triphammer, a co-op located on North Campus. The beautiful big blue house sits on the corner of Triphammer Road and Jessup Road and houses anywhere from 17 to 20 students each semester. Aidan Goldberg ’25, an English major in the College of Arts and Sciences, has lived in Triphammer for five semesters and remembers when he first moved in during COVID. 

“I was definitely anxious, but then I went out during the day and came back and everyone was sitting together playing charades and it was so much fun, everyone was so welcoming,” Goldberg says. 

Getting to know Triphammer’s inclusive and welcoming community 

Something Goldberg and Dixon emphasize about Triphammer is how inclusive and welcoming the community is. They both say the co-op’s residents come from various backgrounds and bond over sharing their experiences. 

“A friend group that I select is something that I really value because I take pride in engaging with people from other walks of life and perspectives, and I think Triphammer’s diversity really affords me that,” Goldberg explains. 

Triphammer residents work hard to create a welcoming environment and plan events that connect the community, including pumpkin carving in the fall and a Thanksgiving dinner. They also plan fun events for Mosey (an open house where Cornellians explore cooperative living), like cracking black walnuts that grow on trees in Triphammer’s front yard.

Their goal is to make people feel like they belong the second they walk through Triphammer’s door, whether they’re a resident or Moseying the co-ops. 

“We aim to build a diverse home and community by welcoming people from different backgrounds,” Dixon says. 

How Triphammer supports student growth

Living in Triphammer gives Dixon and Goldberg a community to be part of and influences their personal growth each day. Dixon says living with 20 fellow Cornellians helps him understand people better and how to manage a house different people call home. 

“It’s the back-and-forth conversations that are eye-opening to understand not only how a person feels, but how to get them to a state where they feel comfortable and their needs are met,” he says. 

While the university owns and manages the co-ops, students are responsible for running each house. They elect house leaders, vote on house rules and pitch in with chores. Residents also share cooking responsibilities; a different group consisting of three or four residents make meals each week. 

Goldberg says being part of the house’s systems help him better understand similar systems in the world. 

“It’s interesting to learn how individuals, their emotions and their capacities come together and greatly influence those systems,” he explains. “You can think about all the structures of anything, but you don’t really understand how they work until you understand the people.” 

Goldberg also says living in a co-op has changed the way he thinks about housing beyond Cornell.

“It makes a lot more sense to be sharing all these resources and I think getting to learn how to do that with friends at such a young age is really valuable,” he says. “It makes me want to seek out cooperative living in the future.” 

How to learn more about the Triphammer co-op 

Students interested in learning more about Triphammer are encouraged to Mosey on Sunday, Feb. 11. Cornellians learn about cooperative housing at Cornell during Mosey and visit several co-ops to get a sense of the communities and houses. If students can’t Mosey, they can reach out to Triphammer leadership at triphammer@cornell.edu to set up a visit. 

If students are on the fence about Moseying or visiting Triphammer, Goldberg and Dixon have one piece of advice: Take a chance, as great things await. 

“[Living in Triphammer] has probably been the single-most influential origin of my growth since I’ve been at Cornell,” Goldberg says. 

What waits for you at Triphammer or one of Cornell’s other cooperative living spaces? Learn more about co-op living by attending the next Co-Op Mosey on Sunday, Feb. 11 or emailing co-ops@cornell.edu.  

Cover photo provided by Daniel Dixon.