With twelve on-campus residence halls costing $11,630 in room and board for a double room, nearly every building ensures students have access to filtered drinking water by providing at least one bottle filling station. Yet Kostka Hall, built in 1970, remains the outlier.
In an initiative to promote sustainability and modernize the campus, the University has implemented ELKAY ezH2O filtered bottle filling stations in almost every on-campus building. While Fairfield University has released no official information about the cost of the filling stations, the varied selling price of these stations peaks at about $2,161 per unit.
However, an investigation by The Mirror found that while these water bottle filling stations have become more prominent on campus, students are questioning why some buildings remain without the newer filling stations.
“It is just so frustrating to live in a building without one,” states Kostka Hall resident Madison Ryder ‘27. “It is a convenient and efficient way for students to have access to drinking water.”
Ryder is one of the more than 170 Kostka residents without filtered drinking water in their building, which forces them to walk somewhere else or pay for bottled water. Ryder says she takes four stainless steel water bottles to Meditz Hall to fill up.
While a brief walk to a building next door is not a significant issue at a glance, students can only access other residence buildings until 11 p.m.
Other students point out the recent winter weather students, with Fairfield county receiving upwards of six inches of snow on Saturday. Both locked doors and winter weather hinder Kosta residents’ access to filtered water.
As a student-athlete on the Women’s Rugby team, Ryder needs to stay hydrated: “It is difficult to stay consistently hydrated,” Ryder states, “Especially when it’s cold out and the walk to get to the gym is a lot harsher.”
To alleviate the issue, Kostka Hall residents purchase plastic water bottle packs. A Poland Spring 24-pack of 16 oz water bottles can cost students around $20 when purchased from Target and can be a hassle to lug up to three flights of stairs for those who live on the side of Kostka Hall without an elevator.
The economic question then arises of whether or not residents in Kostka Hall remission from their housing tuition if they do not have access to all the amenities other buildings do.
While Kostka was opened in 1970, it is not the oldest resident hall on campus. Loyola Hall, found within the Quad, was opened in 1955 and has a water bottle filler on each of its three floors.
A Resident Assistant who asked to remain anonymous for their job security stated that Facilities and Maintenance had told them that the plumbing in Kostka was “too old to incorporate” the water bottle fillers.
The Mirror reached out to Facilities Management multiple times to corroborate this account but did not receive a response in time for publication.
The second-floor lounge has a vending machine containing Dasani water bottles. Students can purchase water for $2.49. Although dining dollars or stag bucks cannot be used, students are nonetheless provided with a way to access water within the building.
A kitchen with a large sink and faucet can also be found in the basement of Kostka Hall, where students have the option of refilling their water bottles. However, the water is unfiltered and often comes out looking brown.
The sinks in the bathrooms across the rest of the residence hall contain basins that are too tiny to fit water bottles or Brita filters under.
While Kostka completely lacks bottle-filling stations, others are also lacking in numbers. Avery Dulles Hall, recently opened at the beginning of this semester, provides residents with two water bottle fillers per floor. Yet, older buildings such as McCormick Hall only have one shared by the entire building.
Molly Lawless, a sophomore Avery Dulles Hall resident, notes the lack of congruency regarding filling stations. “It seems odd that we would have so many while other buildings like Kostka have to leave to find just one.”
Lawless also describes the fluctuating filter status of the stations. “It seems like almost once every two weeks the filter goes to red, making me and other students not want to use it,” she states. Lawless also explains that the water bottle filler on her side of the first floor has broken a handful of times this semester alone. “It is really strange since the building is brand new,” she points out.
Despite issues with the current lack of bottle fillers found in residence halls, there is hope amongst students that the University will take action against these grievances.
Avery Dulles Hall being newly built suggests that the University still holds modernization and improvement of resident life to high standards, in the future action may be taken to upgrade the plumping in Kostka Hall to include water bottle fillers for future residents.
Editor-in-Chief Max Limric is a resident assistant and had no role in the creation or editing of this article before publication.
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