By Brianna Wallen
News Editor
Remnants of the COVID-19 pandemic still linger in Morrill Hall, as a water fountain still remains sealed under plastic covers and caution tape. What was intended as a temporary safety precaution now serves as an outdated reminder of the restrictions from four years ago.
“In 2020, 2021, probably mostly when everybody started coming back to campus, we closed down all the water fountains throughout campus,” Eric Lessne, the associate VP for capital budgeting and facilities operations, said.
Lessne said that sealing off water fountains was an attempt to help reduce the spread of germs.
“At the time, nobody really knew where COVID was coming from,” Lessne said. “We were trying to avoid contact with things that everyone would be touching, such as water fountains.”
Lessne said that water fountains still being sealed off is a mistake, as it was something that fell under the radar.
“They should have been taken down. We missed it,” Lessne said. “Usually, when we walk around campus and we see something, we’ll take it down. It became a commonplace thing, which is unfortunate.”
Lessne said he has not received any reports from students or staff about the outdated message.
“People see it up, and they don’t pay attention, and it’s just like a painting on a wall, you know? It’s just there, and I’m assuming we did the same thing,” Lessne said.
Apart from the covered water fountain, Lessne said plans are in place for remaining water fountains in academic halls around campus to be removed and replaced with water bottle filling stations.
“As we get more funding from the legislature, I will be changing those out to bottle stations,” Lessne said. “The intention is to eventually change out as many as we can, with no timeline involved.”
Along with relying on funding, Lessne said the project has to be carefully scheduled to prevent distracting students from learning.
“It is a disruptive process, taking the wall apart. You’re redoing the plumbing; you’re hanging it,” Lessne said. “We can’t do it while kids are in class because it makes noise.”
Lessne said this transition also reflects the habits of students who walk today’s hallways.
“Everywhere you walk around, you see everyone has a water bottle,” Lessne said.
Lessne also noted that the water bottle stations are more hygienic, as they eliminate the factor of students sharing the same surfaces.
“You just take your own bottle up underneath it, and it fills your bottle, and you walk away,” Lessne said.
This no-contact feature can help keep students and staff safe as well as reduce the appearance of dirty sinks.
Lessne highlighted that the available water fountains were often utilized to dispose of liquids rather than used as a resource to access water.
“People have a tendency to dump their coffee down there,” Lessne said.
As Lessne focuses on these changes as well as other projects around campus, he wants students and staff to know that he and facilities operations are there to help.
By receiving these reports, more instances, similar to this can come to light and be fixed.
Lessne said that they prioritize transparency, and their help is just a call or report away.
“We try to be as invisible as possible,” Lessne said. “Send your work orders through your RA or HD or professor. If there’s a concern, or if there’s an emergency concern, they can always call facilities operations.”
Lessne told Southern News that the plastic seal on the fountain will be taken down.
