The Student Government Association (SGA) voted on Tuesday, March 24 to allocate $15,000 towards installing new water bottle filling stations in three campus residence halls. The project, brought to the Student Senate by First-Year Senator Adam Benoit ’29, will bring new filling stations to Mohn, Larson, and Mellby Halls, which are buildings that currently have few or even no water bottle fillers despite their numerous residents. Benoit said the idea came from his own experience living in Mohn Hall, where two filling stations on floors far apart from each other serve the entire building.
“If I’m having this problem, other people probably are too,” Benoit said in an interview with The Olaf Messenger. “At one in the morning, when you’re really tired, are you going to trek across campus to a building that’s already closed? This is a big inconvenience that could easily be fixed.”
Benoit worked with Director of Facilities Kevin Larson to identify which buildings needed upgrades most urgently. “Facilities have plans to get [updated water fountains], but it was on a five-year timeline,” Benoit said. “If SGA gives them the money, they can get it done now, and it will impact so many students in the years before they would have otherwise gotten to it.”
Under SGA’s plan, Mohn and Larson Halls will each receive two new electric bottle filling stations. Mellby, which currently has no drinking fountains or bottle fillers, will receive updated plumbing and one new station.
The total project cost is approximately $26,000. Facilities has agreed to match the SGA’s $15,000 contribution, covering the full expense. A combination of in-house staff and outside contractors will complete the installations over the summer, with all stations expected to be operational by the start of the fall 2026 semester.
One residence hall absent from the project is Hoyme Hall, which currently has no bottle fillers. Director Larson informed SGA that the building’s plumbing structure would require a full bathroom remodel to accommodate a new station. This is a cost well beyond the available budget.
Looking ahead, Benoit hopes to expand access to bottle fillers in additional residence halls and potentially to buildings like Buntrock Commons.
