Filtered water stations are being installed in the Rose Hill residence halls and will be complete by the end of the semester. Among the 14 residence halls, 11 have newly installed water stations.
The water station initiative was proposed and passed in the spring of 2022 by the United Student Government (USG). However, USG could not take on this project on its own.
Jamie Serruto, FCRH ’24, Vice President of Facilities and Dining Committee, worked alongside the Residence Halls Association on this new venture. “There was an effort in collaboration between Residence Halls Association Executive President Sal Imbornone, Senator Santiago Vidal, and myself,” Serruto said.
The initial installations began in April 2022, starting with the upperclassmen dorm and O’Hare Hall. The rest of the residence halls followed, with Walsh and Finlay Hall being the most recent. Their water stations were installed over Thanksgiving break.
Queen’s Court, Martyrs’ Court and Loyola Hall are the last to receive the installations. These buildings currently have units in place and are waiting for the plumbing to be finalized.
Not only does this new renovation bring a new source for water to all the residence halls, but it demonstrates the importance of creating the Facilities and Dining Committee under USG. “My committee didn’t exist in its form, so this collaborative nature was necessary,” Serruto explains.
“As a result of this collaboration, we brought the vision for the Facilities and Dining Committee.”
The addition of filtered water stations has been in the works for a year and a half. The renovation has progressed rapidly, especially considering it is led by students. “This is one of the largest capital improvements that has been student driven in the history of residence halls,” Serruto said.
Before the initiative to put water refill stations in every dorm, students had to scramble for filtered water. Many students purchase and use Brita water filters in their dorms. “For the entirety of the last three years that I lived in a dorm, I’ve used a Brita filter,” said Bella Sabino, FCRH ’24.
However, in August of this year, Brita was recalled for false advertising. The filtered water system did not remove the toxins it claimed to.
“I’m very glad to know that we have filtered water stations within our residence halls, being that there are ongoing recalls for water filters,” Serruto said.
Fordham decided to install the trusted Elkay EZH2O® Bottle Filling Station. The university has this exact brand and model in many of the academic buildings already. This system is a touchless bottle filler that uses a sensor to detect when a bottle is near. The water station aims to promote sustainability on campus by reducing the dependency on disposable plastic bottles. The station has a 20-second timer feature so there is less water wasted. Another feature is the LED status monitor that lets one know when the filter needs to be changed. The filter takes up to 3,000 gallons until it needs to be replaced.
Serruto shared that offering the same features throughout the different residence halls was a driving factor for USG to start the new renovation. “The vision was to close the gaps on the residence halls that did not have access to drinking water and those that did,” he said.
Serruto said students no longer have to worry about the lack of access to clean, filtered water. “This system encourages sustainability — to be able to fill up a reusable water bottle — and convenience while promoting proper hydration,” Serruto said.
Kendra Kleintop, GSB ’24, executive vice president of the Residence Halls Association, revealed that sustainability, health and finances were the main reasons for installing the bottle-filling stations.
“The proposal to install Elkay Bottle Filling Stations with single ADA cooler in the residence halls was created for a few reasons: sustainability, health hazards, and to fulfill a basic amenity need that we knew was necessary given the room and board costs that our residents pay,” Kleintop said.
All of the water stations will be up and running by early December, just in time for finals season. All students will have access to pure water.
“I’m really happy they installed a new water station because it makes filling up my water bottle before classes much easier,” says Cristina Stefanizzi, FCRH ’27.
