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During the second weekend of September, Colorado State University football had their second home game, both of which I have attended so far this year. While it seems like some things are going well, the lack of drinking fountains on the student side or the east side of the stadium is very apparent. Combine this with the fact that every single water bottle must be dumped on the outside of the gates before you enter the stadium, and I think we all know why there’s an uptick in woozy students who spend four hours in the sun with no water.

There is one drinking fountain on this entire east side. Out of the 40,099 people who attended this past week’s Rocky Mountain Letdown, at least 10,000 of them are CSU students, many of whom are broke, just like me. Requiring students to not only bake for hours on the sunny side of the stadium they have paid for through their tuition and fees, let alone making them pay $6 for a single water at the concession stands, is not acceptable.

However, a message that came from Dean Craig Chesson prior to the game said, “If you choose to drink, make your own drinking choices. Drink only if you want to, stick to the limit you set for yourself, never leave a drink unattended or accept a drink from someone you don’t know and never mix alcohol with medications, illegal drugs or energy drinks. Remember to eat something and drink water before, during and after drinking. You can also pass if you don’t want to drink or have reached your limit.”

Great advice, but not very practical to stay hydrated when there is a 30-minute wait in line for the only working water fountain people can use to refill their drinking receptacles. Not to mention, when you finally drink the water, it tastes like runoff supplied by watering the field. Both the pledge cards we sign at one of the booths in the stadium and the advice we are getting from our administrators are not helping the students’ ability to hydrate.

The number of comments that could be heard pertaining to this water fountain debacle for both the University of Northern Colorado and the University of Colorado Boulder game was staggering. Nearly every other person who walked by our line asked, “Is this the line for the restroom?” That might make a little more sense, but no, this is the line to be able to rehydrate your body, a health and life necessity.

The student in the water line in front of me said, “We should write the CSU paper and tell them what is going on here.” I agreed completely, so that’s what I’m doing. If you agree, please say something. Let’s all enjoy these games together in a healthier way and be able to drink more responsibly if we choose to drink — and are of age — by having the human right to drink water before, during and after drinking alcohol. Or just plain be able to drink water.

Jared Mannering, graduate student at Colorado State University

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