Members of Student Council have expressed satisfaction with the success of their water distribution system, which premiered at Saturday's VMI football game.
Although the program was established last year, Saturday was the first home football game at which the heat index was expected to reach 90 degrees, the designated point at which the program calls for water to be distributed.
Athletic Affairs Committee Co-Chair Ben Powell reported that student volunteers handed out nearly 6,000 bottles, the cost of which Council paid to the athletic department, Council President Colin Hood said.
"We were nervous going into it because it was such a large-scale operation, but everything worked perfectly the first time," Powell said.
Overall, students seemed pleased about the program - which was initially born out of concerns that cups of water at the stadium were too expensive - and the ready accessibility of the bottles near the student section.
That is not to say, however, that the initiative did not encounter any "hiccups," as Powell said. He added, though, that these issues should be remedied easily in the future.
For example, as third-year College student Jennifer Tummarello noted, some students simply wiped off the stamps that were intended to indicate they had already received bottles. They then would go back to the station for another.
To address this issue, Powell said Council is considering using permanent markers to identify students better in the future.
Another issue that arose was with trash disposal, as hundreds of plastic bottles were left strewn about the hill and student section. The recycling bins, especially those near the student section, were overflowing by the end of the game, and many students resorted to laying their bottles next to the bins.
Powell said this issue is not entirely problematic because it makes it easier to pick the bottles up but he added that Council will look into getting more bins for future games. In addition, the athletic department hires contracted independent organizations to pick up the bottles within Scott Stadium after the game, Powell said.
Powell also expressed concerns about the peak in the volume of water distributed around kickoff and halftime. Because demand spiked at these times, not many bottles could cool off properly before being handed to students. But the committee is working on a system to ensure that a higher quantity of bottles can be cooled more quickly, he said.
"I thought that it went fantastic," Director of University Relations Dan Morrison said. He said the success of the program was a positive sign not only for the athletics department but also for the individuals behind the publicity efforts.
Powell agreed overall, adding, "[It] was a tremendous success"
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