The purchase of a water fountain was approved for the Horticulture Center on campus following a club-led petition that highlighted the distance that students had to travel to get water.
“The new fountain is ordered. We are expecting delivery at the end of next week.” said Stacy Pinola, director of Facilities, Planning and Management on Feb. 12.
This approval comes after the Horticulture Club began gathering signatures for a petition to formally request a water fountain, which they had announced in an Instagram post on Feb. 1.
The petition which was set to end on Feb.13 was never formally submitted, with Horticulture Club President Dayana Ramirez speculating that they had probably just caught wind of it.
“They just happened to hear about it,” Said Ramirez
The petition was written by Ramirez after repeated complaints about the distance that students and staff had to travel to get water.
“So I’ve been here at Delta since 2024, and since then I have struggled with heat exhaustion out at Mustang Acres,” said Ramirez. “I just love my classmates and the people I work with so I feel like this new addition would be great. It would also benefit the future generation of horticulture.”
Mustang Acres is the name given to the plot of land across from the SCMA building maintained by the horticulture department, including students and staff, even into the summer. That maintenance often takes hours at a time.
“Last semester I was working here, we had been working on mustang acres on the tractor, planting stuff and weeding,” said Arthur “Art” Valenzeula, a member of the Horticulture Club who is studying for his associates degree in horticulture. “The closest drinking fountain, like water refill station, is in Shima. From here it’s over 800 feet and from Mustang Acres it’s over 900 feet.”
“That’s a long way to go to refill your water, especially if you’ve been out working all day,” said Valenzeula.
“I’m here from 9 to 5, so it could be a full day that I’m out on the farm,” said Ajani Young, an instructional support aide, when asked about how long they spent at Mustang Acres. “It’s a few hours at least.”
During the summer, members of the horticulture club would carry extra water bottles with them just to cut down on trips to the fountain. Young had three water bottles to use through that period.
“I have three of these,” said Young gesturing to his water bottle.
Concerns over hydration weren’t the only motivator, some voiced concerns about the time it takes to get water and come back.
“We’ll be in the middle of activities and then students will say ‘oh can I get a drink of water’ and then they have to walk really far,” said Tina Candelo-Mize, associate professor of Horticulture. “So they miss 15 to 20 minutes of activities because they have to go into campus to get water.”
The shortest route to a water fountain from the horticulture center, using officially marked walkways and crosswalks, was an eight minute round-trip that sent students to the back of the SCMA building.
However, the shortest route from Mustang Acres was an 11 minute round-trip which led to the DeRicco building and included crossing a street at a minimally protected crosswalk.
The new water fountain is expected to be installed by March 12.
