The status of the internal filters for the water fountains on Morgan State University’s campus has recently caused concern among the community. 

Morgan is home to numerous fountains on campus, however, the technologically advanced fountains that feature a visual filter status are located within residences including; O’Connell, Blount Towers, Rawlings, Cummings, Baldwin, Harper-Tubman and Morgan View Complex display a status of yellow or red.

According to The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “The presence of certain contaminants in our water can lead to health issues, including gastrointestinal illness, reproductive problems, and neurological diseases.”

Donnea Adams, Work Control Supervisor within The Office of Residence Life and Housing (ORLH), explained when she inquired about the status of the fountain filters, Morgan’s Facility Manager reassured her that the visual change in status doesn’t insinuate the need for replacement because the filters operate on a six-month time schedule.

Te’Ya Williams, a junior marketing major, expressed her dissatisfaction with the cleanliness of the drinking fountains on campus.

“You can taste the difference when water is filtered and when it’s not. I used to drink from the fountains when they were getting cleaned and filtered regularly, they’re all on either red or yellow,” said Williams.

Once Adams brought the urgent situation to the attention of Morgan’s Interim Director of The Physical Plant Department, Premdat Kokilepersaud, a campus-wide maintenance request was submitted on March 14th to resolve the issue.

The Physical Plant Department, responsible for the repair, maintenance, and operations of all buildings and grounds no longer operates under ORLH.

“Residence life has been adjusting and trying to ensure that everyone’s requests are satisfied…our goal is to respond. It’s been quite a long time since the issues with the dorms have not been resolved so we’re trying to clean that up and when the requests come in from students, we’re trying to address those issues right away,” said Adams.              

The lack of filtered water on campus has caused many students to buy their water off campus or substitute their meals for drinks and the Canteen.

When asked how Te’Ya Willams finds access to clean water, she became extremely frustrated and explained that the lack of clean water on campus has resulted in her buying water by the gallon.

“I’m not paying for overpriced water on campus when it should be free,” said Williams.                                                    

Nakisha McLaurin, Associate Director of Operations within ORLH explained that her maintenance team has been made aware of the situation. The replacement filters have been purchased and installation will begin the within the next couple of days with completion scheduled for the close of business on Tuesday.     

“I try to involve everyone and those persons who have positions of oversight so that we’re all on the same page when it comes to resolving issues of the students. I’m very passionate about that in a personal way when complaints come in,” explained Adams.