Where’s My Water?

By BRIGID PARKER

Since the beginning of this semester, construction both on campus and off has been causing frequent water outages, bringing about frustration for students, staff, and faculty alike. To make matters worse, several of these shut-offs have arrived with little to no warning, and without complete certainty of which campus buildings will be affected. 

The reason for the ambiguity around the timing and locations for these outages stems from the fact that the water mains presently under construction are old enough that the City of Beloit has no records of exactly which buildings they reach. The repairs happening presently are meant to ensure the improvement of these water mains and their records to prevent future unexpected shut-offs.  

Without an amenity as basic as water, it’s understandable that many members of our campus community have been expressing their grievances over these unfortunate circumstances. No one likes having to show up to class with unbrushed teeth, walk to another building to fill their water bottle, or look at other people’s poop in the toilet. However, it’s important to remember that these shut-offs are happening out of necessity, not malice. There is no evil mastermind pulling levers and pushing buttons at city hall, laughing maniacally as they deprive innocent college students of water. Frustration is reasonable, but it’s important to remember that these present inconveniences are bringing us closer to a future with better infrastructure and, hopefully, less surprise water outages.

If the water shut–offs continue into the coming weeks, here are some mindfulness exercises I suggest to combat any resentful feelings:

• Make a list of five things you are grateful for
• Go for a walk and think about how big the world is and how little we are 
• Empathize with that stranger’s whose poop you saw. Imagine their horror. The guilt of their act echoing in their mind, trapping them in an endless poop-loop. Chances are they’re having a worse day than you. 

Thank you to LeeAnn Ryan for her all of her effort to keep campus aware of water shut-offs and to all of those working to improve Beloit’s water systems!